These days, real estate agents and other business owners have an invaluable resource at their fingertips: being social media friends with their clients.

Not only is it fun to keep up with their lives after the transaction, but you now have a front-row seat to some of their biggest moments and accomplishments. How can you use this insider’s look to connect and stay top-of-mind? While comments and likes often get lost in the crowd, a tangible, beautifully designed notecard delivered to their mailbox won’t!

With the help of social media platforms like Facebook, you have an amazing opportunity to connect with past clients on all of these special occasions:

• Birthdays
Ok, this is an easy one, but so simple. Did you know that under your Events tab on Facebook, you can see all your friends’ upcoming birthdays? This means you’ll have plenty of time to get a Minute Mail card signed, sealed and delivered. Your client will be so blown away that you remembered their special day!

• Expecting a new baby
Are you even having a baby if you don’t announce it on social media first? Whether your client is becoming a parent or grandparent for the first time or the fifth time, a new baby is always cause for celebration — and a card.

• Launching a business or organization
Starting a business, passion project, event, or organization is a huge deal — and one that requires so much support from friends and family. Sending a card with a few words of encouragement will go a long way in fueling your client’s dreams and making a lasting impression.

• Retiring or landing a new job
This new chapter of life can leave anyone feeling a little nervous, scared, and excited. A friendly, encouraging note from you could be just the push they need to feel totally confident.
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• Getting engaged or married
Here’s a major life event that may require your expert real estate services sooner rather than later. Make sure you’re staying top-of-mind with a beautiful, heartfelt note of congratulations.

When our creative team first introduced this dreamy new finish, we couldn’t keep our hands off.
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​It’s smooth. It’s velvety. It’s fun.  It’s the whipped butter of paper coatings.
 
​We couldn’t wait to introduce a whole new lineup of products boasting this special coating. So we got to work.

On notecards. On business cards. On bookmarks — essentially, a perfect trio of brand-elevating marketing pieces.

PLUSH Notecards
The way we see it, handwritten notes are essential to forming lasting business relationships. They’re right up there with firm handshakes, coffee dates, and eye-catching business cards.

Our colorful lineup of PLUSH Notecards features more than 180 original designs (we had a little bit of fun with this), including options specifically for Keller Williams, RE/MAX, Century 21, and Berkshire Hathaway.

Each notecard features one PLUSH side, and one uncoated side for writing. Did we mention envelopes are included, too? Stock up, friends, stock up!

PLUSH Business Cards
Let’s face it, business cards sometimes get the short end of the swag stick. They can be boring. Uninspired. Just the facts, ma’am.

And that’s just not us. We know business cards are your miniature billboard. They’ll work for you when you’re not around — if they’re cool enough to keep around, that is.

So next time you need to refill, treat yourself to a PLUSH version! Their one-of-a-kind texture will promote you as a strong business and encourage recipients to keep them close at hand. They’re the perfect punchline or conversation starter at networking events, client meetings, open houses, and more.

Currently, our PLUSH lineup includes special designs for Keller Williams, RE/MAX, Century 21, ERA, Long & Foster, Howard Hanna, Berkshire Hathaway, Coldwell Banker, Weichert, EXIT Realty, and a limited number of independent companies.

Jumbo PLUSH MagMarks
When it comes to marketing products, our team likes outside-the-box ideas that stick with your clients and prospects daily.

Jumbo PLUSH MagMarks is one of those products. It’s a bookmark. It’s a magnet. It’s a tool that reminds users of your business every time they open a book — so when it’s time use your services, they’ll know just where to turn.

Our designers created these so thoughtfully, giving you the most bang for your marketing buck. Not only are they fun to feel, but they’re fun to use, too. The strong magnet ensures you’ll never lose your place. The notes space inside adds extra value. We’ve also included a product explanation, so recipients know exactly what it is and how to use it.

Our lineup currently features 39 fun, inspirational, and useful designs. You can send out a new one each quarter!

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.