Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category

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The rationale behind hiring a trade show model is simple – nail the first impression by leveraging the old advertising maxim of sex selling. And for years the trade show model was a staple, pulling show-going crowds towards booths and hopefully towards products. Recently, though, trade show models, or as they are more commonly known “booth babes,” have been going the way of the caribou. Case-in-point, the 2008 SHOT Show, previously known for its pairing of guns and babes, was so lacking in trade show models that Field and Stream Magazine was forced to pad their annual review of models with pictures of men sporting unusually long beards, and causing many readers to question, why are exhibitors messing with a good thing?

In 2006, the Electronic Software Association (ESA), the trade group behind the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) issued a press release stating that for the first time, the dress code, typically flouted by models, would be enforced. And by “enforced” the ESA meant a warning followed by a $5000 fine. Common motives associated with this new rule enforcement stemmed from the reputation of the trade show (previously described by IGN’s David Adams as “ribald”), the fear that the ESA was marketing sexually-explicit content to children, and the fact that the video game industry was reaching sales parity with Hollywood. There is, of course, a common thread between these arguments: the product didn’t need the sex, instead it needed to be viewed as professional. For the ESA, the video game had matured beyond the quick, impulsive sell that sex grants, and was finally a legitimate part of living rooms around the world.

The ESA was telling exhibitors to do something every trade show exhibitor should be doing anyways, they should be considering their brand. Whether you are an entrepreneur, an executive, or merely an employee, trade shows are worked with the explicit intent of drawing quality attention to your brand. The trade show exhibitor is there to build excitement that should ultimately turn a booth visitor into a repeat customer. The booth is a means to forging a lasting relationship on a personal basis. Working a booth allows a company to press the flesh and promote with a passion that simply can’t be found in traditional advertising. So, why would a company risk potentially isolating half the attendees at a conference with a booth babe?

Half? Well, close to it. According to a survey conducted by AffiliateTip.com, 70% of the female respondents and 41% of the male respondents (56% overall) said that they were less likely to visit a booth that used a booth babe. Conversely, 29% of the overall respondents said that a booth babe caused a null opinion, and a mere 15% said that a booth babe would positively impact their opinion of a booth. Perusing blogs will lead to an even larger mountain of anecdotal evidence that suggests that not only are individuals less likely to visit your trade show displays if a booth babe is present, but they are actually more likely to form a negative opinion of your company to boot.

Of course, not all trade shows are following the trend presented by the ESA, yet booth babes seem to be disappearing just the same. The use of booth babes at YAPC (Yet Another Perl Convention) sparked a thread on the Use Perl official message board regarding whether or not booth babes should be used at other conference. The quote that seemed to sum the experience up was “that is so auto show.”

The debate surrounding the use of booth babes even leaves the trade show, with various media outlets debating about whether they should continue to feature photos of the “best” babes, often opening up the discussion to readers. Tom’s Hardware, a forum and media outlet focusing on technology posed the question to their readership and the first response cut to the heart of the issue – juxtaposing the ‘for’ being juvenile and mainstream against the ‘opposed’ being adult and technical. Tech Republic, also opened the question up to their readers, and gathered likewise responses. It seemed that even the media was turning their backs on booth babes.

There is, of course, one final theory on why exhibitors were shying away from trade show models. At the 2006 E3, Disney was there presenting the video game tie in for their Pixar animated feature “Cars.” There between near-life-size examples of the film’s star cars was, you guessed it, a trade show model. The model in question was decked out from head to toe in skintight black jumpsuit, complete with plunging neckline and a checkered-flag racking stripe running up her sides, and covering just enough to show that Disney could play by the new E3 rules. Perhaps the world at large saw Disney’s display as truly jumping the shark and everyone simply moved on.

Whichever theory you subscribe to – maintaining an professional image, fear of isolating potential clients, or merely staying one step ahead of Disney, the use of trade show models are certainly on the decline. And as John Davis, editorial director for Ziff Davis Media Game Group told ABC News, "Not having the booth babes isn’t going to make any difference." Instead, of babes, the new trend seems to be presenting your products in a professional manner, with booth workers who go beyond gimmick or sex and instead have a passion for your brand and a knowledge base to match. Guess which one leads to more quality sales?

About the Author

Mat Kelly is the president of ExhibitDEAL, a leading provider of trade show displays , trade show flooring , and other trade show accessories. An environmentally friendly company, ExhibitDEAL can be found online at: http://www.exhibitdeal.com .

Get Exposure Without Going Broke

It’s no secret that there are monumental benefits to attending a trade show – exposure to a targeted audience, opportunity to express your unique selling point, generating leads and soaking up industry knowledge at seminars and discussions. But when budgets are tight, your company’s accounting department is going to want you to trim the fat a little on your trade show budget.

You can use ideas usually overlooked for cheaper transportation, plan and negotiate to get discounted room & board and get trade show booth rentals rather than purchasing trade show displays. Here are a few tips to help you keep costs down, but still create impact and get the most from your trade show experience.

Transportation

Depending on where you are traveling from, how far in advance you make arrangements and the mode of transportation you choose, you can spend a little or go over the top on this one. Obviously, you can’t control where you are traveling from, or where the conference or trade show is held. But you can plan ahead, and be open to different travel options.

As with anything else, don’t wait until the last minute to make travel reservations. Sometimes this can’t be avoided, but if you plan your trade show schedule six months to a year in advance, and make your reservations several weeks prior to the event, you can save the company hundreds of dollars.

And when planning travel, remember that the plane is not the only way go. If the event is only a couple of hundred miles away, renting a van for the group, or partnering with another company who is also attending the event, renting a charter bus and splitting the cost could be a cheaper option. Also, riding the train, which many people overlook, is an affordable option. Attendees get to sit back and relax and meals are often included in the price.

Room & Board

Conference organizers often block off a number of rooms for attendees at a motel or hotel with a discounted rate. But if you don’t have this option available to you, there are several options for keeping costs in check.

First, keep in mind the distance between the hotel or motel and the conference. Booking rooms at an economy motel 15 minutes away from the event may seem like a good idea – at first. But keep in mind the costs of taking a cab back and forth can quickly add up. And, the inconvenience of being far away from a quick change of clothes, or grabbing something you may have forgotten can cause unnecessary duress. Instead, pair employees up (make sure they are compatible so that you don’t end up with an episode of Big Brother) and have them share a room.

Second, if you know you will be attending several events over the course of the year, shop around at the different hotel chains to see what kind of special discounts they offer for repeated hotel stays. Some of them offer discounts if you sign up for a special program, or you can get a free night’s stay after you’ve booked a certain number of nights.

Third, try getting a room at a hotel that includes a continental or buffet breakfast to further cut on expenses. And if the establishment also has a restaurant, that can save you and your team the headache and cost of going elsewhere to eat.

Fourth, and last – avoid room service if you can, as this can add unnecessary costs to your budget.

Trade Show Booth Rentals

With a trade show booth rental instead of a trade show display purchase, you can save hundreds of dollars. Your space represents the image your company wants to project to the public – and for some of your future customers, this is the first time they will be meeting you.

While you can purchase smaller trade show displays and even table top panel displays to keep costs down, trade show booth rentals are even cheaper. This is a great option for companies:
• wanting to cut costs in the short-term or long-term
• that infrequently attend trade shows
• wanting to try out a few different styles before deciding on a purchase

Before you enter into a trade show booth rental agreement, make sure you read the fine print, ask plenty of questions and understand the terms. For example, what accessories, if any come with the trade show booth? What is the timeframe for you to return the product? What are the terms for any damage incurred?

Also, make sure you look into options for enhancing your trade show booth. Banner stands, literature racks, lighting, and other accessories can drive traffic to your space, increase the generation of leads, and directly influence your bottom line.

Attending a trade show needn’t put you in the red. There are economical alternatives to what you may have done in the past. Take a look at the bigger picture, get creative, and you can plan your event on a shoestring budget without sacrificing the value of attending and participating in a trade show.

No matter how much money you have in your marketing budget, it seems there’s never enough. From the marketing department at Microsoft to the small nonprofit start-up, there’s always the desire to expand your budget for more effective promotion.

On the surface, trade shows may not seem to be the best use of those marketing dollars. But when you factor in some basic components of effective marketing strategy, such as target audience, immediate one-on-one personal attention and follow-up, there are few marketing strategies that produce such a strong return on investment.

Now, a good marketing plan will include more than just attending trade shows. For maximum exposure in your market, you must have a multi-faceted approach: network marketing, marketing materials, a website and trade show marketing These tools and strategies are just a handful of effective marketing techniques, and generally perceived as the most essential. And while each technique has its strengths, none will give you the return on investment that you will receive from exhibiting at a trade show. (more…)

Customer loyalty is crucial to any successful business. The cost of finding new customers far outweighs the cost of retaining your current customer base, so retention is always in your best interest.

Obviously, how you present yourself to the customer - from day-to-day operations to a demo at your trade show display - plays a factor in how loyal your customers will be to your products and business. Another element is how you conduct your customer service. But most of us have been beat over the head about presentation and customer service, so . . . moving on.

Back to customer loyalty - both presentation and service fall under the umbrella of focused initiatives that are instrumental in building customer loyalty. The global economy, with all of its benefits, presents the challenge of keeping your customers out of the clutches of the competition.

In “Defining Loyalty Marketing”, author Rick Ferguson defines what it is, and discusses some of the nuances that make it an essential piece of your overall marketing strategy. (more…)

Trade shows are an incredible opportunity to inform one of the most concentrated and targeted markets about your company. Through face-to-face interaction, product demos, giveaways and more, you can show how your company outshines the competition.

But trade shows should not be the only marketing tool used to generate buzz and brand loyalty for your company and its products. Rob Engelman offers an effective guide to marketing in his article, “10 Tips for Creating a Marketing Plan.”

Whether your existing plan seems stale and stagnated or you’re just embarking on your first marketing journey, you’ll find this article informative.

10 Tips for Creating a Marketing Plan

by Rob Engelman

If you are a small business owner, an entrepreneur or an independent contractor, you should have a marketing or business plan to use as a guidepost/compass to lead your business’ day-to-day activities.

Your plan does not have to be elaborate, nor does it have to be set in stone forever. However, it should specifically define key information including your target market and value proposition, as well as tactical ideas and action steps you will take in order to acquire customers and/or increase sales.

Continue reading: 10 Tips for Creating a Marketing Plan

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There’s only a small percentage of businesses in the marketplace with firm brand recognition like Oprah, Microsoft, McDonald’s, Starbucks and Amazon.com. While the hefty marketing budgets of these behemoths is impressive you can promote your company and get your piece of the pie with a considerably smaller - even miniscule - budget. From advertising to how you execute your trade show display, there are low-cost and effective alternatives to traditional marketing strategies that create impact.

The first step is to focus your marketing efforts (otherwise known as target marketing). A topic that has nearly been discussed to death, target marketing is essential for just about every company, no matter how large or small. You don’t see advertisements for Oprah’s show on ESPN because that’s not her target market. And while a household name like McDonald’s appeals to almost everyone, their advertising efforts tend to be targeted toward specific marketing trends. Their latest marketing campaign is focused on the youth market that, these days, have much more of their own money to spend than the youth market of yesteryear. (more…)

Once you get traffic flowing to your trade show display, beyond the product display and basic information about the product and your company, how do you keep the prospect’s interest?

Clearly your potential client has some level of interest in your product or service or they would not have stopped at your booth. But the cut-throat competition that exists at trade shows requires you to be at the top of your game so you can demonstrate what separates you from the competition. The doorway to closing the sale is building rapport - and at a trade show you don’t have a lot of time to do that.

And while you aren’t necessarily expecting to close the sale with every prospect at a trade show, Zig Ziglar says there’s one simple way you can more efficiently move toward the close. Before beginning your presentation, you establish an agreement with the prospect that at the end of the presentation you expect them to either:

• agree that the product is in their best interest so the two of you can discuss the purchase options available OR,
• indicate the product is not in their best interest and the two of you will discuss options from there.

But first, you’ve got to make it to the close of the sale. In his article, “How to Build Trust and Rapport Quickly,” sales trainer John Boe reviews tips and strategies to consider once the prospect is standing before you.

How to Build Trust and Rapport Quickly

By: John Boe

If you’re working hard, but aren’t consistently generating enough sales and getting referrals, chances are it’s a matter of trust. One of the most critically important and yet frequently overlooked aspects of selling is creating a solid foundation of trust and rapport.

Suppose you could incorporate a few simple, yet highly effective ideas into your selling process and substantially increase your bottom line?

Successful salespeople have a knack for making people feel important. They understand the value of building trust and rapport early on in the selling process. For you see, it really doesn’t matter how knowledgeable you are about your product line or how many closing techniques you have mastered, unless you earn your prospect’s trust and confidence you are not going to make the sale period.

Read more of “How to Build Trust and Rapport Quickly”

Tags: sales | establishing rapport | building rapport | sales strategies | closing | trade show tips

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Six Do’s & Don’ts for Creating Impact

The graphic elements of your trade show display are as essential to getting results as the paint on an artist’s canvas. There are many creative directions you can go with this idea, and many of your competitors will default to using the company logo for their graphic because it’s easiest. But this works best when you have firm brand recognition, like Apple Computer or a compelling, attention-grabbing logo like Target Stores, or you have a combination of both, like McDonald’s

But if you don’t have that concrete brand recognition yet, there are plenty of alternatives to effectively executing the use of your trade show display graphics. Here are some guidelines you should follow to give you the best chance at getting the results you want.

Do:

Think from the Customer’s Perspective – If a prospect knows nothing about your company, what would you first want them to know or understand about you? And how can you communicate that in your trade show display graphics at first glance? Put yourself in the customer’s shoes – most of us know from Marketing 101 that if you don’t get the customer’s attention in a few seconds, you can forget it. So, don’t waste their time – make them feel grateful that they stopped to talk to you. (more…)

When planning to participate in a trade show, how often to you really think about safety and security? Exhibitor Online’s Candy Adams reviews potential risks in her article, “Trade Show Safety and Security.” From splitting the contents of her wallet between two pieces of luggage to making sure you safely set up your trade show display, she covers common vulnerabilities and how to protect yourself, your staff and your equipment during the next trade show that you visit.

Trade Show Safety and Security
By: Candy Adams

From airports, to the hotel, to the show floor itself, exhibit managers face threats to safety and security at every step of the trade show experience. Because much of what we do, and exactly how and when we do it, is not within our personal control, planning safety and security for ourselves, our staff, and our exhibit property isn’t something we can leave to chance.

Personal Travel Safety
What would you do if your wallet, containing all your cash, traveler’s checks, credit cards, and ID, was stolen going through the security checkpoint at the airport? This exact scenario happened to me a few years ago on a two-show road trip.

I now split my cash and credit cards between two pieces of carry-
on luggage whenever I travel. I also keep a photocopy of everything in my wallet on file at home, just in case I have to report the loss or theft of my credit cards or ID.

But simply arriving safely is only half the battle. Be aware of scams at gas stations near airports where travelers typically refuel rental cars. One thief will set up a distraction as you pump gas, and another will grab your purse or wallet from the opposite side of your car.

When checking in to your hotel, be sure the desk clerk doesn’t ann-ounce your room number in front of other guests. If this happens, request a room reassignment.

Read the rest of Trade Show Safety and Security.

The most incredible, cutting-edge, innovative product or service in the world is not going to generate revenue without a valiant marketing effort. Attending trade shows is a smart initiative to get exposure for your company – but if you are not paying close attention to the details of your trade show display, you are missing an opportunity to showcase your company above the competition.

Your trade show display creates a backdrop for you to meet new prospects and hopefully lay the foundation for a lucrative relationship with them. When a trade show attendee stops by your exhibit, they are stepping into your portable office, and you are offering a snapshot of what your company is about. If you want to keep a prospect in your trade show booth for more than a couple of seconds, you must be able to quickly establish trust – and projecting a polished, professional image, combined with a personable staff, sets an excellent foundation of trust.

(more…)