Baby Swags - Celebrity Basket Scoop & More

Meet Phyllis Pometta owner of Baby Swags! She will be appearing on the Today Show Friday morning at 7:05 am cst.
Let's jump right in and get to know what Phyllis can do for your company.

Why would you suggest a company get involved with gifting?

Gifting to celebrities is a great way to get your product into the public eye. It creates buzz worthy press, especially if your product was used by, or seen on or with a celebrity. Suddenly when a celebrity is carrying a new diaper bag that no one knows about, readers and fans suddenly want to find out who made it, where they can purchase it and how much it costs. We are a celebrity driven society and there is no better way to promote your business. The rewards can be quite grand if you don't just stop at an image. After a product has been spotted, take that wealth of information and use it to your advantage. You want to get that information out to your local media, start your own hype that so and so was photographed wearing your tee-shirt, tell family, friends, blog about it, just keep talking.

Why would should they select Baby Swags?

Baby Swags was started in 2006 after a gifting suite event I attended. When I returned home I kept thinking about all the work at home moms out there and how much money they invest in those types of gifting events. I wanted to do something for those that did not have a big time budget and I knew who was in my target market. It was those work at home moms that were just starting to brand their business and were looking for an out of the box type of exposure. After a little over 2 years, Baby Swags has become a well known celebrity gifting company that produces results. We have been able to get Thank You notes from many celebrities. We have had products shown and photographed on the bodies of celebrity babies and published in national celebrity magazines such as Star, In Touch, UsWeekly, People and more. We have established relationships with our celebrity connections and when a package is received, they know they are receiving products that are upscale, trendy and not mass produced, making them a little bit harder to find! The other quality I feel my company has is the personalized client services. With each product and client that I have the opportunity to work with, I treat them as if they are my only client. They are very important to me and I do get personally attached to them, and their product. I genuinely want them to have the success they dream about. I am honored to be a part of their journey.

What are the rates for your baskets?

Baby Swags target market are those companies that are starting out with limited budgets. There are many gifting companies out there and you can expect to pay anywhere from $250.00 and up depending on the event. We start out at $100.00 per gifting and it will go up depending on our specialized events. If we are gifting multiple celebrities at once, we will charge a higher inclusion fee.

What are the payment options you offer to your clients for inclusion in the various celebrity baskets?

I accept, Paypal, Mastercard, Visa, American Express, personal checks, business checks and money orders.

What services does this fee include?

With each gifting, we have a individual celebrity webpage that showcases each product, like shown here: http://www.babyswags.com/jolie-pitt2.htm

The main list of those gifted are here: http://www.babyswags.com/whos_been_swagged.htm. We include product descriptions, company names along with a 125x125 graphic button that links directly to the company's website for readers to place individual orders. In addition to that, we also write a press release mentioning again the description and company name and it is distributed. Clients are able to use the photo and press release for their own personal use as long as no changes are made without written consent.

What media sources do you utilize for press releases and other PR related items?

My primary source is PRWeb and I have a long list of other outlets that they get distributed at as well. I have built my own relationships with various editors and members of the media. Remember that we are only two years old and it does take time to gain the trust and worthiness of publishers and editors.

What type of feedback from celebrities or their representatives, do you receive about your baskets ?

We have received great feedback over the last two years. We had received a phone call from Brooke Burke to thank us for putting together a gift basket full of products that anyone could use and appreciate. We have heard from Jeff Gordon, Kevin James, Dayna Devon, and more and all had nothing but good things to say. We have even befriended a couple celebrities and/or their spouses. It's been a great, fun experience and I really could not do this without my extremely talented group of clients.

Besides celebrity gift baskets what other services does Baby Swags provide to clients?

Baby Swags offers press release writing and distribution, PR services, Product descriptions for new websites, and media/press kit production. We also work very close with a graphic designer who will provide web design and print design services for our clients.

Are you a one woman band or do you have help within the company?

At this moment I am running the show solo, however I have just recently decided that I do need help and have hired someone to be my other right hand. I am excited about that because it means I am getting one step closer to my business goal which is to take this company to the next level and have an office outside of my home.

What sets your company apart from other providing celebrity gift baskets?

Baby Swags is unique. I target one specific market and that is maternity and juvenile related products. I offer top of the line customer service to each an every one of my clients. When I am talking to them, it is just myself and them, and occasionally a 4 year old asking for a snack. That is the best part of working with me and my company is that it does not bother me one bit if your child is screaming in the background for a fruit snack or is having a mini-meltdown, it is nothing that I haven't been through myself. I am willing to work with my clients to make sure that they are happy. My success is their success.

What new promotion avenues can we expect in the future with Baby Swags?

We are gearing up for the holidays and will be doing a special holiday gifting. I have started to dabble into hosting internet radio interviews. I recently started to offer product reviews, giveaways and paid advertorials on the Baby Swags Blog, and in 2009, we have some fantastic press planned. We will also be exhibiting at the LA Baby Expo in Los Angeles on April 25 & 26, 2009 with a handful of our clients! It is truly an amazing ride and there is so much more in-store for the next year! http://babyswagspr.wordpress.com and www.babyswags.com

Thank you Phyllis for taking the time to inform more business owners about what your service can do for them.