So you've decided on which trade shows to exhibit in. You know who you're sending. You've got just the right giveaways. What could possibly go wrong?

Anything and everything. Trade show exhibitions often leave companies scratching their heads, wondering what went wrong and why such a dismal turnout. Everything seemed like it should have gone fine, but somewhere along the line, the strategy faltered. While there will always be room for error, there are some surefire ways you can maximize your ROI and minimize your disappointment.

12 months to 6 months out - Goals and Objectives:

First things first. Have you defined which trade shows are right for you? Have you defined your goals and objectives for the show? Are they realistic? Sit down with your team and get a solid exhibit plan in place. Remember that your plan has to find synergy with your overall brand and company marketing strategies. Always keep the big picture in mind. You must leverage your existing brand to succeed in any marketing venture.

So what is it you're trying to achieve in the show? Lead Generation? Increased brand exposure? Launching next year's line? A new brand? Figure out what your purpose is, get everyone on the same page, and carve it in stone. This is by far the most crucial step in the process.

It is in this phase that you shouold also be contracting your booth space. You will want to contracts space for some larger shows as early as 12 months prior. If you are looking for a new exhibit. If so, start planning that now. Find out what your contract entitle you to for your booth space (pipe and drape, waste removal services, etc.). Work your exhibit plans around that accordingly. Booths, kiosks and other essential items can be purchased or rented for very reasonable costs if you shop prices and availability early.

6 months to 4 months out - Promotional Marketing Strategy:

Many companies spend so much time internally planning their exhibits, they literally forget to promote their attendance to their target audience! I recently received an informal invite to a trade show in New York from a friend. He had forwarded me the invite he sent out to all of his target audience. The email neglected to give me the dates or location of the trade show! It only gave the name. Granted, this is an extreme example, but I think it demonstrates this point perfectly. If you want peopla to come see you at a show - make sure they know when, where and how to find you. Send them information on the show itself, your exhibit, and even travel and lodging information if Get creative, and get the message out early. Make sure to follow up regularly as the show approaches. Now is the time you should be planning you advertisements, direct mail strategy, email campaign, travel and lodging arrangements (including any special rates you can negotiate for your attendees), etc.

It is also at this phase that you should be finishing up all final design plans with your exhibitor house and beginning and graphic design for your signage and giveaways.

 

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Bookmark this page and make sure to check back later this week for the rest of the article. After learning how to prepare for a tradeshow, the series will continue as we will examine the proper strategy for the show itself, and how your staff should be maximizing lead generation while on the show floor.

 

R.J. Frasca
President & CEO
3 Guesses Media, Inc.

Whether you are launching a new marketing campaign, implementing a new product rollout or repositioning an existing brand, have you thought the entire process through?

To truly stand out in today's marketplace, you need to succeed in every aspect of your marketing efforts. You have to be able to tell your story effectively, quickly and passionately. You need to inspire emotion in your audience and encourage a response. You must be sure to create a memorable impression and certainly have a clear and brilliant up-front image.

Is your budget not where it needs to be to accomplish this? Is your deadline too soon? Sound like a daunting task to achieve everything? Not necessarily. As with everything else, using the right process, and focusing your resources properly will help guarantee success. Keep in mind, creativity is the number one asset you have in your ability to distinguish your product or brand from the rest of the pack. Try to take more of a right-brained approach to your strategy and you may be surprised with your results.

First off, do you have a clear and defined picture of where you need to be? Are your goals realistic? Can you communicate them clearly to your team? If so, you've already gotten past the single most difficult aspect of the process. Once you have your goals clearly defined and mapped out, your team, whether they are internal or outsourced, can leverage their existing expertise and creativity to help you get there.

By taking everyone's contributions into consideration, whether they be your marketing team's or your accountant's, you are ensuring the most diverse and creative solutions to any problem. Although too many people going different directions can often be counter-productive, if you manage the project effectively, you can gradually focus your group and produce truly unique and exciting approaches to any campaign.

Consider any and all channels to communicate your message - online, print, radio, television, etc. Beyond that, broaden your efforts within each channel. Spreading your message in today's day and age requires you to think outside of traditional methods, or even methods that were successful just 5 years ago. For instance, with the surge of Web 2.0 and social networking, the effectiveness of a corporate web page alone has dramatically decreased in online presence. You must also consider turning some attention to sites like facebook.com or myspace.com. Beyond that, you must enhance your content more than ever before to organically grow your search results. The list goes on and on in all media channels. Think outside the box, and you will realize much greater benefits. Don't forget to remain consistent in presenting your message across all channels. Your brand's integrity and memorability depend on it.

Whatever you do, don't get stuck on one idea, just because you fall in love with it. Listen to your team. Listen to the input of everyone around you. Not all customers think the same way as you, and certainly none are as attached to your product or brand. You can't throw away endless money and/or will an idea to work because you think it's cool or brilliant. How you are perceived by your audience will often be drastically different than you perceive yourself. Be ready to adapt and move quickly in response.

Most importantly, make sure when you launch your new campaign, that you and your entire team is behind it. Talk to everyone. Is each person sending the same message? Maintain consistency and support your message from within. Don't lose sight of those goals, or the strategy you've all worked so hard to produce.

And remember, it's the original idea that counts the most, not the marketing behind it.

R.J. Frasca
President & CEO
3 Guesses Media, Inc.
 

We're proud to announce new company blog, which has with this entry, officially launched! Utililzing the same technologies we sell our clients, we hope to demonstrate the effectiveness of blogging in not only building brand awareness and trust, but generating a great increase in traffic. We will be documenting the success of this site month by month over the next 12 months as we launch our redesigned site from scratch.

With this blog, we hope to:

• Position 3 Guesses Media as the premier marketing solutions provider for small and medium businesses throughout Tampa Bay and Central Florida.
• Add fresh, relevant content to our site regularly which not only benefits our clients, but benefits us tremendously with our own search engine rankings and brand awareness campaigns.
• Connect with complimentary companies and potential new clients to form a strong network of services which can compete with any larger firm.
• Keep ourselves abreast of new technologies and methods which will keep us at the forefront of our industry, and guarantee our future success and growth.
• Have fun doing what we love to do, and maybe get others excited about it too.
  
  

Thanks for reading, and make sure to subscribe to our RSS Feed or bookmark this page, as we will be bringing you a wealth of information to help you succeed in all your marketing efforts.

R.J. Frasca
President & CEO
3 Guesses Media, Inc.