Welcome to.....BPWRaleigh
|
|
|
Using Tradeshows to Take Your Business into New Horizons Lea-Ann Berst, Sleddogg Marketing If you are preparing to announce a new product, trying to woo new customers, or confronted with the hurdles of moving into a new market segment, tradeshows are a great way to go. When done right, a tradeshow is a extremely effective way to capture awareness in the market and convince your customers you have what it takes to help them with their business challenges. But once you’ve decided to participate in a tradeshow and you know that your target market is going to be there too – are you ready? Do you know what to do next? Five Important Tradeshow Tips
Begin with setting goals. Before making the decision to exhibit at a show, you should understand why you are exhibiting; are you announcing a product launch, do you want “face time” with attendees who have purchasing power, or do you desire to create awareness for your business? Set specific goals – such as, increasing brand awareness, sales or segmented market share. These goals should not only be measurable to see if the show was a success, but also guide all communication and sales work efforts. Hire an exhibit company. Even if you do this only once, a good exhibit house can teach you how to accomplish what you want, affordably. Exhibit companies design, build and handle the logistics of your booth components, and can show you what choices you have - whether to rent or buy, hand-carry or ship, and use existing or custom solutions. Train your booth staff. Warm bodies in the booth won’t deliver results. However, trained staffers who understand the booth strategy, communicate a consistent message and understand the product will yield great results! Schedule a pre-show meeting to educate the team on what to say and what to do. Also schedule a post-show meeting to summarize observations and plan for follow-up actions. Develop targeted and strategic communications. From brochures to give-aways to booth presentations, include targeted messages that promise to deliver a valued solution to a problem that the attendee has. Develop a communication strategy to drive attendees to your booth (email alerts, trade magazine, Web site, etc.), keeps their attention while they are there (demo’s, video’s, give-aways, etc.), and continues on after the show (press release, newsletter, surveys, etc.). Measure your success. The show is over; you’re tired and ready for the beach. But don’t pack that suit just yet! It’s time to measure how effective your work efforts have been; such as surveying to see if brand awareness has increased, sizing the amount of qualified leads you have to follow-up on, or comparing the number of Web site hits you get as a result of show-related Web awareness activities. Measure your success so that you learn what works and what doesn’t. Follow these five tips for tradeshow success and you will be guaranteed a rewarding tradeshow experience! BPW member, Lea-Ann W. Berst – Founder and Lead Consultant for Sleddogg Marketing, writes Think Like a Marketeer articles to give companies tips that help them transition from a product-focused to a customer-focused organization; attracting new customers and growing their business! Marketing Advice from BPW-Raleigh Member “Effective marketing is more than just developing marketing collateral,” says Lea-Ann W. Berst, Founder and Senior Consultant for Sleddogg Marketing, a marketing consulting firm based here in Raleigh, North Carolina. “To succeed in the market today, businesses must focus on their marketing approach; understanding their customers and what it takes to get those customers to buy.” As a Marketing Strategist and BPW-Raleigh member, Lea-Ann will submit marketing columns for our monthly newsletter. In today’s economic environment, businesses have to attract new customers with fewer resources. Called “Think Like a Marketeer”, these articles will be designed to help you with your marketing challenges while utilizing your existing assets. Lea-Ann, who is an award winning communicator and marketing professional, has over a decade of corporate global marketing experience. She spent her corporate career overseeing brand marketing programs and working in various product management roles with some of the world’s most recognizable consumer and commercial brands, including Marvel Comics, Champion Sportswear, Memorex Telex, and IBM.
"18 years of marketing and product management experience has
given me the skills needed to offer a unique way of looking at business issues
and problems, and the creativity needed to come up with solutions for my
clients," she says. One of the benefits of consulting with other businesses, explains Berst, is the “fulfillment and satisfaction of empowering businesses to not only stay in business, but to thrive and grow for years to come.” Look for Lea-Ann’s first “Think Like a Marketeer” article to appear in September’s BPW-Raleigh newsletter. Sleddogg Marketing is a marketing consulting firm specializing in brand and product strategic marketing consulting. Sleddogg helps businesses create and execute strategic marketing to grow their customer base and competitively position their business in the market. For more information, please visit www.sleddogg.com. |
|