Archive for the ‘Trade Show Marketing’ Category

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Inject Some Fresh Energy Into Your Social Media Marketing

Sunday, December 5th, 2010

I attended a terrific Fresh Intelligence Roundtable hosted by 341 Studios (www.341studios.com) and led by online marketing veteran Rhonda Hurwitz (www.shemeansbusiness.wordpress.com) on Friday morning. Here are some notes that I found really valuable from the session:
One attendee asked: what social media is really useful for your business and do you have to use everything all the time? Rhonda’s advice was that you should choose a minimum of two tools where you can house your social media content and work them for all they are worth. For example, if you feel that blogging is going to enable you to reach your target audiences effectively – and you like to write – then use that tool often and consistently. If Twitter isn’t going to move your business goals forward, then you should put it on hold until the time is right.

How to find great blog topics: Consider using these three ideas:
Frequently Asked Questions about your business. Blogs give you a great platform for addressing them and moving your message forward.
Cornerstone Information. What information do people need to better educate themselves about their industry. Your blog can give them that kind of valuable content
Topical Content. This gives you a chance to talk about the latest news in your field. It is totally relevant to trade shows because upcoming events are ways to capture your customers’ and prospects’ attention about where you plan to be and what you are going to offer while you are there. Your blog entries should be a strong component of your trade show marketing strategy.

Another topic that Rhonda discussed addressed how much information do you share on a blog. Rhonda’s perspective was to be as generous with your information as possible. Her feeling is that if you are generous, then your audience will reciprocate. Also, make sure you are sprinkling in key words about your business into your blogs in order to get maximum impact for search engine optimization.

A number of attendees commented on how to gauge how much time a company should commit to updating their social media marketing. Rhonda advised booking a half hour on Tuesday and a half hour on Thursday every week as a way to start adding some energy and discipline into your program.

There were so many helpful ideas that I am going to do a Part 2 later this week.

Rhonda Hurwitz, Founder, Help Me Rhonda! Marketing Solutions

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An Insightful Conversation with Joe Fabiano, VP, Technology Marketing Corporation

Sunday, November 7th, 2010

I had a fascinating conversation with Joe Fabiano who VP of Events for TMC this past week about trends he is seeing these days for TMC’s many telecom-focused trade shows and conferences. Joe said that while attendance numbers might be decreased, he is seeing that companies are still investing in sending their key decision-makers to evaluate new products and plan face-to-face meetings with their suppliers. Quantity might be down but quality is definitely up.

Joe said it is more important than ever that marketing and sales teams connect when it comes to trade show marketing, planning and measurement. It’s one thing for marketing to generate ideas for driving traffic and getting attention at the show but it’s the sales team’s role to follow every prospect in order to capture accurate measurements for success.

The economics of trade shows make more sense than ever, said Joe. To make ten appointments (or more) a day at a trade show is far more time- and cost-efficient than sending your sales team on the road to schedule and conduct those same ten appointments. The trade show environment is a great way to bring clients to you. Joe said his team schedules up to 100 meetings over a three-day period at typical trade shows. Another great point: if you are not doing this, keep in mind that your competition probably is!

I asked Joe his opinion about giveaways vs promotions. It is his opinion that raffles with significant prizes can be more effective than small items like branded pens, note pads, etc. (I think there is a role for it if the strategy and the budget are right). One of his trade shows offers sponsorship opportunities for attendees to win a car. He has gotten great feedback about this promotion and said sponsors were happy with the exposure they received from all of the people who were drawn to the car since it always attracted a crowd and built excitement and media exposure. Sponsors said they often attracted prospects that they may not have met otherwise.

Tradeshows then and now: Joe said that in 2004 there were a lot more parties – as many as five a night – with lots of choices where you could meet industry professionals. In 2010, he is seeing that a most of the big parties are going away since there is a new sensibility in business. The companies that used to throw the huge parties are now just taking clients out to a nice dinner – and capturing more ROI for their presence at industry events.

Based on my conversation with Joe Fabiano, I am seeing that trade show strategies might be evolving but their relevance is in business is just as vital as ever.

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Great Night at the CEO Roundtable with Joe Connolly

Monday, October 25th, 2010

The CEO Roundtable (Vector Expo Group is a member) held its networking event at the Woodway Country Club in Stamford last Thursday night. Joe Connolly from the Wall Street Journal and News Radio 880 was the featured speaker and he was fantastic. He talked about some of the business trends he is seeing in the New York region and asked us (we were like a 120+ focus group for him!) questions ranging from how are we doing in terms of the recession (most companies said they were doing better than pre-recession levels), our opinions about social media and its role in B2B and B2C sales and marketing.

There was a very interesting conversation about whether Facebook has a role in building new sales for companies. Most people said they understood the need for consumer brands to use it as a way to launch products and build conversations with their companies. My opinion is that there is definitely a role for Facebook among B2B marketers – if it’s used correctly. After all, the first customer for Vector Expo Group found the company through its Facebook page! It’s a great way to stay current with your audience day to day and it can be a great traffic builder for pointing your customers and prospects to your website.

CEO Roundtable with Joe and OlgaI met some terrific people at the event including a manufacturer of equipment for the broadcast industry who said he thinks the role of trade shows and trade show marketing is more important than ever for his business. CEO Roundtable with Joe and Jonathan

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Give Them More Than They Expect

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

I was making a reservation to stay at the Renaissance Hotel in Chicago yesterday and was hoping to book two nights at the “special rate” for a conference I’m attending next month. The woman said: “We only have availability for that block on Saturday night – not Friday. Sorry.” I thought: Great. I’m traveling all the way to Chicago and now I’ll have to stay in two hotels in two nights (a road warrior’s least favorite thing). Then she said: “Let’s see what I can do for you. The blocked rooms are taken on Friday. However, we do have a room on Friday night at the regular that is $10 less than the conference block price. Do you want a king or two queen beds?” Hallelujah! This is a great example of meeting – and exceeding – expectations. How are you doing this for your customers in terms of your trade show sales and marketing? Here are three ideas:
1. When you plan your staffing for your trade show, always bring the “A” level sales team. Technology/engineering people are useful but not until the discussion has advanced to the next level of interest in your products and services. I can’t tell you how many times I have been to shows where I met the tech person first and walk away still having no idea how and why a company is better/different than its competitors. You can exceed prospects’ expectations by staffing your booth with people who can wow them with a great first impression.
2. When you plan your post-show communications, segment your “hot” leads and treat them right. A single phone call after the show is unlikely to turn your prospect into a paying client. Plan a systematic campaign to reach out to the worthwhile leads that might include: a follow-up email (within three days of the show), a pre-qualifying phone call (within 10 days after the show), a customized letter with product samples (within three weeks after the show), etc. Note: SendOutCards can be a great way to approach new prospects – you can send them a Starbucks card – or even brownies. Email me at roberta@vectorexpogroup.com for more information about this.
3. Use technology to automate your lead management process. Up to 80% of post-show leads are not properly followed up. I talk to lots of companies who invest in their trade show presence and then lose momentum when organizing the leads they captured. Customer Relationship Management technology such as Salesforce.com (there are many others, as well) can help you automate this and make sure that you are talking to the right prospects at the right time in their buying cycles.
I would love to hear your ideas about how you are exceeding your customers’ expectations on an ongoing basis.

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The Wisdom of “Mad Men”

Monday, September 13th, 2010

I love “Mad Men.” I think it’s one of the best written shows ever. Also, in our nanosecond speed world of 2010, it’s good to get reminded every Sunday night that at the heart of every great advertising campaign is a good idea – one that resonates universally. On last night’s episode, Faye Miller recounts to Don Draper one of Aesop’s fables about how the sun and the wind are competing to get a man to take off his coat. The wind blows as hard as it can but it can’t accomplish the task. However, the sun shines on the man for all it’s worth and eventually the man takes off the coat on his own accord.

When it comes to attracting buyers to your trade shows, you need to give companies lots of reasons to make it a priority to stop by (and in the best case scenario) and make an appointment to come to see you. Statistics show that up to 80% of companies who exhibit don’t send an advance invitation to prospective buyers. I think this should be a cardinal rule in any trade show marketing program. You can’t take a “build it and they will come” attitude and not let buyers know where you are located at the show and why it will be worth their time to see you. It’s also worth your time to train your trade show staff to reach out to their customers and prospects since this presents a great opportunity to have your company showcase “what’s next.”

Back to the fable in “Mad Men.” Most buyers take the time and expense to attend shows because they are looking for what is new and how they can improve their profitability. If you take a little time to provide two to three compelling reasons why buyers need to come see you, then you are positioning your company in a smart way that turns up the heat and helps to persuade buyers to take off their coats at your booth and stay awhile. I would like to know how you currently do this in your trade show marketing. Please send me a post with your perspective.

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Five Ideas for Converting Trade Show Leads into Sales

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010

You and your team work hard to prepare for your trade shows. Pre-show planning, booth design, collateral and giveaways are just some of the crucial elements that go into a successful trade show initiative. Statistics show that up to 80% of leads are not properly followed up. If this is the case for your company, are you leaving potential sales on the table because you don’t have a great follow up strategy? Here are five ideas that can help:
1. Take some time in advance of the show to define who is a good lead for your company. What level of decision-maker is best for your products/services? What size of company are you looking to do business with? When you meet visitors to your booth, try to listen for the clues that will lead you to the “right” prospects.

2. The first point of contact you have with a prospect at a show is very important. Automated lead retrievers are fine but we think you need to get better and deeper information from your prospects. Training your staff is a key ingredient to your post-show success. Your time is limited with prospects but if you plan to capture more information about who the prospect is, what level of decision-making they have, how and when do they want to be contacted, you will be in a much better position to convert them post-show.

3. After the show, sort your leads by levels A, B and C. The A’s should be defined as “hot”; the B’s as medium and the C’s as warm. All leads should receive a follow up call and/or email within no longer than two weeks after the show. After that, you will lose momentum and your investment return will be more difficult to recoup.

4. Communicate with your prospects in the way that they want to be contacted. Some prospects will never pick up the phone but will welcome an email. Only reach out to the prospects in the way that they request. Also, if they told you at the show that they would be looking to buy your kinds of products/services in six months, send them a customized thank you and make sure you call them when they have indicated they are ready.

5. Use a robust customer relationship management system. This is a real key to success since you can sort leads by categories. You can also use CRM to track the sales that were generated as the result of specific trade shows that your company has attended.

By using these five ideas, you will better position your company for capturing more and better leads and have a system in place for converting those trade show leads into sales.

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Cool Stuff at the New York International Gift Fair

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

I went to the New York International Gift Fair this week and saw lots of great products and beautifully designed exhibits. The show was packed and there was lots of energy. I talked to some folks from Fred & Friends and they said they can’t fulfill their orders fast enough. Interesting case study: the company used to sell educational toys to the Zany Brainy’s and Imaginariums of the world. A decade ago, they saw most of their major customers close their doors and had to take a good hard look at the marketplace. They decided to reposition the company as a “housewares-focused” organization. Now they manufacture fun, innovative and useful items that gift stores snap up. This is a great marketing lesson for all kinds of businesses in the tough 2010 economy.

Other items I loved: Primal, a sugar based exfoliant that has been used mostly in spas and now is moving into the giftware market. The vanilla sugar smelled divine. I also thought EcoCup from Decor Craft was wonderful. They are porcelaine coffee cups that look like you just picked them up from your local deli – great colors and a great concept.

There were companies from all over the world at the show. One of my favorites was a company called Designs Abroad from Australia. They showed these gorgeous steel wall panels with delicate flower cut outs. The Zelco Itty Bitty Booklight (a classic) had a nice corner exhibit. Acme Studio makes amazing pens designed by prominent artists. The DayNa Decker fragrances line had incredible packaging – the photography of orchids, roses, etc. on the product boxes was so vivid, it jumped off the shelves. The Evoque and Trapp Fragrance exhibit featured special cork flooring that was very comfortable to walk on – I always recommend this kind of floor since attendees’ feet are killing them by the middle of the day and they are always grateful to find a booth that welcomes them with such a nice touch.

Of course, it’s one thing to have a great presentation…but it’s also crucial to have a system in place that promotes post-trade show lead conversion to drive sales. In my next post, I will provide you with five great ways to transform leads into paying customers.

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Notes from the GreenBuildingsNY Show

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

I attended the GreenBuildingsNY Show at Javits in New York today. It was great to see so many companies focusing on sustainable and innovative solutions to building repair, maintenance and many other services. I was curious to see which companies had done a good job of trade show planning and what ideas they were using to attract attention to their exhibits.

Atlas Welding & Boiler Repair’s booth featured a shoe shine station. I talked to James Sarfaty who said they had been doing the shoe shine attraction for nearly ten years and now they are “known” for offering it to customers and prospects. He said it is a great vehicle for getting visitors to sit and chat for awhile — rather than just picking up their literature en route to the next exhibit.

I also talked with Marty Biskup at General Glass International. They make gorgeous etched glass for office buildings and sell mostly to architects and designers. We talked about the importance of having a systematic process in place for attracting and following up on leads. They had a lovely trade show booth design that showed the glass at its best.

My favorite booth was the one I visited last. The product is called Mint-X and it is the first EPA approved rat repellent trash bag. They are attracting attention from municipalities all over the region and are currently working with the New York City Housing Authority, among others. The trash bag actually smells like a mint julep! Very cool.

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NewsRadio 880 Small Business Breakfast Hosted by Joe Connolly

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

I went to the WCBS Small Business Breakfast at the Hilton in Stamford this morning. The breakfast was moderated by the Wall Street Journal’s reporter Joe Connolly. He has a great way of gathering information from a crowd and at times he used us as a 400-person focus group. Example: How many of you are getting meaningful sales from your Twitter strategies? Hardly anyone raised their hands!

I chatted with Joe briefly before the event. He gave me a great piece of advice for my clients: “Don’t send me press releases that contain the word ‘exciting.’ I will stop reading it right then and there.” Good to know, Joe.

The panelists consisted of four successful business leaders including: David Lewis, CEO of OperationsInc, Wendi Caplan-Carroll of Constant Contact NY, Joshua Crandall founder of Clever Commuter, Irv Cohen, President of American International Lifestyles and Mitchell Grossinger Etess, CEO of Mohegan Sun.

One point that was made that bodes well for trade show marketing communications was that, at the end of the day, face-to-face relationships ultimately trump all social media marketing activities. Mitchell Grossinger Etess said that since Mohegan Sun is a “high end” destination, it decided to deal with the recession by instituting across-the-board pay cuts rather than lay off staff. He said this strategy paid off because they were able to maintain their high level of service in the face of a tough economy.

A few other notes of interest: David Lewis said his company uses a referral network to build its business rather than cold calling. Wendi Caplan recommended segmenting your email lists to tailor messages to specific audiences. I loved what Irv Cohen said about using social media marketing to building passionate communities around his company’s heath management offerings.

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Five Ideas to Make Your Next Trade Show More Effective

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Many of my clients are focused on ways that they can get more “bang for the buck” at their trade shows. They want to get noticed but don’t always have the resources that their competitors might have. I counsel them to “work smart” so that they can use their investments to extend their reach without breaking the bank. Here are five ideas that could make a difference for your budget:

1. Announce your presence at your next trade show on your website with a promotion to drive traffic to your booth. If you are speaking at an event or participating in a panel discussion, this gives you material that you can use for an announcement banner  on the top of your home page. Promotions can be effective — just make sure they are on strategy for your specific business. I have one client who is loading up branded flash drives with a demo of their new software application for “high value” prospects.

2. Use social media marketing to build buzz about your presence at your next show. Announce the event on your Facebook page and use Twitter to invite people to come to your booth, panel discussion, etc. I love this strategy because it’s inexpensive and time efficient — you can reach a lot of prospects and customers with one click.

3. Set as many advance appointments as possible in advance of the show. Over a three-day show, you can handle six breakfast meetings (don’t limit yourself to one meeting per morning). This is a great way to maximize your investment in your trade show.

4. Set team performance goals and expectations in advance of the show. Motivate them with incentives to reward them for getting the most leads, closing the most sales, etc. You should train your staff to communicate three key “take away” message that you want show attendees to remember.

5. Take a consultative approach when talking to prospects on the trade show floor. People who attend a show don’t want a “hard sell” and you want to be remembered as a company that will make a good business partner long after the show is over.

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