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Exhibitor Marketing Guide: Giving Our Customers The Business Advantage With Proven Strategies For Exhibiting Success
Exhibitor Marketing Guide: Giving Our Customers The Business Advantage With Proven Strategies For Exhibiting Success
www.exhibitoradvantage.com
Giving our customers the business advantage with proven
strategies for exhibiting success.
W
elcome to the Exhibitor Advantage Program, courtesy of Diversifed Business Communications. This program
is your guide to improving productivity and controlling costs at your next Diversifed show. It will help you
promote your companys participation at the show, meet with more of your clients and prospects at the event and
follow up with more results.
This Exhibitor Advantage Program offers you:
The Exhibitor Marketing Guide, flled with tips, techniques, samples, resources and checklists to maximize your
companys promotion investment before, during and after the show.
Six Exhibitor Updates: strategies for establishing measurable objectives, selecting and training your booth staff,
saving money with show services and turning your leads into sales after the show.
An Exhibitor Website (www.exhibitoradvantage.com), your one-stop shop for all the information and materials
you need to increase the return on your investment at your next Diversifed Business Communications show.
Everything in the Exhibitor Marketing Guide is designed to maximize the return on your investment at your next
show. Share all these new tools, especially this guide, with your sales team, marketing and communications
departments, distributors, agents and reps.
Wed love to hear from you! Please contact us at 207.842.5550 or by email at exhibitoradvantage@divcom.com with
questions or ideas about how we can help you attract more buyers, prospects and media attention to your booth.
Thank you.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Increase Your Shows Return on Investment with Measurable Objectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Diversifed Business Communications Brings Buyers to the Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Identify and Attract the Right Buyers to Your Booth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Marketing Tools to Bring More Buyers into Your Booth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Proven Pre-show Marketing Techniques to Increase Your Booth Traffc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Diversifed Attracts Media to the Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
How to Attract Media Attention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-19
Post Show Follow-up Turning Leads into Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Promotion Schedule and Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-23
Sponsorship and Advertising Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Diversifed Business Communications Event Staff and Additional Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
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Make all your objectives SMART Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results oriented and Timebound.
DIRECT MARKETING
Mailings, faxes and e-mails to buyers in target markets.
Print promotions to prospects, including segmented letters, visitor brochures and reminder postcards.
Follow-up e-mails and faxes to complement the direct-mail campaign.
Phone calls to past registrants extending a personal invitation to the show.
ADVERTISING
Show ads in international, national and regional trade publications to reach hundreds of thousands of
qualifed buyers.
Radio ads on stations broadcasting to areas where shows are held.
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Diversifed Business Communications Brings Buyers to the Show
Identify the Right Buyers and Attract Them to Your Exhibit
Successful exhibitors know that the competition for the attendees limited time on the
exhibit foor is ferce. To get their fair share of booth traffc, they dont just rent space,
show up and hope people fnd them. They use targeted pre-show marketing to get
on the right attendees agendas before the show opens.
So how do you get on an attendees short list? Its easier than you think. Here are
four steps to help you fll your booth with qualifed buyers at your next Diversifed
Business Communications show:
STEP 1. Invest 15% or more of your total show budget on pre-show marketing.
The average exhibitor allocates just 6% of its show budget to pre-show marketing.
Most of these average exhibitors dont get results. Of all the things you will spend
money on, pre-show marketing is one of the most important. Dont skimp in this
critical area. It can mean the difference between a busy exhibit and watching
people pass you by.
STEP 2. Identify the buyers you want to visit your exhibit and build target
visitor lists.
Start in-house with your sales team and your distribution channels. Build a list of
customers and current prospects you would like to have visit your exhibit. Include
anyone who has inquired about your products or services over the last 12 months.
Ask yourself, What types of companies and what job functions/titles do we want to
visit our exhibit?
STEP 3. Give attendees a compelling reason to visit your exhibit.
Dont just pitch products and services; focus on solving problems, creating
opportunities and delivering meaningful value. Analyze your company, products
and services carefully. What is your value proposition? What problems do you solve?
What opportunities do you create? What do you do better than your competition?
What benefts do you deliver?
Use powerful visual images and captivate attendees with provocative beneft- and
solution-focused headlines like: Slash your downtime by 15%, or Increase your
turns by 20% without increasing your costs. Everyone is interested in solving
problems, reducing costs, improving results and getting more value. Tell attendees
specifcally how you can help, and they will come running to your exhibit.
STEP 4. Use a combination of media to implement an integrated pre-show
marketing campaign.
Integrate multiple media to touch prospective visitors at least three times before
the show opens. Start with print advertising in mass media and publicity in industry
trade publications. Advertise in show publications, such as the offcial show
directory and be sure to include your booth number on all advertisements. Then
add one-to-one media: personal letters of invitation, postcards and formal
invitations. Be sure to include an exhibit pass, when available. Put the third and
fnal touch on your program with more personal media like e-mail, faxes and
personal telephone calls. To increase response, offer a reward for responding; e.g.,
entry into a contest. Better yet, invite prospects to your booth to pick up a free gift.
With a little creative thought, some basic planning and focused execution, you
will have a booth full of interested and qualifed visitors. All it takes is targeted
pre-show marketing.
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Jefferson Davis, The Tradeshow Turnaround Artist, Competitive Edge
jdavis@compedgetraining.com www.compedgetraining.com
NOTE: Go to
Diversified Business
Communications
new Exhibitor
Advantage website
(www.exhibitoradvantage.com)
to learn more from
Jefferson Davis
webinars. These
complimentary
one-hour business
seminars cover
measurable objectives,
pre-show promotions,
and increasing your
sales at the show.
Attract More Buyers and Prospects to Your Booth with Pre-Show Marketing
The most important aspect of your next Diversifed Business Communications show is the quality and quantity of your
pre-show marketing.
FACT: 76% of attendees arrive at the show with an agenda.
FACT: Attendees spend quality time with 26 exhibitors at a show.
FACT: Half of these 26 exhibitors scheduled appointments in advance.
Source: Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR)
CONCLUSION: Two months before each show, your company has to
get on your clients and prospects agendas.
Its a fact that the level of success at your next Diversifed show will be in direct proportion to the amount of pre-show
marketing you do. According to the Center For Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR):
Direct mail motivates 53% of previous show attendees and 29% of newcomers to visit your booth.
The frequency of mailings increases booth attendance. Your frst mailing will get a 25% response, but sending three
mailings to the same audience will increase your response rate to 75%.
To get more qualifed traffc in your booth, use a targeted, coordinated pre-show promotion campaign. Key components
of your campaign include:
1. A single database of each shows prospects. Use your in-house database, new sources and appropriate publications
subscriber lists.
2. Marketing pieces designed to stress the unique benefts you offer attendees who visit your booth.
3. Direct mail, e-mail, advertising, faxes, telephone calls and visits to prospects, inviting them to your booth.
4. Show-specifc pages on your website.
5. A master schedule and budget for these pre-show marketing efforts.
6. A VIP program for each shows top prospects, with exclusive benefts such as invitations to off-site events and
one-on-one meetings with your companys top executives.
7. Participation in Diversifeds Key Buyer Program. E-mail us at exhibitoradvantage@divcom.com for details.
8. A public-relations campaign.
In all your marketing pieces, stress in the simplest terms the benefts your customers and prospects will receive by
working with your company. According to CEIR, 85% of show attendees have not been called by a company
salesperson in the last year, so they are hungry for:
New-product information
Additional data about existing products
Tools to help them compare products from different companies
Assistance in marketing and business planning
CEIRs research fnds that buyers decide whether to attend shows based on input from the following sources
(on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most important):
Friends/colleagues and word of mouth. . . 4.9
Trade-publication articles . . . . . . . . 4.7
Calendars in trade publications . . . . . . 4.6
Direct mail from show sponsors. . . . . . 4.5
Show sponsor advertising . . . . . . . . 4.2
Invitations from exhibitors . . . . . . . . 3.7
Exhibitor advertising . . . . . . . . . 3.7
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Attract More Buyers and Prospects to Your Booth with Pre-Show Marketing (contd)
Maximize your pre-show marketing efforts by matching them with the input sources attendees use to decide which
shows to attend:
z Create a buzz about your participation in each Diversifed show that will translate into positive word-of-mouth
promotion for your exhibit.
z Work with trade-publication editors to place your company news in pre-show issues.
z Personally invite your most important buyers and prospects.
z Advertise in pre-show issues of trade publications.
The time and energy your company invests inviting prospects and clients to your exhibit in advance of each Diversifed
show will pay off in increased traffc at your booth.
Because attendees are looking for concrete solutions to their current problems and challenges, here is what you can
do at your next Diversifed show to increase the return on your tradeshow investment:
z Send your clients and prospects printed VIP invitations with a fact sheet on the products/services that will be in
your booth.
z Promote whats new in your booth and tell your targeted audiences how it will help them save money or add
new revenue streams to their businesses.
z Staff your booth with company employees who can help solve your targeted audiences problems.
z Convince your prospects to visit your booth by explaining your companys special product or service your unique
selling proposition.
z Promote in advance the technical specifcations of the new products that will be on display in your booth.
Quotes from exhibitors using pre-show marketing to increase their booth traffc and sales:
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We do much more pre-show contact to bring people into the booth. Our company uses direct marketing,
mailings and personal telephone calls to increase booth traffic. We promote in advance that we will have
people in our booth that can answer their questions. Then we try and schedule a hands-on demonstration in
our booth. We create new ads for each show that focus on the benefits of visiting our booth. Investing
more to target our pre-show direct mail and include more valuable content. E-mail our sales partners
to tell them to invite potential customers to our booth. Create a newsletter and mail out multiple times
featuring the new products we will have at our booth. Put more detailed information about our booth at
the show on our website. Do a pre-show mailing promising a giveaway of business value by visiting our
booth. Targeted e-mails with incentive to visit booth. Use statements and invoices to invite customers
to visit our booth. Use our corporate voicemail to invite prospects and clients to visit our booth
at the show.
(From Tradeshow Weeks survey of exhibitors)
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Attract More Buyers and Prospects to Your Booth with Pre-Show Marketing (contd)
Ten ways to attract quality buyers and prospects to your booth:
1. Clean and update your database. 20% of any business list is out of date annually. Use a service bureau and consider
renting subscriber lists and show-registration lists to augment your list.
2. Promote your participation and booth number aggressively, using every marketing and communication tool at your
disposal. Add your companys booth number to your website, statements, invoices, postage-meter message and promo-
tional products. Talk to your Diversifed sales representative about the free promotional opportunities available to you.
3. Communicate to the media. Issue press releases to trade and business publications about new products and services you
plan to showcase in your booth. Arrange for interviews with your executives about your companys show introductions.
4. Use the Internet. Put more detailed information on your website about the exhibit youll have at your next show.
Include photographs of your booth and staff and a foor plan showing where to fnd your booth. Also add any show
specials you will be offering. Send multiple e-mail blasts to invite prospects to your booth. Include new, useful content
in each e-mail to ensure it will be read.
5. Invite key prospects to visit your booth multiple times in different ways. Invite them to your booth in person, on the
telephone or via e-mail and fax. Send personalized letters and postcards. Add an invitation to visit your booth to your
companys voice mail and individual voice-mail messages.
6. Schedule appointments with key clients in advance. Reserve a meeting room or create one in your booth for private
conversations.
7. Create new advertisements that stress the benefts of visiting your booth and place them in key publications and
on websites starting three months before each show.
FACT: 33% of attendees visit a booth in response to an advertisement.
FACT: Exhibitors who advertise attract 56% more attendees than exhibitors who do not advertise.
8. Print a fyer with each of your shows locations and dates, your booth number and a preview of the new product and/
or show specials in your booth. Include this in all the direct mail you send to customers and prospects starting two
months before each show.
9. Remind your sales partners to invite potential customers to visit your booth.
10. In pre-show mailings and e-mails, promise a giveaway at your booth that will have business value, such as special
pricing, a complimentary service, current research or white papers.
PRE-ShOw MARkETInG:
how do Exhibitors Drive
Attendees to Their Booth?
Source: Tradeshow Week Executive
Outlook Corporate Exhibitor 2005
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
69%
54%
69%
43%
39%
Direct mail Website Magazine ads Email Rely on show mgmt
pre-show
marketing efforts
Marketing Tools to Bring More Buyers into Your Booth
Use All Marketing and Communication Tools to Increase Your Exposure at the Show
The best ways to maximize your companys return on investment at its next Diversifed show is to increase the number of
customers and prospects who visit your booth. Use all of the following tools to create a powerful, integrated marketing
plan that will attract more of your clients and prospects to your booth.
Corporate Communications Tools
Display your booth number at the show in everything your buyers and prospects might see.
Direct Mail and E-Mail
Send at least three pre-show invitations to increase the number of clients and prospects in
your booth.
NOTE: According to CEIR, companies that send multiple pre-show invitations see 50% more traffc in their booths than
companies that dont.
1. Two months before the show, mail the print VIP invitations supplied by Diversifed, along with a personal letter, to
your clients/prospects.
2. One month before the show, e-mail the e-VIP invitation with an updated personal letter to your clients/prospects.
3. Two weeks before the show, fax your clients/prospects an invitation to visit your booth.
Advertising
Run your advertisement multiple times in several publications and on websites prior
to your next show to generate interest in your booth.
1. Create a new advertisement for the show that tells your audiences how they will beneft by visiting your booth.
Include the show logo and your booth number.
2. Add Visit us at (show name) in booth ___ to your existing advertisements.
3. Advertise on the appropriate show website.
4. Advertise on the appropriate show broadcast e-mail.
Sales
Ask your strategic partners, distributors and international agents to invite mutual
clients and prospects to your booth at your next show.
1. Tell your staff to distribute print and e-VIP invitations to clients and prospects.
2. Call your best clients and prospects to schedule meetings at your booth during your next show.
3. Create a show special that will be available only at your booth and promote it in advance.
Publicity
Pitch new technology, unique product introductions and product improvements to
get an editor interested in your press release.
1. Distribute a press release on any new product and/or service your company will be demonstrating at the next show.
2. Offer editors exclusive interviews with your companys top executives to discuss your companys plans at your next
show.
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TIP
TIP
TIP
TIP
TIP
Proven Pre-Show Marketing Techniques to Increase Your Booth Traffc
Advertising:
Advertising helps build awareness of your companys participation in a show for a large number of potential customers.
Because of this large audience, you should design an advertisement for the show that clearly tells them the benefts they
will receive by visiting your booth.
Advertising Tips:
Include your booth number and show logo in your ad.
Running smaller ads in multiple issues starting three months before the show will bring more booth traffc than run-
ning one large ad the month before the show.
Place your ads in the same publications and on the same websites as your shows ads, and schedule them to run at
the same time.
Keep your copy concise, beneft laden and to the point.
Add a response device to help track your ads effectiveness.
For web ads:
Tell the readers what to do: Register today, Click here for show specials, etc.
Link your ad to the shows website.
Create an Effective Ad
Advertising in trade publications is a proven way to reach your target audience successfully.
Here are steps to produce an effective ad.
exhibitor
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CALL NOW!
800-555-2525
Picture
A photo is most com-
monly used. However,
a drawing, your logo or
oversized display text
may substitute if you do
not have a good quality
photo.
Headline
The phrase that appears
first and is in the largest
print. This is your mes-
sage. It should be simple,
clear, and concise, and
not more than 8 to 10
words. LESS IS MORE.
Text
One to three short para-
graphs that explain your
product or service; usually
ties into the headline.
Call to Action
A sentence that ends the
text by telling the reader
to act now by ordering
or requesting informa-
tion on your product or
service. Be sure to list
your contact information.
Finish your ad with your
logo and web address,
the show name and your
booth number.
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headline headline headline
body copy body copy
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Proven Pre-Show Marketing Techniques to Increase Your Booth Traffc (contd)
Direct Mail:
Direct mail still works! Sending your prospects and clients a letter of invitation with a VIP registration ticket will help get
your company on these attendees show agendas. The best results are obtained by sending at least three pieces of direct
mail; postcards directing potential visitors to the show-specifc page on your companys website work well.
Be sure to encourage your distributors, agents and partners to mail invitations with a VIP registration ticket to their cus-
tomers and prospects so they can visit your booth.
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Sample VIP Registration Invitation
Direct-Mail Tips:
Keep your mailing lists current. At least 20% of data
in a business list becomes out of date each year. Con-
sider adding new names from Diversifed publications
and from your shows attendee list.
Target multi-buyers. If you merge/purge several lists,
mail more often and send a more expensive mailing
to names that appear on multiple lists, because these
people are serious prospects. According to the Direct
Marketing Association, mailing to multi-buyers is the
second-most-used technique to improve response.
Segment your list into groups and send each group
targeted messages and offers.
Keep each mailings message simple and focused
on your audiences needs.
Have all your messages reinforce your companys
unique selling proposition.
Design professional full-color postcards; they are
inexpensive, and 77% of your audience will look at
both sides.
Create a fact sheet with show information and new
products you will have on display in your booth.
Include fact sheets in everything that goes out to your
customers and prospects, giving them a reason to
come by your booth.
Send multiple mailings so your company will stand
out from your competitors.
Put a strong incentive on the outside of each mail-
ing to ensure it is read.
Send the frst piece to arrive 30 days before the
show and the last piece to arrive the week before
the show.
A Successful Direct-Mail Piece:
- is addressed to a specifc person.
- contains a valuable business reason for that
person to visit your booth.
- invites attendees to see demonstrations and new
products in your booth.
- Includes the show name, dates, location and your
company name and booth number.
- provides a response device possibly the show
registration form.
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How To Write with Power
by Mark S. A. Smith
Whether you are writing copy for brochures, press
releases, sales letters or the internet here are six
ideas that will give your writing pizzazz and sparkle.
1. Focus On Your Reader
Your reader always thinks So what? or Big
deal! or Whats in it for me? Use the powerful
words you and your whenever possible.
2. Make Your writing Exciting with
Active Verbs
Look at the difference in the energy level of
these sentences: The discussion will be led
by Joe. Joe will lead the discussion. Which
version has more life?
3. Put Your Reader In The Picture
Look for ways of writing your reader into the
action. Instead of, Thursday, Joe will lead the
discussion, try, Join us on Thursday, as Joe
leads the discussion.
4. Start Paragraphs with Miniature headlines
Pull your reader through your writing by making
the beginning of each paragraph exciting and
tantalizing.
5. Promise Your Readers Benefits
Change So what? to Is that so! with the
promise of benefits. And follow through with
the benefits.
6. kiss: keep It Super Simple
Einstein pointed out, Make everything as
simple as possible, and not one bit simpler.
When writing to inform or persuade, keep the
vocabulary simple. This article checks in at the
8th grade level.