Nothing to do with Marketing, but I love Joe Williams: "You're My Meat" (Cascais, 1989)

Marketing Your Company

Reaching prospects is the #1 task for sales and marketing. Direct mail using post cards and brochures takes your message to prospects in their offices. But when there is an opportunity to reach a group of prospects at a meeting, seminar, conference or trade show, you need to put your best foot forward. Here’s how to do it!

Participating in a group event

Participating in an event for a group of prospects has three phases:

• Preparing for the event
• Attending the event
• and Following up.

In each phase there is a need for materials to be printed, distributed and given away. These all need to be graphically coordinated to reflect your company or organization’s image or brand – especially since some of the staff at the event may not be seasoned marketing or sales professionals.

Begin by deciding on a marketing theme for the event. Tie it to your company’s overall marketing focus but tailor the theme to reflect the interests of the target audience who will be attending the group event. Some typical themes are how your product or service promotes efficiency and saves money; how it solves problems encountered by the target audience; what competitive advantage it imparts; or what enhancements to customer service it brings.

Trade show graphics

Trade show graphics are the large-scale photographs, signs, banners, posters and booth displays that are intended to draw the attendee’s interest and attract them to linger at your booth. In addition, trade show graphics can impart information that provides a context for explaining what your organization or business does or provides.

Designing for large-scale displays is different than designing for brochures and similar printed marketing materials. The primary difference is scale – display graphics are significantly larger than those used in collateral pieces and also simpler. Headlines should be trim, images large, and text short and easy to read. As a guide, think of a highway billboard that is read in three seconds or less. Your trade show graphics need to convey who you are, what you do and why a prospect should care in the amount of time it takes to stroll past your booth.

For consistency of image and brand, tie trade show graphics to your product or service marketing literature. But be careful here – the images used in a brochure may not be of sufficient resolution when enlarged to sign, banner or poster size. Ask us to evaluate the suitability of any photograph or other image you are considering.

Printed material

Besides having a supply of brochures, sell sheets and business cards to distribute during the trade show or group meeting, you might need other material to support the trade show or meeting activities such as:

• name badges for your staff and attendees
• copies of an agenda or program
• entry forms for a drawing or giveaway
• tickets to invitation-only activities such as a luncheon or sponsored entertainment
• new product announcements and product guides
• show special flyers or discount offers
• mini catalogs or CDs with product information
• order forms

 As with trade show graphics, these materials will have greater impact if they are visually tied to your company or organization’s regular marketing and sales material and also reflect the marketing theme of the trade show or group meeting. Give all your printed materials a consistent look and message by using the same color palette, fonts and graphics throughout.

Promotional items

Whether you are a group meeting host providing a thank you gift to attendees or a trade show distributor who wants to attract traffic at the booth, a supply of promotional items – sometimes called advertising specialty items – are a way to be sure your company or organization is remembered after the event has concluded.

When deciding on a promotional item, select one that pertains to your business and simultaneously appeals to the target audience. A promotional item of higher quality or real utility is both more appealing and more likely to be taken back to the office and used by an attendee. If the projected meeting or trade show attendance is very large, consider having a low-cost item to attract people to your booth and reserve the higher-quality item as a prize for a contest or a drawing. It is also a good idea to select a promotional item that can be used as a giveaway after the trade show or meeting.

You may not be aware that we can be source for any advertising specialty or promotional items that you need. 

Your Brand . . .

Your graphical image or brand is vital to your marketing success. You have only seconds to make a first impression so it’s important to put your best foot forward. At Lakes Print we can help you make your next event a success. To get a free consultation reply to this email or call us at 712.336.3564 and we’ll schedule a meeting to assess your needs and explore options