It might seem like an odd marriage, cutlery and calendar magnets. But really, it's a match made in heaven. 

We love the idea of pairing your engraved cutlery gift (from our gift boutique LifeLong Gifts, of course!) with our tried-and-true Recipe Tear-Off Magnetic Calendar. After all, this year's calendar features 13 mouth-watering dishes from Jennifer Segal, bestselling author of Once Upon a Chef.

Now your clients will be even more inspired to cook — and they'll be reminded of your excellent service every step of the way.

We also love that both our cutlery and calendars have long-lasting value. Our knives — including our new Ulu Elite — are each designed to stand up for decades and through generations. 

Our calendars last long after the year is over, too: We redesigned the back of our calendar with a Home Account Info chart, which keeps track of website and app passwords, security system codes and WiFi information. Not only is everything now in a central location on your client's fridge, but it all stays safe and hidden since it’s on the back of the calendar. 

So there you go! When you order your 2020 calendars, be sure to order some extra to pair with your closing gifts from LifeLong Gifts.

We're up for the challenge year after year: How can we make our calendar collection better than the year before?

​With so many new features to the 2020 lineup, our team hit it out of the park this year! Here's what you can look forward to for your calendar marketing: 

This year's recipe calendars feature a hearty helping of Jenn Segal, a trained chef, popular blogger, and author of the best-selling cookbook Once Upon a Chef. Jenn's recipes are family-friendly and focus on using delicious, fresh, and approachable ingredients. With recipes like Southwestern Sliders, Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Maple & Thyme, and Butterscotch Pecan Scones, your contacts will be eating well all year — and thinking of your business with every satisfying bite.

For 2020, we combined our Green Living and Healthy Living calendars into one Living Well calendar — so now you don't have to choose! Featuring tips on living a brighter, healthier lifestyle, this beautifully designed calendar is a helpful and inspiring resource for 2020.

We've added matte gold to our lineup this year — and boy, does it look stunning our our refreshed Peace Dove calendar. The foil is slightly raised, giving it the look and feel of a high-end holiday greeting card.

We redesigned our calendar backer to offer an even better Home Account Info chart, as well as Kitchen Conversions. Boasting such handy information, your magnet will stay on the fridge long after the calendar pages have been torn off.

This lineup doesn't just include fresh calendars: We’ve designed two new gorgeous envelopes, too, so your marketing arrives in style. We also created sealers to match, so everything looks perfectly cohesive.

Along with our freshly designed 2019 Magnetic Football Schedules, we also rolled out new stunning personalization templates — and they're all available for free. 

We call them our Gentle Marketing templates, because the design only subtly pushes your business information. These new designs serve as a more friendly, less pushy way to promote yourself daily.

In the heart of southern Arizona you'll find The Keto Bakery, a delicious gem run by Michelle Linowicz and her husband Albert.

Each day, they fill their shop with keto-friendly pies and pastries, all of which require lots of prep work.

"We chop a lot of unsweetened dark chocolate — which is very hard — and nuts for pies. I was using a generic, cheap knife."

But then they were given an Ulu Elite by Dale Turner, Magnets USA & LifeLong Gifts founder (and The Keto Bakery fan!). 

"I literally had a whole bar of dark chocolate chopped in a minute or so," Michelle says. "The pieces were small and even, which helped with melting. It was super easy and fast."

But their success with the Ulu didn't stop there. It has helped Michelle more effectively chop nuts for her pies, and has also made her confections more picture-perfect.

"Not only was [slicing a pie with the Ulu] way faster, the filling didn't spill out," Michelle continues. "Usually when you put pressure on a knife, the crust crumbles or cracks, and then your filling is smushed. Before I wouldn’t even slice the pies ahead of time, because it didn’t look as pretty, but with the Ulu, I can actually make nice slices for the display. It’s interesting because we took a picture with the pie sliced with the Ulu, and that post did a lot better than our other posts."

It's no surprise that our latest and greatest knife — the Ulu Elite™ — was inspired a customer we met at a trade show. We're always listening to our customers about how to improve our ever-growing product lineup. 

Our Ulu Elite™ boasts a stunning curved blade and comfortable handle that allow you to tackle many of the jobs paring and chef knives do — just much easier.

It's made for quickly rock-chopping and rock-slicing veggies, meat, nuts, herbs, pizza and more. Since force is applied down on the knife, rather than beside it, the Ulu offers no wasted energy and amazing comfort, even for long cutting sessions (perfect for your weekly meal prep!).
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The rugged, full-tang blade features a phenolic resin-infused acacia handle, so it won't become damaged by water. We also designed it to be mirror-polished to the very tips, so food won’t stick and your cuts will be clean.

So what makes the Ulu Elite™ the best closing gift ever? First, you can almost guarantee your clients — and their friends — don't already have one, making it a conversation-starter that will always end in the amazing service they received from you.

The knife is also engraved along the blade with your name and short business info, so they'll never forget who gave them such a one-of-a-kind and useful gift, or how to contact you again.

For the best experience, pair the Ulu Elite™ with our Ulu-Mate™ Bowl Boards, which are handmade from smoothed Plantation Hardwood and crafted to complement the curvature of the Ulu's blade. Because of the bowl shape, food stays contained while chopping. The back of the board also features a unique slit for holding and displaying the knife when not in use.

The boards are also perfect as an entertaining tray!

After another battle between the titans in the SEC and ACC, the college football season has come to an end.

If you're like me, though, you'll still go on for months about that no-call that was an obvious past interference, or maybe you're an Army fan who will still brag to your civilian friends about the 70-point beatdown they dished out. 

But wherever your loyalties lie, we all share one common enemy (no, not the SEC): the off-season.

To get you through, I’ve put together a list of eight things you can do this off-season to keep you busy until tailgates begin again.

Guest blogger Khal Clary is a lifelong Virginia Tech football fan and a part-time business school student. He has worked at Magnets USA for three years and counting, learning the ins-and-outs of various departments.

If your open houses are starting to feel a little bland, we have a couple of ideas to spice things up!

Give your guests what they want — free stuff! Place a basket on the kitchen counter that's filled with small, useful gifts, like our stainless steel Box & Bottle Openers or our SuperScraper XL. They’re both extremely handy, high-quality freebies that your guests will appreciate and use every day — and see your business while doing it.

Have visitors sign up for your email or mailing list for a chance to win an eye-catching gift, like our LifeLong Gifts Cheese Knife Set or Keepsake Wine Box (each engraved with your business information). Display the giveaway piece next to tasty snack items, like cheese, crackers and fruit. 

We believe our Personalized Inserts are a critical part of your marketing mail-out. Whether you're sending out calendars (all of our calendars have a matching insert!), sports schedules or notepads, including an insert is an amazing way to put a face — and a personality — to your name.

But they can also do so much more.

When done right, Personalized Inserts can connect with recipients, turn prospects into paying clients and encourage referrals. Here are a few tips to get you started: 

• Make our pre-written text your own. All of our inserts come loaded with a pre-written letter. You're more than welcome to use it, but we strongly encourage you to switch things up and let your personality shine. 
• Mention something specific to your community. You know your neighborhood better than anyone, so show it! Mention your high school rivalries, your favorite local festival, or your favorite spot to have fun with the family. When prospects relate, or get a better sense of who you are, they're more likely to reach out when they need your services.
• Let them know why you've sent this gift. This is your chance to encourage them to hang their magnetic gift on the fridge or in the office as a way to keep everyone organized and on track.
• Tell them how the local market is. The goal here is to show that you're an expert. Mentioning whether it's a buyer's or seller's market boosts credibility and may create urgency to get their home listed with you.
• Close with a friendly reminder that your small business thrives on referrals. Even if your recipient isn't ready for your services, they probably know several friends who are. You can't afford not to mention this!

Here at Magnets USA, we don't believe in just selling products. We strive to educate our customers on why and how to use them to generate more leads and foster client loyalty. In other words, we want our products to help grow your business! 

Here are a few resources to help you get the most from your Magnets USA sports schedules, calendars and more: 

Does the thought of coming up with a yearly marketing plan make your head spin? This one is for you: 
Suggested Yearly Marketing Plan

​Want to see how our Magnetic Football Schedules can boost your business? Learn more, and see which type of football schedule is right for you: 
Football Schedules 101

If you recently ordered a sports schedule from us, here are nine creative ways to get them out in your community:
Sports Schedule Marketing 101

When you're ready to design your Magnets USA product, our photo tips guide is a must-read: 
Photo Tips

It's June, which means our famous Tear-Off Magnetic Calendars are coming soon! Be ready for launch with this helpful guide: 
Calendar Marketing 101 

Have a custom design in mind? Avoid these common design mistakes: 
Common Design Mistakes