Tradeshows don’t generate many leads. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do any marketing at tradeshows. The great thing about these events is that they gather a large number of people with similar interests in the same place at the same time. Face-to-face meetings are a critical part of building relationships with customers. If you are going to invest travel…
Category: Events and Tradeshows
Tradeshows Don’t Generate Leads
In my experience, tradeshows rarely generate many new leads. Not because the sales team is hoarding all the business cards they collected at the show (marketing conspiracy theory #35). But because buying patterns have shifted. Anyone that wants to learn about a new technology doesn’t have to wait to visit you a booth at tradeshow (like they did back in…
Use Twitter to Decide Where To Spend Your Marketing Dollars
Marketers are always seeking to better understand their target buyers. Better data about customers would not only help companies refine their messaging, but it would also help them optimize marketing spend. CMOs and their leadership team struggle to answer questions such as: What are the best websites to advertise on? What trade shows should I exhibit at? What are my…
Hire a Graphic Facilitator for Your Next Customer Event
Do you have a customer seminar or advisory board coming up in the next few months? Are you looking to add a new element of creativity to your event to offset the monotony of all-day PowerPoint marathons? Consider hiring a graphic facilitator. Graphic Facilitation is the process of translating complex ideas into words and pictures in real time. You have…
Google Glass and the Other Top Tradeshow Prize Giveaways of 2014
“Enter now and you have a chance to win a new iPad (or a Kindle or a Nook or some other tablet)!” Consumer electronics are always a popular prize giveaway at tradeshow raffles. And for the past three years the most popular items have been tablets, e-readers and video game consoles. But everyone who wants one of these devices already…
Start Your Next Conference Presentation Like a Movie
You are standing on stage in front of an audience of 300. It’s 2:30PM. Your presentation slot is the third in a post-lunch afternoon sequence that precedes a much needed coffee break. You put up a title slide with your presentation topic, your name and today’s date (as if no one knows what day it is). After making the obligatory…
The Problem with Tradeshows…
After reading the title of this post you are probably thinking – so there is only one problem with tradeshows? Of course, there are a number of problems with tradeshows. Many companies continue to have an overemphasis on tradeshows in their marketing strategy, neglecting web-based marketing activities that generate much higher returns. Perhaps, Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shaw put it…
Ask Questions at Tradeshows to Build Awareness
The ROI from exhibiting or sponsoring a tradeshow is increasingly being questioned by marketing and business executives. And for good reason – Compare the number of leads generated from a $50,000 tradeshow stand versus a similar investment in web-based marketing alternatives (e.g. Google Pay-Per-Click). Justifying an exhibit or sponsorship has grown even more challenging in the wake of the macro-economic recession that plagued the world throughout 2008-2009.
Give Away Umbrellas at Tradeshows in Seattle
I’m at the NACHA (National Automated Clearinghouse) Payments 2010 conference in Seattle, WA this week. When I checked-in at the registration booth I was pleasantly surprised by the free giveaway for show attendees – an umbrella. What a practical idea for a tradeshow in Seattle? And much better than the standard backpack or duffle bag that is thrown away by 95% of the show attendees.
