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 a source for any advertising specialty or promotional items
that you need. We are a member of ASI, the Advertising Specialty Institute,
which gives us access to over 3500 suppliers of advertising specialty items.
Our membership in ASI means that we can offer you product catalogs to have
handy in your office and also can search online for any of the thousands of
products offered by ASI suppliers.
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 PaperGraphics we can help you make your
next event a success. To get a free consultation call us
at 254-773-7391 and we’ll schedule a
meeting to assess your needs and explore options
