Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

How will you be able to distinguish a promising lead from an unqualified lead? In my opinion, it will be best to prepare a unexpensive, yet presentable, flyer with basic and catchy details about your company, which you can give both to promising and unqualified leads. This flyer may include an invitation for them to attend your event, very brief company profile and do not forget to include the incentives or benefits they will acquire if they'll decide to visit your event. Then, you may give your expensive and beautiful flyers to those who really showed interest in going to your event. Through this you will be able to reach all prospects, whether they are unqualified or promising lead. Hope this helps!

I think handing out brochures for the sake of handing out brochures is a waste no matter the expense. The only exception I'd make is in you are in the show's packet-- which you'll pay extra for.

Rather than try to market something to everyone, be sharper in your focus. You can pass out a bunch of brochures (no matter the cost) but if it isn't relevant it'll be tossed. Work on less, more relevant targets-- and build a strong follow up plan to make them prospects and eventually customers.

Trade show organizers state that 90% of all trade show leads are not followed up on. Add to the number of what you already have invested with the cost of missed opportunities and the number grows like a snowball.

I don't know what the show costs but I am sure its a sizeable investment. Drive into your sales force the lifetime value of one client including the referral biz one will bring. It really doesn't matter what and how many brochures you pass out in the show-- its about how you convert them into customers. And you can convert them with or without an expensive brochure. Focus on that vs who gets the "good" brochure.
Sell Well and Prosper tm

I've been in show booths where there are two levels of kits, and can tell you that it can result in "hurt feelings". I've seen two leads talking to two booth staff side-by-side, and the staff gave the leads very different kits. The message for the person who got the lower kit is "you're not important to us".

I'd suggest a simple kit for everyone. If someone has scheduled a follow-up 1 on 1 with your staff, then they get the fancier kit then. If they wish to be contacted post-show, then send them the fancier kit post-show (and pre-contact).

We use a one-page overview brochure as our main piece at tradeshows but also have additional materials with in-depth information about each of our products and services for prospects (better leads) inclined to stay (or come back) to find out more. This way we're also not wasting entire packets on people who are really only prospects for one or two of our solutions.

I just did a trade show in July and tried to hand a brochure to everyone possible. My goal was to get the idea of our service out there. Your really do not know who is important. The key was to have a catch phrase to use to get the passerby's attention. Our product was of interest to a sub set of the attendees. We got their attention with "Can I get you to pass this on to your AP coordinator (the person who would like it)?" This did two things. If they were the AP coordinator they told us and we could have a longer conversation. If they weren't many would ask what they were passing on and we could give them a short description. If they just wanted the brochure we handed it to them and they were on their way. You have to have a thick skn to do this as many people will blow you off, but if you just stand theree and expect everyone to come to you, you will be for

The conference had about 3000 attendees. My brochure is not terribly expensive (4 page color /11X17 folded in half). Worst case we would have been out about $1000.00 in borchures (cheap compared to the rest of the show). Not everybody came by the booth and not everyone took a brochure so we probably passed out about 800 borchures (around $300.00). I do not expect that these will all make it to the correct person, but many will. The cost of mailing these would have more than doubled to cost and would not have guarenteed any better response.

I guess the key was the act of trying to pass out the brochure and using our catch phrase helped us identify who we needed to have a further conversation with. My experience with a couple of shows now is that you need to be trying to hand people something and talking to them, otherwise many will walk on by. I can't say I understand the mentality of coming to a show and then trying to avoid all the booths, but there are many who do so. Many of these were pleasantly surprised and thankful that we stopped them. Many of our new customers would have walked right by. Factor this all in when deciding what to pass out.

We also took out an add in the conference program with the hopes that people who did not visit will see it and visit the website or call. Frankly, this was more expensive than the brochures and probably much less effective in the long run. It is one more piece in spreading the word though and did drvie a few people to the booth.

Hope this helps,
Mike

I would give them a very nice credit card-size piece with a special discount if they download the brochure from your website.

Make certain they have to register before downloading.

Michael

I wouldn't hand out brochures at all - to anyone.

If they want additional info or don't have time to talk to a representative, get their info and send them something. Usually, you get them talking (even though they claimed not to have the time) while they've giving you the info. I find it helps to have a couple of questions to ask them beyond basic contact info.

Trade shows can be a huge waste of money, especially when you're giving your collateral, even the "inexpensive" stuff to people who will just toss it out.

Another big waste of money I see are for those companies who automatically send out brochures, after the show, to the hundreds of people who stop by - but then never contact those unqualified leads. Have someone contact them to prequalify them and then get them into the sales pipeline, the nurture program, or the dead lead pile.

All the best!

Melissa