Of the many mistakes small-business owners make, a big one is participating in trade shows and business expositions without a strategy for turning those marketing opportunities into sales.

Here are four tips to get you started…

1. Have a goal.
What do you want to get out of the event? Most small-business owners think sponsoring an event will bring them a ton of business. Not necessarily. Follow-up is critical.

2. Make sure the audience is your market.
If your company is a business-to-business provider and the event is for consumers, the likelihood of new business is slim. Sponsoring an event that doesn’t include your target market is just a waste of money. Do your homework.

3. Don’t dismiss “expensive” events right away.
Just because an entry cost is high doesn’t mean you can’t afford it. You could offer to work on the organizing committee, perform specific duties for the event or donate a product or prize in return for partial payment.

4. Plan for follow-up.
Before you sign up for the show, have a plan in place for how you will follow up with those prospects interested in what you have to offer.

Be prepared, know who to call in the event of an unpleasant situation.

Each year, millions of individuals attend and/or exhibit at trade shows world-wide. Many of us never encounter a single problem.

However, it is important to know that things can (and do) go wrong. Displays get lost in transit / shipment, graphics sometimes get destroyed, table skirts are lost, and so on.

Preparing a simple plan before the show can save you a world of time and heartache.

The TradeShowJoe.com staff suggests using either a label affixed to the inside of your trade show display case, or a 3″ x 5″ note card which contains all the important information you may need in the event of an disastrous situation.

With this technique in mind, we recommend you include at least the following information, as well as any other “personal” information you and/or your organization may wish to add.

1. Your shipping company’s contact information (UPS, FedEx, etc.)
2. Show management and/or promoter information (phone number, contact person, etc.)
3. Your trade show display manufacturer’s contact information (TradeShowJoe, Nimlok, Arise, Skyline, etc.)
4. The display model number / name
5. A brief packaging list of all display components (2 lights, 4 graphic panels, etc.)
6. A contact name and phone number of the company that produced your trade show graphics
7. Contact information for the company where you purchased your trade show display

Plan ahead, expect the unexpected… And you’ll be prepared for any situation that may arise.

These days, everyone wants to get the most out of their marketing dollars. And, trade shows are no exception. Follow the three simple steps below to achieve maximum return on your trade show investment.

STEP ONE: Research and Identify

First and foremost, you should Research and Identify quality trade show venues that will include respectable amounts of traffic, especially those individuals who are the most relevant customers for your business. Consider researching up coming trade shows online at www.tsnn.com, whereby you can search shows based on industry types and geographic locations.

Another good source of information regarding trade shows can be found through industry specific magazines.

Identifying the right trade shows to attend will play a huge role at how successful you are in marketing in trade show environments.

STEP TWO: Create a Budget for Your Trade Show Attendance / Exhibiting

A good budget plays an important role in identifying your individual and/or company marketing strategies, specific advertising options, and trade show promotional goals. Working with our own clientele, we recommend approaching trade show marketing as one facet of their entire marketing/advertising budget. Furthermore, we recommend determining trade show budgets on an annual basis, including factors such as travel cost, cost associated with labor, exhibitor fees, and trade show display equipment.

STEP THREE: Make an Impact!

Last but not least, never miss an opportunity to make a good first impression! As you probably know, in American society, perception often becomes a “believed” reality. What this means to you as a trade show exhibitor, is that at trade shows a perspective customer will fully evaluate your quality, creditably, and professionalism – based solely on the image you convey at your trade show booth. So, always look professional and wear your best customer service “hat” while working the booth!

The value of conveying the right image, while effectively conveying the marketing message, is insurmountable. Fortune 500 Corporations spend millions of dollars each year in conveying the right image while exhibiting at trade shows around the world. It is not always how much is spend on the display, but the quality and creative process that’s put into even the smallest display that can make the difference.

These ideas are for anyone that has a small budget to work with or is just starting to expand into exhibiting at trade shows.

You can even use these trade show tips and techniques whenever you are speaking or presenting — at Toastmasters, delivering workshops — or even eLearning activities.

1. Have a visual point at your booth — like a power point show or a television with a video playing. Put together a workshop video, even if it isn’t professional quality. People will usually not look at it more than three minutes before they feel conspicuous and will approach you.

2. Have a picture album with success stories and pictures. Especially great for independent professionals selling a intangible product. Pictures of workshop attendees having fun and doing various projects or eating together or a Christmas party in your office with your clients is very connecting and attractive. Please like to belong to things that they perceive as “successful.”

3. Have a drawing for something that is valuable and attractive to them. Don’t give away something laying around your office or something that has your ego attached, this very unattractive.

4. Candy bowl. One they have to reach deep. Don’t fill it up, let it look like there isn’t much left — that is even more attractive. They want to reach in before it’s all gone. They will take less too (chuckle).

5. Hire a model with brains and a marketing background to assist you. Someone “very attractive.”

6. Do what they do in grocery stores, demonstrate how to use your product. Wear a mike and have a small speaker attached. Buy the headset mike like professional singers use. The connection to that alone will attract (second chuckle).

7. Wear clothes with your logo. Name tags are great for participants but displaying your logo or name is important for building your brand. If you can’t afford to have them done, create your own. There are transfer materials made for your ink jet printers (see your office supply store), find some nice shirts/blouses, and go create.

8. Don’t just stand behind the booth, go in front of the booth and mix and mingle.

9. Stand up behind the booth with a smile. If you get tired go sit somewhere else and have someone there that has an attractive approachable energy. Rule of thumb is to rotate the energy every 30 to 60 minutes.

10. Display your web site name big and bold in the background. Make the name a different color than the “www” and the “.com”.

Here’s a bonus for you. How about going in with another one-person business and sharing the costs. One that I like to use, is to work with someone like does chair-massages. It is a big attractor to people.

Oops, let me slip in another tip — let’s call it a super bonus — for getting this far in your reading and in your mindset. If you are a shy person, a dead way to sell at a trade show, hire a trade show presenter.

A trade show presenter is experienced at attracting people to your booth. Their fee may seem expensive, and I said I was going to keep these tips in the inexpensive realm, yet then if your ROI gains from it, it will pay for itself. And these experts on presenting at trade shows will pull in the people all the time. Find someone training for this type of work and you might even be able to barter.

Catherine Franz, a Certified Professional Marketing & Writing Coach, specializes in product development, Internet writing and marketing, nonfiction, training. Newsletters and articles available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com / blog: http://abundance.blogs.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

All professionals attend conferences, seminars, and trade shows each year. Through my observation and person experience here are my top tips for maximizing your time and monetary investment in these events.

1. Set goals for the event. Think about what you hope to gain from your attendance of the trade show. Be specific and write them down! Consider your goals for specific content areas, specific questions you hope to have answered, number and kinds of people you want to meet and/or amount of new business you hope to gain. Goal setting here is like in anything else. Be specific, write them down and then focus on achieving them.

2. Invest some time in planning. Sit down before the event with the schedule or agenda. Think about which sessions will best help you meet your goals. Schedule your day to take best advantage of those opportunities. Often you find yourself with many good sessions to choose from. This is one of the values of your goals. Refer to your goals and let them guide you. You did bring that list of goals with you didn’t you?

3. Schedule your meals! Conferences are a prime time to learn in a more relaxed atmosphere. Schedule your meals with key colleagues, clients, presenters, or others you would really like to meet. You’ll be surprised how easy this is to do, even with people you don’t know yet, if you plan ahead just a little. Have too many people you want to have meals with? Invite more than one! Or schedule some meetings during a slower time during the conference program.

4. Network! Take advantage of all the networking opportunities available. If there is planned networking activities, be there early! Consider the Exposition or trade show as a networking opportunity (not only with the exhibitors, but also with your fellow participants. Who knows who you might meet standing in a line?) Have plenty of business cards and spend more time listening than talking. Don’t forget the time before a session starts when most people just sit and wait for something to happen. Don’t just sit there, network!

5. Capture ideas. Sometimes there isn’t much room but your lap to write during a session. Don’t worry! Follow your instincts and your best habits about the amount of notes to take. I urge you though to, at a minimum, to write down the action ideas you got during the session. These ideas might not even have anything to do with what the speaker is saying – no matter! Capture those gems so you have them for later.

6. Have fun! All of these tips require a little bit of rigor and planning – even this one! As you try to reach your goals and maximize your time, leave time for some fun and allow yourself the opportunity to let serendipity happen. If at the last minute your instinct says to go to a different session than the one you had planned, or to skip a session to get to know a new person, let yourself! It may be the best time you spend during the whole event.

7. Get some sleep. Conferences and shows can be long and harrowing. You will be at your best if you get some sleep. Too much of #6 (having fun) may leave you short on this one. Find some balance and get some rest. You’ll be glad you did.

8. Review your notes and ideas. Compare your list to your goals. How did you do? Take the time to prioritize the ideas you generated. Schedule the most important ones – with the rest of your tasks, giving them appropriate priority. If you can’t find time to implement what you learned, why did you go? Make sure you take action on at least the most beneficial of your new ideas. If you have notes beyond action ideas, consider scheduling a short amount of time each day for the next week to review those notes. The repetition will help solidify the new concepts and principles in your mind, increasing the learning you gained from the session.

9. Send thank you notes. You collected business cards as you networked right? Or made a note of the really fabulous session leader you listened to? When you get home, take the time to write some brief thank you notes. You benefit by sending positive thoughts into the world, as well as being more memorable to the receiver. True gratitude is important to acknowledge and share. Make the time to do it!

If you will take action on these nine tips, you will gain more from your conference dollar, improve the return on your time investment, as well as making the Conference more fun and a better learning experience.

Copyright 2000, All Rights Reserved, Kevin Eikenberry. Kevin is the President of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps their Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. Go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/speaking/speaking.asp to learn more about customized keynote speeches offered or contact Kevin at toll free 888.LEARNER.

Virtual trade shows are gaining momentum as a way to encourage participation in the event – both live and online. Here are a few ideas to help you expand your trade show – virtually.

1. Provide a map of the show floor that matches the live show. Link each booth on the map to the vendor’s virtual booth.

2. Have each online show visitor register. Give them an ID number to make it easy to request more information from the vendors online, rather than having to fill out forms at each virtual booth.

3. Let visitors search at least three ways: company name, booth number, or type of products.

4. Have the grand opening of your virtual trade show at least 2 weeks before the conference.

5. Encourage each vendor to offer a “show special” that is featured on their trade show page.

6. Offer coupons booth that online visitors can print and bring to the live show. As the organizer, you should plan to offer special coupons online as well. Consider a free drink coupon or a special souvenir of the conference, only available with the coupon.

7. Provide online stations in the exhibit area so that live visitors can visit the online trade show. Provide a printer to print coupons or number the coupons so that they can bring the number to the booth for the “special” discount.

8. Use a digital camera at the live show to take a picture of each booth. Add the photos to the vendors’ pages for after-the-show identification.

9. Leave the show online for at least three months after the live show so that attendees can follow up. Consider a year-round show with vendors who sign up for next year’s live show participating all year long for a reduced fee.

10. Offer a virtual booth only fee to vendors who cannot be at the live show. Price it accordingly.

11. Include a means for vendors to create their virtual booth at your site. A full booth might include a Front Page, a Back Wall, Right and Left Sides, plus a page for specials. As an alternative, a lesser fee could provide just a Front Page with a link to their site.

12. Open links to vendors’ company sites in a new window. That way you don’t lose the traffic. Once they close the other window your site is still in the background waiting to be seen again.

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with experts who are ready to turn their knowledge and their websites into Gold. Her reputation as a speaker and trainer has earned her the title of The Technology Tamer. Jeanette shares her news and views in OnlineSuccessNews.com

Trade Show Success…  A trade show is an ideal way of showcasing your products and services to a large number of prospects all at the one location and at the same time. Thoroughly planned marketing is the key to success at your next industry related exhibition.

The following are six of the most important marketing rules that exhibitors need to undertake to ensure their next trade show is a success.

1. Market Prior to the Show.
Four weeks before the event, invite your prospects and current customers to visit you at the trade show.

Ensure that you design an invitation that gives delegates a real incentive to come over and visit. Think of a distinctive approach to promote your company. For example, you could provide demonstrations of the latest technology that can benefit your audience. People love to look at what the newest thing is and how it will save them time and money. If you have a new food product, offer free tastings and samples.

2. Create an Eye-Catching Trade Show Booth.
Your exhibition booth is perceived to be a reflection of what you are like as a company. Make sure it is warm and inviting and that it stands out from the crowd.

Signage must be clear and kept simple. Clearly write your business name on your sign and state your unique selling proposition. You only have 10 seconds to grab the attention of attendees as they walk past. If people cannot work out what you are selling they will keep on walking.

3. Provide Promotional Materials.
Brochures and leaflets are typical promotional materials that need to be freely available. Make sure your contact details and web address are printed on everything.

Set up a DVD player in your booth that continuously loops your marketing video. Make sure that the DVD you receive from your production house has this loop feature built in. We’re all little kids at heart and colour and movement can be a great way to grab attention.

Playing your promotional video is also a great way to demonstrate how your product is made and how your product works. Especially if your product is too large to take to the tradeshow or your production process is too long and complicated to explain.

4. Train your staff to Market for you.
Your staff represent your company and they must be professional at all times. Gossiping and ignoring delegates is a poor reflection of your company.

Make sure you staff your booth with employees who are people-orientated. Brief them fully on what is required of them. Let them know the reasons why you are at the trade show, what you are exhibiting and what you hope to achieve by being at the event.

Training on how to correctly approach and interact with people and collect quality leads is also essential.

5. Appealing Giveaways.
Whether we like to admit it, most of us have probably left a trade show and proudly shown off our new pens and trinkets to those unable to attend.

It can be easy to dismiss these giveaway items as a waste of money. However, the reality is that they do increase awareness of your company and entice attendees to your booth.

The trick is making sure that you are giving away an item that your target audience wants. What items will appeal to your market?

6. Lead follow up.
A successful trade show is dependent upon your skills in following up leads. Research has found that 70% of trade show leads do not receive proper follow up.

To make the job easier, plan before the trade show how you are going to follow up prospects. Design a system to mail out information to leads within a week or two of the event and how you will follow these up. The longer leads are left unattended the colder they will become.

Ideally, ensure that all your leads are qualified before you pass them on to your sales team.

(c) Marie-Claire Ross 2004. All rights reserved.  Reprinted with permission through EzineArticles.com

Marie-Claire Ross is one of the partners of Digicast. Digicast works with organisations who are not satisfied that their marketing and training materials are helping their business grow. She can be contacted on 0500 800 234 (Australia wide) or at mc@digicast.com.au. The website is at http://www.digicast.com.au.

The National Guard deployed tabletop displays to attract recruits in face of labor shortage. Find out how these versatile marketing tools can work for you.

The United States should never go to war without its National Guard. So says Army Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum during a CNN interview in which he spelled out the critical role of these forces and the critical shortages on the horizon.

Strained by ongoing military action, the National Guard has fallen nearly 15,000 troops below authorized levels, leading recruiters to add new tools to their recruitment arsenals. While the Army National Guard has long been funding up to 100 percent of college tuition costs and fees, new recruits now also receive enlistment bonuses of up to $10,000 for joining.

The Guard’s new efforts go far beyond financial incentives. The military is digging deep into its recruitment arsenal with online initiatives, advertising campaigns and community events. But it’s the tabletop displays that get young folks’ attention long enough for the recruiter to give them an earful about the benefits of defending their country’s freedom.

Tabletop displays are a rapid deployment marketing weapon, says Mark Johnson, president of the Exhibit Designers & Producers Association. The National Guard could set up at tabletop display in a mall in the morning, then pack up and go to a university with the display that same afternoon.

Indeed, experts agree that tabletop displays offer a versatile, low-cost solution that’s easy for one person to set up and break down quickly. Combined with a savvy marketing campaign, companies can leverage these portable resources to complete a mission, whether that means recruiting, selling or some other objective.

Rapid deployment, diverse messaging.

Dan Riley, president of Tradeshowjoe.com in Louisville, agrees that tabletop displays are a convenient solution for any organization that needs to either quickly move from place to place or participates in frequent exhibitions.

The National Guard is demonstrating the beauty of modern tabletop displays in its recent recruitment campaign, he says. These displays are portable, so they fit in the trunk of a car, and they are more affordable than other exhibition marketing tools.

Experts say the use of portable tabletop displays is on the rise because they are easier and quicker to set up than larger exhibit displays that are intended to sit on a trade show floor for several days a time. Tabletop displays are designed specifically with rapid deployment in mind and are popping up at schools, sales meetings and corporate events because of the proven return on investment.

There are many brand names on the market all with various features and benefits, Riley adds. These manufacturers offer assorted fabrics, structures, shipping cases and various graphics capabilities. Table top displays are lightweight, portable and easy to set up for a sales person on the run.

Targeting your marketing message.

Of course, setting up a tabletop display alone is not enough to ensure success. Experts say the number one objective of any marketing tool is to consistently communicate an effective message. That’s why the correspond tabletop display features text and graphics that correspond with Web, TV and radio initiatives.

The tabletop display is only the vehicle. Recruiters still need to use attractive graphics that will draw the intended audience to the table, says Riley. Those graphics may need to change depending on the location of the recruiting efforts. Tabletop displays allow you to reconfigure the graphics quickly depending on the audience you are trying to reach.

Since tabletop displays are smaller than their larger exhibit counterparts, Johnson recommends using more graphics than text to maximize the benefit of the display. Images of Guard heroes in action speak a thousand words. Combined with a snappy slogan, the tabletop display serves its function: to draw people to the recruiter who can sell them on the benefits of enlisting in the military.

Tabletop displays with well-executed graphics draw curious young men and women to the desk and give recruiters an opportunity to educate them about the benefits of joining the National Guard, Riley notes. I liken it to an informational depot that offers neutral ground for the potential enlistee and recruiter to discuss the possibilities of a military career.

That information depot works just as well for widget manufacturers at trade shows, corporate recruiters at college career days and presenters at internal sales meetings. Experts say these versatile marketing weapons are effective for mission-minded organizations of all types.

Tabletop displays are ideal because they can be easily adapted to different spaces simply by adding or removing components, Riley says. Some of these units actually fold up into a carrier the size of a brief case and cost only a few hundred dollars.

Article written by: Jennifer LeClaire

This Article Copyright © 2005 by Inuvative News Network

Jennifer LeClaire is president of Revelation Media Networks, a multimedia agency that provides editorial content to business and trade publications serving sign, exhibit, and graphic design industries.