NMC Report header
January 26, 2010  
 Greetings!

We are currently preparing to attend the 2010 Governor's Conference on Tourism at the Augusta (ME) Civic Center on February 2. Actually, we built the Web site for the conference which is at www.mainetourismconference.com in case you are interested in attending.

At the Governor's Conference, we will have a trade show booth highlighting our Web development services here at NMC, which prompted Eric and me to think about how you can leverage trade shows in an overall integrated marketing program. So, that's our topic today. Read on and respond to our survey question about whether you've effectively used trade shows as a means of gaining new customers for your business.

Best,

Jay Sig B&W
www.marshallpr.com

Trade Shows as an Integral Part of an Overall Marketing Communications Program

By Nancy Marshall

Back in the 1980s, I represented Sugarloaf at numerous trade showsNancy Marshall around the East Coast, as well as Montreal and all the way down into Florida.  We had three simple rules to abide by:
  1. No chewing gum at the booth
  2. No food or drink at the booth
  3. No sitting down at the booth
Thanks to Chip Carey who was the VP of Marketing at Sugarloaf and now the Marketing Chief at Jackson Hole, Wyoming for establishing these rules.  Although it was sometimes tiring, we stood ready and poised to talk to prospective customers, and ever since then, I've always been turned off by the sight of trade show representatives who sit at their booths, talking to each other, chewing gum and drinking soda.

In recent years at NMC, we have worked with numerous clients on ways to leverage their trade show experience. Here are ten tips to maximize your trade show program:

  1. Look for trade shows where your prospects will be in attendance. Don't rule out shows that are slightly outside of your niche; for example, if you are an attorney, why not display at a real estate conference? If you are a banker, why not display at a tourism conference?
  2. Create a display and handouts that are targeted to the type of prospects at that show. For example, we have created a brochure targeted at the tourism industry for the Governor's Conference on Tourism.
  3. Remember that there will be journalists at the conference covering what's new in the industry. Find out if there will be a Press Room where you can leave a stack of press releases or press kits. Make sure you have your news compiled in a professional release.
  4. Incorporate a slide show or video on a large monitor to draw attention. Make sure it is professionally produced so it reflects a positive brand image for your company.
  5. Provide a giveaway in return for people providing their business cards or signing up for your electronic newsletter. We are going to have a computer where people can actually sign up for The NMC Report online in real time and we will give away an iPod to one lucky winner!
  6. Candy is a great draw!  I hope people ignore their mother's advice to never take candy from strangers.
  7. Make sure your trade show representatives are dressed professionally, and that they have breath mints handy. Have you ever talked to a sales rep who has 'coffee breath' or worse yet, 'onion breath' after that hot dog he or she had for lunch slathered with onions? Yuck.
  8. Find out if there will be a press conference during the show. If so, offer to be a part of it. That will be a great way to be sure your company is part of the news story of the day.
  9. Contact local media in advance and find out if you can schedule media appointments or take them to breakfast, lunch or dinner during the show. This is a great opportunity to speak one-on-one with them and build your relationship over time.
  10. Alcohol and trade shows don't make a good combination. If there is a Happy Hour at the end of the day, don't bring a drink back to your booth. Remember, loose lips sink ships!

5 Steps for a basic Web site review
 

By Eric Reynolds

You don't have to be a Web guru or Internet Marketer to review a Jay Sig B&WWeb site.

Consider empathy. Can you walk a mile in your customer's shoes?

View your Web site as your customers would.

Perform your own Web site review with the five items below as a guide:

1.    Look and feel. Review the design of your Web site as a whole. Your design should reflect the message you intend to communicate about your business. 
Does your design help or hinder visitors?

Consider the following in a design review:
    • Color. How many color variations? Do colors match or clash?
    • Images. Professional photography? Quality resolution and detail?
    • Typography. Study the font. Does it fit?

2.    Navigation is more important than you think. A simple text menu system
which functions properly beats a flashy, unusable, menu system any day. 
    • Can you reach any page from your current page?
    • Is the menu item text short, clear, and precise?
    • Is the menu system easy to use?

3.    Usability is how easy you can get what you want out of a Web site. If you need to think about what you should do on a Web site, then it's not usable.

Review usability by attempting specific tasks like the following:
    • "Find pumpkin seeds and buy them."
    • "Determine what services you provide."

4.    Content should be easily scanned and quickly consumed. Focused and laser sharp. Informative and helpful. Brief.


5.    Desired response. Is it clear how a visitor should act? Find your most desired response; buy, call, or visit. Find your secondary desired response; subscribe to a newsletter, complete a survey.  
 
Can't find your most desired, secondary desired responses?

Stop by our booth at the Governor's Conference on Tourism and we'll assist in your search.

We're conducting live Web site reviews for anyone who visits our booth.

Just hearing the review will spark ideas about how to improve your Web site's performance.


Click here to respond to our survey question about whether you've effectively used trade shows as a means of gaining new customers for your business.