Archive for February, 2007

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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Steven R. Covey has helped millions of people in their business and professional lives with his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The Seven Habits, first written 17 years ago, has proven to be an effective guide for personal and professional development. And these principles, when applied to your trade show experience, can dramatically improve your experience at the event and your results.

Treating your portable trade show display like your portable office is the key to maximizing your effectiveness at each and every event. The purpose of a trade show is connecting with people, and portable trade show displays enable you to create a space for educating prospects about what your company has to offer and qualifying leads to pitch them for a sale or follow up with them later. (more…)