|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Getting the Most from Tradeshows - Maria Lopez-Knowles |
|
|
|
|
|
As
non-essential business travel was curbed post-9/11, and the travel industry and
the economy faltered, the tradeshow industry hit some rough times. Today, the
industry is again becoming an important tool for lead generation and brand
awareness, attracting more senior attendees with buying power. Here are some
thoughts to help make your tradeshow presence a success.
1) Determine Tradeshow Objectives, then Act
on Them
Prior to
developing a tradeshow calendar, it's important to sit with your Sales
Department and identify what events have worked best in the past for lead
generation, what shows industry insiders attend, and where your organization's
current prospects - and existing customers - turn for product knowledge and
networking.
Once
you've identified your tradeshow objectives you'll be in a better position to
determine what shows to attend, and in what capacity. Keep in mind that it's
better to have a major presence at key shows than it is to have a minor
presence in minor shows. And remember,
the booth isn't the only way to have a presence at a show; you can also present
at a seminar, participate in a roundtable discussion, or sponsor a show event.
2) Size and Location Matter
Secondly,
not only the size of your booth matters: the location of your booth is equally
significant. Make sure you are in an area of the show floor that is strategic for
both traffic and visibility. Spend
some time determining where your competitors are positioning themselves and
then book your space accordingly. It's important to be close to key competitors
so that you get some residual traffic and peer association.
And
remember, the location of the booth will play a key role in the success of the
show as well. You can have the most compelling booth in the world, but if it's
at the far end of the tradeshow floor, or in an inconvenient location, you'll
fail to get optimal traffic/leads.
3) Develop a Theme and Promote It
Establishing
a theme for your tradeshow should always be of paramount significance - especially for THE industry tradeshow.
Tradeshow themes are important because they offer you an opportunity to
highlight a key benefit of your solution or organization, and to
stand out
among your competitors.
Take the
time to develop a smart and creative theme and make sure that the theme is
consistently featured in all pre-show advertising (with an ad
snipe), direct
marketing, and tradeshow paraphernalia. Consider the show participation as a
separate campaign unto itself and develop a promotional tree to guide you
through the process. And always make sure that your theme is tied to a
compelling offer - remember, in most instances the objective is to generate
foot traffic and qualified leads, so
plan accordingly.
Good
luck! And remember, benchmark your success using a measurable criterion (e.g.
lead generation), so that you can improve your results in future shows.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sponsored by: |
Word of the Day |
Share the Dossier |
|
Make your
Advertising more effective:
Complimentary
white paper reveals step-by-step directions for effective ad development,
advertising strategy, and how-to tactics for selecting and buying media
efficiently.
Get your copy today...
|
Snipe:
In
advertising, a
"snipe" is a strip of copy announcing some late breaking news or item
of interest, typically placed in a print advertisement in such a way that it
stands out from the ad. Snipes are
typically reversed out of a box, or placed in the upper-right or left hand
section of an ad for easy visibility, and done in black so only one color plate
is affected.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
What CAN-SPAM Means to You - Steve Knowles |
|
|
|
|
|
It was
Blaise Pascal, not Mark Twain, who first said "I would have written a
shorter letter, but I didn't have time." Of course, he said it in French,
but he could have been talking about this CAN-SPAM (yes, it's an acronym!)
article.
I find I
have written enough for two or three articles, but this information can't wait
for two more issues. So, here I'll give you a quick list of the things you need
to do NOW, and save the explanations for a later article, or white paper, or…
Yes,
CAN-SPAM Applies to YOU
It turns
out the law requires action from virtually everyone who uses email in the
course of business - not just people who publish newsletters or use email
advertising. The law regulates "commercial email" - which is very
broadly defined.
DISCLAIMER
We are
not lawyers. The many hours we've spent over the past two months talking to
lawyers, studying their reports, attending conferences and reading the new law
have reinforced our delight with this career decision. However, you should not
mistake anything we say for legal advice. Consult your own legal counsel about
CAN-SPAM's impact on your business.
What
Every Business Person Should Do Now
It is
extremely likely that your sales and marketing people, and probably others,
send one-to-one email that falls within the scope of CAN-SPAM. You need to
put
policies in place that ensure they meet minimum requirements. This is easy to
do.
|
1) |
Add a "valid
physical postal address" to each email. If you have a
company-wide (or local-office-wide) signature file,
update it to include this address. Then, make sure all of your
employees use the appropriate signature file on all of their
email. (This is normally a simple setting in the email client
software, e.g., Outlook or Eudora.) |
| |
The jury
is out on whether this can be a P.O. box, or a street address. We suggest using
your normal business mailing address, where someone will regularly receive and
review any mail received. |
|
2) |
Add a "clear and
conspicuous" note that this is a commercial email message.
Again, adding this to your standard signature file is an
easy way to accomplish this. Most of the email your employees send
will require this statement, although "transactional" emails (e.g.,
purchase invoices) are exempt. Also, this is the single requirement
that you're exempt from if you have prior "affirmative consent" from
the recipient. But it's probably easier to include it in all business
email - and it certainly won't hurt. |
|
3) |
Centralize
your lead/prospect/customer databases, and make employees use
them instead of personal contact lists. This will enable you to meet
CAN-SPAM's
pretty stiff "unsubscribe" terms, which allow people to
"opt-out" from ALL email sent from (or on behalf of) a particular
company/division/brand. |
| |
CAN-SPAM's
unsubscribe requirements are a "gray area" that will hopefully become
clearer over the next year, but if you either publish a company email
newsletter or advertise on email lists, you will probably need to start a
global "suppression list" of people no-one can send email to.
Centralizing your databases will give you a chance to meet this requirement. |
|
4) |
Update your
employee policy manual to require employees to conform to
CAN-SPAM in all their email messages. This should include the
requirements listed above, as well as the specific Do's
and Don'ts listed below. |
CAN-SPAM
Requirements
DON'Ts
CAN-SPAM
specifies jail terms for specific attempts to hijack unauthorized computers or
falsify internet headers to send email. You should review/update your policies
manual to make sure employees, affiliates, etc., know they're not allowed to:
|
1)
|
Send email from a computer they're not
authorized to use;
|
|
2)
|
Forge email header information;
|
|
3)
|
Try to hide the origin of your email by
using another computer to transmit or relay the message;
|
|
4)
|
Create five or more email accounts (or
two or more domain names) with false identities, and send email from any of
them; or
|
|
5)
|
Claim (falsely) to own five or more IP
addresses and use one of them to send email.
|
Using
automated email address harvesting software (or purchasing addresses harvested
this way) or using a "dictionary attack" to send email, while not
specifying jail terms, do significantly increase the already hefty
fines
associated with any other violation. Make it clear employees are not allowed to
use these techniques, either.
If you
are doing any of the above, we recommend you (1) stop immediately and (2) get
yourself a good lawyer.
DOs
CAN-SPAM
also specifies the following requirements for legal, commercial email. (Note:
all but the "commercial notice" apply to opt-in, as well as opt-out,
lists.) All of your email messages must:
|
1) |
Contain a truthful
subject line. Teasers are probably OK, but the message I received this
morning labeled "Order Confirmation" but containing a sales pitch clearly is
not.
|
|
2) |
Send email from a real
return email address.
|
|
3) |
Include an unsubscribe
mechanism.
|
|
4) |
Include a "physical
postal address".
|
|
5) |
Contain a clear notice
that the email is commercial in nature.
|
Your
employee manual should also require employees to abide by these
requirements.
In
addition, you must honor all opt-out requests within 10 business days and send
all commercial email from a legitimate ISP (or your own IT department), not use
anonymous re-mailers.
This
sounds like a lot - and it is. But these requirements shouldn't be too
difficult for most of us to implement. Next issue, we'll discuss how CAN-SPAM
applies to email advertisers and publishers, and the
suppression list
requirements. Again, for legitimate marketers, the requirements shouldn't be
too tough - but suppression list compliance will definitely require some
changes!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear mAc |
|
Q: What
does "CAN-SPAM" stand for?
A:
CAN-SPAM:
The "Controlling
the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and
Marketing" Act of 2003, which became the law of the land on January
1, 2004. Aren't you glad you asked?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Missed an issue of
the Dossier? Visit our
newsletter
archives.
|
|
|
|
About this
newsletter
Marketing Acumen
delivers marketing tips and insights twice each month to our subscription
readership, helping you turn x into 2x in all your marketing
efforts.
This is a commercial email. It may contain advertising
or solicitation.
We value your privacy!
Contact Us
| |
You can reach us at: |
+1-510-547-6191 or |
MarketingAcumen
6114 LaSalle Ave. #186
Oakland, CA 94611 |
| |
|
info@marketingacumen.com |
About
Marketing Acumen, LLC
Marketing Acumen,
LLC provides marketing products and consulting based on over 30 years
experience in Product Marketing, Marketing Communications and executive
management. We apply a scientific method to the art of Marketing, to get
more than the response you expected. We'll change your business and
show you how to do it again and again - to turn x into 2x.
Manage your
subscription
You can change your contact information and preferred format for this
newsletter (HTML or Text) or cancel your subscription using the links at
the bottom of each issue.
(c) 2003-2004 Marketing Acumen, LLC |
|
|
|
|
Site design by The BookOfDaniel
