December Update
Welcome to Alto’s e-update, providing you with the latest news and deals from the media and other marketing opportunities. Please do not hesitate in contacting us if you require further information on any of the items below, we also welcome any feedback as to what information is useful to you.
December Update
Season’s greetings everyone. As a bit of a change to our usual format, this month’s update is dedicated to planning ahead for 2009, written by Clare Russell, senior Account Manager at Alto, and focusing on exhibition and conference attendance.
Making the most of events in 2009
Maximising your ROI
Exhibitions form a major part of any marketing programme. They are extremely valuable and present an excellent opportunity to communicate a company’s expertise/technology/product offering to a captive audience. However, with many relevant conferences and exhibitions in any one year, they can consume a large proportion of an organisation’s marketing budget. The need to maximise the effectiveness of these events is widely accepted but given the current financial climate this will be crucial in 2009. With some predicted cuts in travel budgets, we believe using an integrated programme of marketing activities to target attendees will be an absolute priority. We have compiled a summary of activities, split onto 3 categories – pre-show, on-site, and post-show – that can improve visibility and lead generation at your key exhibitions in 2009.
Pre-show
Planning ahead
Pre-show planning remains key and this means working at least 6 months in advance. Show selection may be determined by the:
• Suitability of the show – for a particular business/product area/product launch
• Delegate group – do they constitute a key target audience?
• Association with a relevant conference organiser/schedule
• Media attendance – would this be a good place for a product launch/press event?
• Potential to make an ‘IMPACT’ and ‘BE SEEN’
During this early stage of planning and exhibition booking confirmation, you may also consider other options that allow you to present your scientific and technical expertise to an extended yet targeted audience:
• Booth position
• Workshops
• Presentations
• Posters
Raising awareness with pre-show promotion
Build up to the event and let people know you will be exhibiting. Use a selection of activities to drive people to your booth:
• PR
• Targeting of show preview pieces
• Solus emailers (to internal, rented and/or pre-registered delegate lists)
• Sponsored show specific e-alerts
On-site
Increasing booth traffic
Make an impact, raise your profile and increase your visibility. There are a number of tools available to do this, which can be integrated to improve on-site brand awareness and increase quality lead generation:
• Show sponsorship packages – can include pre-show promotion emails, online coverage/ads, on-site signage, delegate bag inserts etc
• Competitions and giveaways – especially if promoted can increase booth visits and data capture
• Branding items – low cost branded items as booth giveaways
• Stand guides/booklets – these can provide information about the company, its products, on-site presentation/workshop, the exhibition itself and the location
• Booth tours & product demos – informative and useful, they can also attract more people to the booth
Product launch
If planning a major product launch, an exhibition that is well attended and boasts a good media presence can provide the perfect platform. Organising a high profile launch event targeting both your existing customer base, a wider prospective customer list and the press, can get you more attention and create a real buzz at the show.
Customer events/dinners
Whether to introduce a new product, reiterate your expertise and company offering, or simply to show appreciation for your valued and long term-customer relationships, a customer lunch, evening drinks, buffet or dinner event can be very effective and can provide a more relaxed forum for networking.
Spend time with the media
Media are one of your key audiences. We believe that building strong relationships with the media can provide long term benefits for both parties. Getting to know the media and allowing the media to really get to know you can without doubt aid this process, as well as improve the uptake of PR and create ongoing article/interview opportunities. As such, we believe regular media liaison is key to a good PR and marketing campaign but we would also recommend advertising support. On-site media activities will vary depending on the significance of your ‘NEWS’ (product launch, company announcement (merger/acquisition) etc):
• One-to-one press meetings – this allows editors to find out more about a new product or service offering and talk to relevant personnel and senior management.
• Press conference – for a significant product launch or corporate announcement where presentations can be followed by a question and answer type format to encourage more dialogue between company and press
• Press lunch/dinner – this is a more personnel and relaxed approach. Editors can gather information on your products or services but additionally, can really get to understand the company ethos and its personnel in a more informal setting
Organising an event to take place just before or during a key exhibition enables editors to maximise their valuable time. Our experience has shown us that with appropriate forward planning, it is possible to get editors to arrive a day early allowing you to have their undivided attention for a considerable period of time.
Post-show
Maintaining marketing momentum
When efficiently planned and executed, post-show marketing will maintain visibility and lead generation. Frequency and repetition of a message using the media, really are key to the success of a campaign and improved brand recognition. Utilising post-show promotion to target those who attended the show (through targeting the leads/contacts captured on-site or via delegate list rental) can help to achieve this. Additionally, with potential budget restrictions for 2009, we have yet to see how this may affect exhibition attendance. Hence looking at parallel activities to target those unable to attend the show may also be of benefit:
• Virtual press launches
• Webinars – to target press & prospective customers
• Direct mail – print
• Follow-up solus emailer
• PR and post-show article placement
• Online viral marketing campaign
• Advertising
• Other lead generation activities
• Sales team promos/incentives
Contact us for information on how we can work together to maximise your ROI on exhibition spend in 2009.
Yours,
The Alto Team