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5 Ways to Upgrade Your Existing Marketing Materials for Practically Nothing!
In addition to direct marketing strategies you want to be sure your existing passive, or indirect, marketing activities are as effective as possible. When is the last time you took a good look at your existing marketing activities? Here are some...
At Last - A Plain English Guide to Internet Marketing
Have you ever been horrified and intimidated at the convoluted, jargon-reliant information about Internet marketing available on the Net?
Often it results in many companies becoming confused and therefore reluctant to put into practice what...
Internet Marketing Strategy Is Working For SMB's
According to the ISP Interland's Summer 2005 Small and Medium-sized Business Barometer, SMB's are getting a return from their Internet marketing strategy - company websites are providing valuable leads and sales. 57 percent of business leaders...
Outsourcing your Web Marketing
Outsourcing your Web Marketing The online world is still very new, and constantly evolving. You may be thinking about outsourcing your Web promotion to an expert who is immersed in this world as their fulltime occupation, rather than trying to...
The Mighty Marketing Newsletter
For many companies and organizations, it's a powerful marketing
tool that attracts and retains customers. I'm referring to the
dependable, hard-working newsletter.
On the subject of newsletters, guerilla marketing guru Jay
Conrad Levinson...
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Marketing Your Shows the 4 C's Way
Traditional marketing is changing: Customers are more sophisticated and price sensitive. They expect products and services to be delivered faster and more conveniently. And they have no qualms about switching to competitors. At the same time, traditional marketing tools are less effective than in the past. Products are not much different from each other, pricing is quickly matched by competitors, advertising is expensive and less effective, and sales force costs are rising. Consumers are constantly being interrupted by thousands of marketing messages, making it easy for one message to get lost in the overwhelming clutter of communications. Plus, consumers no longer have a well-defined set of products and vendors that they will consistently seek out to fulfill a need. So how do you create, win, and dominate markets today? According to marketing guru Dr. Philip Kotler, "marketing must help the company deliver more value to the customer." What does this mean in trade show terms? It means that you need to focus on the services both exhibitors and attendees perceive as valuable ... and deliver them with perpetually fresh appeal. Customer Value Customers are getting more and more value conscious. You can fulfill their expectations by constantly "thinking exhibitor" and "thinking attendee." You need to live and breathe for your customers -- they make your job possible. Encourage your team to do whatever it takes to get projects accomplished and wow your customers. Follow examples set by Disney, Ritz-Carlton, and Southwest Airlines. If they can do it, why can't you? Brainstorm ways in which you can continually differentiate yourselves from competing shows. Don't be shy about inviting your exhibitor advisory members to be part of your team. Insist that they evaluate your employees on the job. Training also needs to be a major consideration. If your employees need more skills, offer to pay for specific training courses in your area or push them to pursue continuing education opportunities online. Change Is your show successful the way it is? Do you think you have the perfect formula that works? If you say yes, you might be heading for decline. Your team needs to fall in love with change. If you don't grow and change, you'll become stale, your competition will outdo you, and then your show will be history. Change, however, has to be in line with the essence of your show -- it needs to be relevant. Just as your attendees expect to see and experience something new and exciting from visiting your exhibitors' booths, that expectation should also define your overall show. The challenge is that results need to be visible to the bottom line. Experimentation is the name of the
game. Each year you need to introduce new ideas and concepts into your show organization and production. Change doesn't have to be drastic; small subtitles can make the difference, especially when you implement ideas supplied courtesy of your exhibitors and attendees. Make sure that you communicate these changes and let your customers know that you're listening to their suggestions. Convenience How easy is it to do business with you? Are your systems user-friendly? Consider every piece from the exhibitor manuals to the registration desks at the show. What can be done to make participating in your shows a hassle-free experience? Consult your vendors, staff, exhibitor advisory committee, outside consultants, and even children for ideas and suggestions. Then try them out yourself. Again, model concepts that work. Ask yourself how favorite companies might solve your particular challenge. Use the Internet to simplify form completion and registration procedures. Offer discounts for using the technology. Challenge yourself to constantly make the process more convenient. Communication Bernd Schmitt, author of Experiential Marketing, once noted, "Today's customers take functional features and benefits, product quality, and a positive brand image as a given. They want products, communications, and marketing campaigns that dazzle their senses, touch their hearts, and stimulate their minds. The degree to which a company is able to deliver a desirable customer experience -- and to use information technology, brands, and integrated communications and entertainment to do so -- will largely determine its success in the global marketplace of the new millennium." You want to stimulate such excitement among your exhibitors and attendees that your show is an experience not to be missed. Experiential marketing is the latest trend in marketing that focuses on the experiences of customers. In addition to dazzling your exhibitors and attendees with your show promotion, realize too that they hunger for two-way communication. They want to know that you care, that you are interested in them and their goals. Either way, the key is two-way communication, them hearing you and you listening to them. Customer value, change, convenience, and communication all make up the essence of a powerful 4 Cs marketing approach that will help take your show and organization to another level.
About the Author
Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. Go to http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com to sign up for a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week.
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KnowThis: For Marketing, Market Research, Internet Marketing ... |
KnowThis.com offers a wealth of information, forums, and resources for professionals, academics and students in traditional and internet marketing, ... |
www.knowthis.com |
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Marketing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
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en.wikipedia.org |
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Marketing - Marketing Strategy - Marketing Plan - Marketing ... |
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Marketing.org - Home of the Business Marketing Association |
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Welcome - American Marketing Association - www.marketingpower.com |
Dedicated to serving the educational and professional needs of marketing executives. |
www.marketingpower.com |
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Advertising, Marketing, Media and PR News - Brand Republic |
Find the latest Advertising, Marketing, Media and PR news from Brand Republic, the online resource for up to the minute advertising and marketing news and ... |
www.brandrepublic.com |
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Marketing Magazine - Marketing News - Brand Republic |
Marketing Magazine - Marketing News - Brand Republic. |
www.brandrepublic.com |
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Marketing (Canada) |
Offers a Canadian source of news and articles on marketing, advertising and media. |
www.marketingmag.ca |
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BidVertiser - Pay Per Click Advertising On Sites Of Your Choice. |
Pay per click advertising - online advertising directly on sites of your choice, internet marketing solution for online advertisers. |
www.bidvertiser.com |
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Online Behavioral Contextual Advertising and Marketing. |
Promote your business with today's most effective online advertising technology, contextual advertising at a cost effective metric of CPC, PPC, CPM or CPV. |
www.clicksor.com |
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Sales Jobs / Marketing Jobs / Advertising Jobs - MarketingJobs.com |
Employment site for marketing and sales professionals. |
www.marketingjobs.com |
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The Chartered Institute of Marketing |
The Chartered Institute of Marketing is the world's largest international marketing professional body and helps with career support and information ... |
www.cim.co.uk |
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Marketing: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
See all blog posts tagged with marketing on Technorati. |
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Marketing Profs - Marketing Concepts and Strategies: Expert ... |
Marketing knowhow from professionals. Newsletter, articles and how-to's. |
www.marketingprofs.com |
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Guerrilla Marketing Online - The Official Site |
Guerrilla Marketing Online is anonline magazine for small business, entrepreneurs, sales people and marketers of all kinds. |
www.gmarketing.com |
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Business Marketing - Small Business Marketing |
Business marketing - Read everything your need to know about small business marketing. |
www.entrepreneur.com |
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All About Marketing |
Adapted from Field Guide to Nonprofit Program Design, Marketing and Evaluation ... Inbound Marketing Includes Market Research to Find Out: ... |
www.managementhelp.org |
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Pages tagged with "marketing" on del.icio.us |
USA Network Announces a NASHVILLE STAR Marketing Partnership With ... - Yahoo! ... Direct Marketing Association: Telephone, Mail & Internet Marketing ... |
del.icio.us |
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ClickZ Internet Marketing Solutions for Marketers |
Includes columns with commentary and analysis on a wide variety of internet marketing subjects ranging from B2B marketing to search engine marketing. |
www.clickz.com |
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Direct Marketing Association: Telephone, Mail & Internet Marketing |
Trade association for users and suppliers in the direct, database and interactive marketing fields, offering seminars and resources, and lobbying for ... |
www.the-dma.org |
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