Getting Personal With Your Tradeshow Visitors

Recently, I have been reading a book called The Great Formula. One of the marketing strategies the author speaks about is getting personal with clients. I could not agree more, however during a convention it can be quite hard. Trade show visitors often stop by your booth quickly, pick up some information, then move on to the next one; creating a road block which discourages a connection.

I was trying my best to figure out if there is a way a trade show exhibitor can make a bonding connection with the people that pass by their booth. One night, while I was watching a reality show here Paris Hilton tries to find a new best friend (yeah, I know, I have no idea why I was watching that either!) it hit me!

The best possible way to create a lasting bonding connection between yourself and your visitors is by offering them a drink! During one of my many incentive show visits, I came across a booth with a bar. My college and I sat down, had a drink, and chatted up with the exhibitor. Although I knew I had to hit up the other booths, I sat at that booth for at least half an hour. During that time, the exhibitor collected my business card, and added me to their mailing list.

What a great show that was!

How to steal a show at a show!

Creating an irresistible offer is among the most powerful marketing strategies you can use at a convention. An irresistible offer is an identity building offer central to a product, service, or company where a believable return on investment is communicated so clearly and efficiently that it is immediately apparent you have to be a fool to pass it up.

For example, lets say you are marketing a brush that can fix damaged hair, change hair color, make your hair shiny and so forth. For sake of this example, lets refer to the hair brush as the SuperBrush.

You then decide to make an irresistible offer as part of your marketing strategies. Here is what a good example of the offer would be:

"Change your hair color and fix your damaged hair with a single stroke, or 10 times your money back."

The main reason to include an irresistible offer alongside your marketing strategies is because of what it attracts. Such offers tend to attract old clients, new clients, friends of clients, and of course the media.

The Six Simple Principles of Viral Marketing

Just found this article on the web which talks about principles of viral marketing.

Thought it can be very useful!

The Six Simple Principles of Viral Marketing

Cool Marketing Strategies

Alright, I am sure these type of marketing strategies are too expensive to be used for a trade show, but it sure is cool!

In a bus stop, instead of an usual printed ad, they made a real aquarium full of real fishes. It showed that, with AqurioMania, you will bring life anywhere. Even to a bus shelter.

See the bus shelter here


Source: Direct Daily

Business Card Marketing Strategies

One of the least expensive, but most effective marketing strategies you can apply, is ensuring your business card are unique. Here are some examples of truly unique business cards:



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How a shopping list can help your marketing strategies

It seems as though not many people use shopping lists anymore. There used to be a time when I would walk around grocery stores and see people holding their list in their hand as they search for items to complete it. To me, a shopping list fell under my own personal marketing strategies for various reasons. First, it reminds me of the items I need to purchase. Second, it saves money, since it prevents me from going off and purchasing items that are not needed.


Applying that concept alongside your marketing strategies will help ensure a strict focus and save money when setting up for a trade show. However, it's not as easy to make a trade show list as is a grocery list. That is the reason why we at The Tradeshow Mentor made it for you. To download our FREE Tradeshow Checklist click here.

Cost Effective Trade Show Marketing Strategies

With today's economic downturn, no company can afford to have marketing strategies that just waste money. Exhibiting at trade shows is no different, the money you spend must yield a return to ensure success. These issues are addressed in our e-book called The Top 5 Ways To Be Remembered After A Trade Show. Here are some of the features and benefits the e-book teaches:

• Finance Your Freebies- learn new marketing strategies that show you how to order promotional giveaways for free....LEGALLY!!
  
  
• Increase your buzz factor - learn how to get convention visitors talking about your booth.
  
  
• Guest Speakers - Learn new marketing strategies to attract them to your booth along with their loyal fans!
  

For more information on The Top 5 Ways To Be Remembered After A Tradeshow Click Here

Marketing Strategies: Dressing For Success

Hawaiian shirts, suits, and underwear are all examples of clothes I have seen exhibitors wear during conventions. Is there really a rule of thumb addressing what should be worn and what should not? Today's blog entry will help solve that dilemma.

• Should exhibitors wear uniforms?
  
  Yes, YES, YES!!!!! Wearing uniforms during a convention is one of the most effective marketing strategies a company can use. It automatically commands attention, and allows your company to stand out from the crowd. It also helps create the illusion that your company is much bigger and more successful than other companies. Ordering shirts with your logo embroidered is your best bet. Suits do work, however shirts (button down or golf shirts) are more casual, making your exhibitors more approachable.
  
  
• Our company is in the apparel business, can we wear our own products as uniforms?
  
  It depends! If your company makes bikinis or underwear, it is not a good idea to wear such items when exhibiting. If you do want to showcase such clothes as part of your marketing strategies hire a model, or ask a friend with no shame to model for your booth. If you do not dress in a professional manner while exhibiting at a trade show, it then becomes much more difficult to market your company.
  
  
  
  

Inexpensive + Effective Marketing Strategies

Sometimes, trade show exhibits do not get nearly as much traffic as hoped. During the convention, it may seem more people are passing by than actually stopping by.

If this has happened to you, here is a trick you can include in your marketing strategies.

Approach a person near your booth and say:

"Excuse me, I was wondering if I can interest you in a barter."

The visitor normally responds by showing a high level of interest and intrigue

"I was wondering if you would like to trade this Free Gift for a business card."

Please note, free gift is a reference to what ever item it is you order as a give away. This is an ideal moment to hand them your giveaway. From my own experience at least 90% of the people laugh or smiled once the line was delivered.

From there go on to say

"I am (first name) (last name) would you mind if I formally invite you to my booth?"

At this point, if they say no, you still have their business card. Although this routine might seem cheesy, I cannot begin to tell how many connections I established as a result.

Creative Promo Pencils As Marketing Strategies

Relating your promotional handouts back to your business should fall within your marketing strategies. In this example, pencils advertising drumming lessons are shaped like the tip of a drumstick.





Source: Everybody Loves Free Stuff

Basic But Effective Marketing Strategies

Very few things work as well as creative business cards. Many entrepreneurs make an effort to push the envelope to ensure their business cards are the talk of the town. Such marketing strategies are not seen often at trade shows, however they create a tremendous amount of buzz once they are found.

Here are some examples of creative business cards:




Source: Everybody loves free stuff

Also, don't forget to take the shortest survey in the world by clicking here

Business cards most important tradeshow marketing strategies

Most exhibitors hand out typical 3.5" x 2" business cards with their contact information. However, what must do not realize is the fact that business cards must be included within you marketing strategies.

Business cards are extensions of your business. If you simply hand out the typical 3.5" x 2" business card, you are reinforcing the idea that you are not that much different from your competition. After all, how can you look unique if your business card is similar to all the rest?

A Croatian photographer realized the potential in including business cards within his marketing strategies. Thus, he transformed his slides into business cards. Each slide he handed out was different from the last. His unique idea created a tremendous amount of buzz.



Source: Direct Daily

Also, don't forget to take the shortest survey in the world by clicking here

Will you use nudity as part of your marketing strategies?

A Swedish game show airing on TV6 did. The game show challenges people to do humiliating and painful tasks for money. In order to stay within the premise of the show, the Le Bureau agency in Stockholm included nude delivery men in their marketing strategies. The delivery men were sent out to media agencies to promote the show.


Full Size Photo

Source: Direct Daily

Also don't forget to take the shortest poll in the world by clicking here

What Can We Learn From "Bring Your Kids To Work Day" Marketing Strategies?

Everybody in the company came to work to find their computer monitors decorated with crayon scribbles. This act was part of the marketing strategies developed for Bring Your Kids To Work Day. The childlike art was drawn onto acetate sheets and affixed to everyone's computer monitor.



What can this tactic teach us for trade show marketing strategies?

To get attention, you need fewer competitors vying for it. Therefore, use creative clutter free media to capture people's attention.

Source: Direct Daily

Staying Sober Equals Creative Marketing Strategies

The German Ministry of Transport introduced unique marketing strategies to help raise awareness of the dangers of driving while intoxicated. Their latest technique includes a Volkswagen Beetle designed to represent a human face with drunk revolving eyes.

The Ministry's marketing strategies towards drunk driving signifies a unique approach. Instead of following tradition and showing young people in car accidents, the German government took a lighter approach.



What has this got to do with trade shows? Ummm...still trying to figure that one out.

Legal Trade Show Marketing Strategies

Here are some great inexpensive trade show marketing strategies:

Marketing Strategies Report : Size Does Not Matter

The Dallas Business Journal(D.B.J.) exhibits at conventions only with a table. Their marketing strategies are unique, considering most exhibitors go the extra mile to receive a custom booth. Despite their display size, the D.B.J. does remarkably well at the conventions where they exhibit. The passage I find most interesting is the fact that they include product samples, an offer for a prize, and a place to collect business cards all on the small table. Over the years I have seen many extravagant booths at conventions, and many of them did not have offers for a prize or even product samples. Thumbs up for D.B.J.

The Dallas Business Journal Booth

Flexible Marketing Strategies Wins New Customers

Below is one of the marketing strategies used by a yoga practitioner in Hong Kong. The cost effective advertisement was printed on flexible straws and handed out. The practitioner witnessed a surge of inquiries and enrollment as a result.

Balls = Marketing Strategies

Trade shows are filled with ads, making it much harder for your brand to be noticed.

However, if you ensure your marketing strategies are outrages and/or remarkable than your on your way to climbing buzz mountain. This is exactly what Visa did when they placed unique stickers on parked cars.

The Real Reason Apple Pulled Out of MacWorld

In 1982 the best selling desktop was the Commodore 64. At the time, Apple was gaining sales close to Commodore’s but unable to gain the upper hand. They decided to revise their marketing strategies in order to overtake the Commodore 64.

In 1984, Apple released its ad for the MacIntosh computer during the Super Bowl. Back then the Super Bowl was not the advertising stage it is now. In fact, most marketing strategies involved advertising during college football, not the Super Bowl.

The ad involved an athletic blonde woman in red shorts chased by storm troopers. She bursts into an auditorium full of drones with shaved heads sitting motionless as an image of Big Brother (no, not the television show) played on an overhead screen. She then hurls a sledgehammer at the image causing it to explode. A voice then announces, “On Jan. 24th, Apple Computer will introduce MacIntosh . And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like Nineteen Eighty Four.”

The commercial was a huge success and created a tremendous amount of buzz in sync with the marketing strategies for the MacIntosh debut. According to Mark Hughes’ book BuzzMarketing, it played on four buzz factors:

• Hot Topic in the Media: 1984 is the title of a novel be George Orwell where he predicted in 1984 we would lose control of our lives and a Big Brother will control every aspect of our lives.
• Controversy: Appealing to the controversy created by the Orwell novel.
• David vs. Goliath: The female that threw the sledgehammer was David. She was also wearing a shirt with the Apple logo, representing the company. The Big Brother was Goliath. Big Brother was blue to represent him as IBM.
• The Unusual: No similar ad existed

Steve Jobs and his people announced the ad would no longer run again due to high costs. This caused a huge frenzy. People called television stations wanting to see the ad. Due to the high demand for the ad, television stations aired it at their cost. Although Apple announced the ad will not be seen again due to high costs (the ad alone cost one million dollars to make), many believe limiting the supply of the ad while creating demand for it was part of Apple's marketing strategies all along.

Steve Jobs is attempting to create a similar scenario by pulling out of MacWorld. His decision is unusual and controversial, two HUGE buzz factors. Apple created more buzz pulling out of MacWorld then it has ever created during its time exhibiting at MacWorld.


The reason Apple did not air the commercial again in 1984 is because they did not have to. Television stations were doing it for them at no cost. This leads us to the reason Apple pulled out of MacWorld. Simply put, they pulled out because they can. MacWorld has become a convention where Apple products will be heavily promoted regardless of Apple’s presence or absence.