(Editor’s Note No. 1: This is... we’re doing this in addition to the thing we’ve done in the past, and our, uh, the other list is coming out next week.)

Oh, interesting indeed, Kirby. In spite of how confusing last year's decision to split the #Online18 into two parts apparently was, we are in fact sticking with the bit in 2024.

And why not? It's double the work, double the complaints and double the time spent messing around on social media instead of doing the other work we need to get done, which has in the meantime... doubled.

But it's also double the attention, right? And that's what we all crave. Hence the popularity of the PPAI Media #Online18, now in its eighth edition. Today we celebrate the 18 most follow-worthy organizations on social media right now. In part two next week, we'll identify this moment's 18 best individuals influencing the industry.

       SEE MORE: The 2023 #Online18

A disclaimer: We're not going around and counting all the thumbs-ups, hearts and "care" hands everyone got on their posts. This list always has been and always will be subjective. Long before he was PPAI's president and CEO, Dale Denham, MAS+, created the list this way. Like so many other things over the last couple of years, he has farmed it out to the Media department to handle. But we're proud to do it. It's ours.

So, why haven't we renamed it the #Online36 now that there are two parts? Well, we can't. See, we are now the caretakers of a little something called a brand. And when you have a brand, you gotta protect it – gotta defend it against all attacks, no matter how good of a point your attackers may make.

This is our brand. We already had a logo made in seven different file types, for goodness sake. We know a guy who can get that logo put on t-shirts and coffee mugs. That's huge!

How huge? Branded merchandise was a $26.1 billion industry in the U.S. last year. (Editor's Note No. 2: Yeah, totally stuck that last link in to prove we do some real research around here, too. One of our other lists even has data to support it. And you could be on it!)

The point is, our brand means everything to us. So it needs to be consistent. And it needs to be ever-present. Not just in the obvious places, such as on pens, lanyards or trucker hats for dogs, but in the spots nobody thinks to look anymore, like Twitter. Or "X," or whatever.

The promotional products industry's best organizations on social media know this. They present their unique voices and values just about everywhere you look online. But more importantly, they're just fun, interesting, engaging follows.

With the goal of identifying the best of the best on social media and all that implies, we collected nominations from past #Online18 winners and PPAI staffers, and whittled down this list to the best-posting organizations in the industry, including distributors, suppliers, service providers and collaborative groups.

If you want to see how your business should be doing it, follow along.

18. Promotional Products Professionals
Follow On: Facebook (13.6k Members)
2023: Not Ranked

Can anyone ID this pen!? Technically not an official organization, the Promotional Products Professionals group on Facebook boasts over 13,000 active members and shapes dialogue in the promo industry just about as much as any place on the Internet. Opinions are most certainly expressed (and often counter-expressed), but PPP is ultimately proof-positive that the promo world is a community. Questions are asked by promo newbies and veterans alike, and advice is doled out by members nearly by the minute. Call this a Lifetime Achievement Award for admins Lisa Bennett and Lisa Bibb, who keep the group organized and vetted.

17. Michigan Promotional Professionals Association (MiPPA)
Follow On: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: Facebook – 879 Followers
2023: Not Ranked

Like PPAI, regional associations are an asset to industry members, and MiPPA uses its social media offerings as a key piece of what it provides to the Michigan promo community. “Light-hearted but informative” is probably the best way to describe the social content, and perhaps more importantly, that usually leads to even more informative content. Take, for example, the President’s Day post in which past MiPPA president Glen Miotke is photoshopped wearing George Washington regalia, which links to a podcast episode with Miotke.

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A post shared by MiPPA (@mymippa)

16. Printable Promotions
Follow On: TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: Instagram – 1,066 Followers
2023: Not Ranked

Posting regularly on multiple social channels, Printable Promotions has certain strengths that the company consistently pushes. The distributor is committed to regular video posts that aren’t necessarily focused on state-of-the-art filmmaking but instead showcase the fun side of the staff. There might even be costumes involved.

15. Storm Creek
Follow On: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook
Largest Account: Facebook – 5K Followers
2023: Not Ranked

Suppliers should be proud of their products, and Storm Creek uses its social platforms to broadcast that pride. The outdoor and sporting goods provider gives its followers a taste of what its apparel products look like in action via short reels that serve as natural photo shoots. If someone on the Storm Creek team goes to, say, South Africa, then you can expect to see a post with some Storm Creek gear amid the spectacular wildlife.

14. ASI
Follow On: Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: LinkedIn - 34K Followers
2023: No. 6

The ASICentral accounts are impressive in their own right – they maintain their position as some of the most followed social media accounts in the industry. But that shouldn’t distract from the range of news, laughs and insights that are provided when following ASI’s individual writers, editors and impact creators: Michele Bell, Chris Ruvo, Theresa Hegel and Sara Lavenduski. ASI Media and PPAI Media take different approaches at times, but an underlying goal is shared: keeping the promo industry connected and informed. The ASI team use their social channels to make that as easy as possible for followers. Here's a knowing nod to our friends in Philly.

13. Showdown Displays
Follow On: LinkedIn, X, Facebook
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 3K Followers
2023: Not Ranked

It’s hard to attend The PPAI Expo without taking notice of "Dash," the dancing ninja that Showdown Displays brings to the event. It’s even harder not to crack a smile as you walk past it. The in-person mascot might be a good metaphor for Showdown Displays' online approach. Posts across various mediums are usually going to make you smile, but stop by and you’ll have access to the information you were looking for or the information you didn’t realize you could use. The supplier posts regularly about products, sustainability initiatives, upcoming events and news that affects the promo industry.

12. HALO
Follow On: LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Facebook
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 17K Followers
2023: Not Ranked

When HALO, one of the most recognizable distributors in promo, shows up to an event like The PPAI Expo, the team comes with a plan for social. This year, that resulted in a more than three-minute-long video that zooms through the entire trade show floor, giving followers a sense of the type of ground covered and the possibilities for a distributor the size of HALO.

11. Walker-Clay
Follow On: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok
Largest Account: LinkedIn– 694 Followers
2023: Not Ranked

Social media is ultimately a visual medium, and even with the addition of features, videos, polls and hashtags, nothing gets the job done quite like an image. Walker-Clay has mastered the art of leveraging good photography and using social channels to get it in front of the right audiences. Subtly placed props, elegant backgrounds, well thought-out filters and more combine to help elevate what we’re all talking about: promotional products.

10. HPG
Follow On: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 4K followers
2023: No. 2

It helps to be on a hiring spree of industry influencers, with several former #Online18 winners on staff. But Nick Lateur, Kate Plummer, Alex Symms and Jenna Quaranta are just a few of the driving forces behind what makes HPG a terrific follow on social platforms. A key aspect of HPG’s social content is focusing on the whole of the promotional products world. What brings people to search for promotional products? What causes promo professionals to make a career in the industry? These are the questions and topics that ultimately define HPG’s success, and they are a focus of the kind of content the company puts out for the world via social media.

9. SAGE
Follow On: Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 6K Followers
2023: No. 16

As a business service provider – and the official technology partner of PPAI – SAGE’s social channels aren't necessarily used to promote products per se. Rather, followers get a sample of what SAGE provides its customers: practical help on the tech side of things. Tutorials, hacks and tips make it easier for subscribers to utilize SAGE's distinct programs. The company’s SAGE World blog has plenty of regular content that gets promoted on social channels to keep followers busy with useful articles, webinars and developments to track.

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8. Goldstar
Follow On: Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 5K Followers
2023: No. 5

Goldstar has been a mainstay on the #Online18 in recent years. You might think to attribute that to flashiness or innovation, but you really can’t understate the role of consistency in the company’s success on social media. You want consistency out of a promo supplier, so it makes sense that such a quality translates to its social channels. Regular posting keeps followers engaged. And it always helps to add a little fun, like Goldstar’s #FacebookLiveFridays.

7. AnyPromo.com
Follow On: Pintrest, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook
Largest Account: Facebook – 7.8K Followers
2023: Not Ranked

Talk about a distributor that utilizes multiple social channels. Across all the mediums, AnyPromo.com posts consistently with a significant following everywhere. But the Ontario, California-based firm is the rare one in promo that finds social success on TikTok. A video about a co-worker trying to “work remotely from Hawaii’ has garnered 4.3 million views and counting.

@anypromo Everyone in the office is invested in this project now 😂 Should we support him by showing up in Hawaiian shirts? 🌺🏝 #corporatelife #remote #remoteworklife #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #hawaiibound #remotejobs #HR #employeeoftheyear ♬

6. commonsku
Follow On: Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: Instagram – 3.4K Follower
2023: No. 3

If your company is able to employ a chief content officer – and that role is filled by promo veteran Bobby Lehew – then people might expect a lot from your social channels; commonsku does not disappoint. The business service provider puts out a lot of content (any skucast listeners out there?) and organizes a lot of events. Meanwhile, its social media is the perfect cross promotion for all of it. With skucamp in Nashville this year, you can expect plenty of content from around Music City.

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A post shared by commonsku (@commonsku)

5. American Solutions For Business
Follow On: Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 7K Followers
2023: No. 4

This is ASB’s third straight year in the top five of the #Online18. There’s a lot that contributes to that sort of success, but in some ways, the company uses social media in a similar fashion to how individuals with the healthiest relationship to social media use it. To put it more clearly, ASB has a lot of fun in the promo business, and its social channels reflect that. Whether promoting passionate charitable causes, spotlighting individual employees every week or just posting photos from events, you can’t help but follow along and think that everyone in the ASB orbit is glad they’re there.

4. Maple Ridge Farms
Follow On: Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: X – 4.5K Followers
2023: No. 8

Really, is it even fair? Maple Ridge Farms is an #Online18 mainstay, and if you have taste buds, it’s hard not to see why. Most of us can’t look away from some of their most mouth-watering products. The Maple Ridge Farms team keeps it creative with blogs, wellness tips and holiday-themed posts. But at the end of the day, have you ever watched a video of delicious cheese being sliced on loop? It might as well be ASMR.

3. Boundless
Follow On: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 6K Followers
2023: Not Ranked

After not making the #Online18 last year, Boundless moves all the way to the No. 3 spot in the rankings in 2024. The distributor has spent the last year posting products, reminders, inspiration and laughs. Keeping followers engaged and in the loop is what it’s all about.

2. BrandFuel
Follow On: Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: X – 5.5K Followers
2023: No. 1

Knowing the fun-loving culture of the distributor, it's never a surprise to see BrandFuel's social channels working overtime to keep the distributor’s messages, values and name top of mind. There’s careful curation behind what the BrandFuel identity is, and that is reflected by its social media. There’s too much content to generalize, but one thing it all has in common is that it will probably make you feel good. Maybe that’s the result of a thoughtful post, or maybe it’s just trying to make you laugh. BrandFuel leverages its social media in such a way that it cannot be separated from how people think of the company.

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A post shared by Brand Fuel (@brand_fuel)

1. SnugZ USA
Follow On: Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: Facebook – 7.3K Followers
2023: No. 15

Remember product catalogs? In some ways, they feel like a relic of the past. While such resources are of course still useful, SnugZ USA has shown how a modern promotional products supplier can showcase its products. Why wait for potential customers to look up your products when followers can constantly be exposed to them? With so many different products to choose from, SnugZ has an endless amount of content. But in order to keep and maintain followers, you have to be able to provide them with an occasional meme. And SnugZ can really meme. You can’t rule the social media kingdom and not speak the language. SnugZ does it all.

See more from the #Online18 on social media. Follow PPAI on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.