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Corporate Branding and Trade Shows - 8 Tips for Marketing Managers
Trade shows are part of the marketing mix and the appearance by your firm should be a continuum of your entire marketing including advertising, public relations and events. While you may introduce a new product or showcase a service, many firms make mistakes by not connecting the overall corporate branding with the show. How can an exhibit staff person be up to speed on what the company is doing? BEFORE THE SHOW ???? 1. Make sure you have information about the exhibit ? what is in it, why it is there ? before the show. Not the day before but as soon as you get your assignment. The exhibit manager has the responsibility to make sure the exhibit is on time and looks great - among many other duties. The marketing team decides the theme, products highlighted and rationale. 2. Read your company and division web sites. Sure, there are lots of pages but there are hidden nuggets in there that you may have forgotten or may be new to you. Here's what you may not know ? attendees who are serious about meeting with you ? well, they will check your web site. Best to be as informed as your prospective clients are. 3. Read all the promotional materials that you will hand out. If an attendee has a question while at the booth, your answer will not be ? DUH? 4. Know what is in all the demonstrations. Are there cues to expand on the demo? Clues as to how to lead a conversation? Listen carefully and make your life easier. 5. Read advertising in your trade publications. What does your firm promote versus your competitors? Can you explain the differences? 6. While reading the trades, look for articles and releases about your company. Check your online press release section or ask the PR department about releases sent before the show. 7. Understand the role of your firm if a sponsor of an event. 8. Ask. Ask. Ask until you get answers that satisfy you. Your goal is to make you the best representative for the company you can be. Having an understanding of the broad marketing aspects before the show makes your firm well branded at event. Julia O'Connor
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Show appreciation for having the opportunity to work with a client. Send a card, nothing fancy or expensive, with a personal and original thank you message. You should try it-it works wonders.Have a genuine interest in your client's best interest. Share you insider knowledge of the industry with your client. When you can not take on a job (maybe you have enough work, or are not qualified for that particular subject matter), reach out to your network and forward the job to a colleague. You can also point clients to web sites that can handle their translation project. Clients appreciate these small acts of kindness, and they certainly do not forget about them!After completing under graduate school in Japan, I returned to Zambia briefly to help in the family business. We made it a policy to recommend customers to establishments-even if they were competitors-that most likely carried the product that we could not provide. Did customers ever appreciate it! 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A very good source are public stations that hold auctions, at which you can donate your services. Talk shows, both radio and television. Do something to get yourself noticed and send it to them. For example, we sent a fax to the television and radio stations that for anyone who was unemployed we would do a typeset resume for only $10. Channel 13 came out and interviewed us, and we were on their 6 p.m. news program. Brainstorming Techniques as New Product Development Strategies When developing new products and strategies, coming up with unique ideas is often a struggle. It is one of the reasons why, in any industry, there is so much repetition. One way to generate new ideas and "get the creative juices flowing" is by completing brainstorming exercises using props. There are several ways to incorporate brainstorming into a new product development session. Two of my favorite techniques are skimming business publications and utilizing goodie bags. Who are Those People Youre Selling To? If you're in the IT business, that's an important question. Quick Postcard Design Tips I've seen many a marketing postcard that just has too much information on it. Too many words set in tiny type is an all too common problem.
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