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By Paul Bridson 1. Plan your strategy Planning is the key to the success of your pre-show direct mail campaign. There are many facets in the planning process, including the product/service, the offer, the media, the communications format and an evaluation of the results. Your direct mail campaign should be used in conjunction with other pre-show promotional activities such as advertising, telemarketing, press relations, etc. 2. Select the product, service, or event to promote Decide which product, service, or event is most likely to attract visitors to your trade show exhibit. For the best response, keep your promotion simple and easy to understand. 3. Establish objectives Write down the objectives for your promotion. Make sure they tie into your established trade show objectives and marketing strategy. Think about the response you want as well as the result you can realistically hope to achieve. 4. Target your audience Target the people you want to respond to your mailing. Think about their interests and concerns. If you are promoting to different markets, you often have to reach multiple buying influences within each company. Consider tailoring your message to the appropriate audience. 5. Locate qualified mailing lists Your mailing list is the most important factor in determining whether your mailing will be successful. Often, who you mail to is equally, if not more important, than what you mail. Your very best mailing list is your own in-house list made up of current and past customers, and interested prospects. If you consider buying a list, consider your secondary, as well as your primary markets. Merge the registration list from show management with your in-house list to avoid mailing duplicates. 6. Choose a format, tone and style Your goal should be threefold: to get your piece opened, to get it read, and to get the reader to take action. Think about using envelope teasers, attention-grabbing headlines, offers, testimonials, benefit charts or response coupons. Consider size, color, whether it will contain a reply mechanism, or be just a simple postcard. Distinctive color and shape will improve your mailing's effectiveness. 7. Highlight your uniqueness Successful copy focuses on one key message. Highlight your uniqueness and competitive advantage by stressing the benefit that is most important to your customer. When writing copy, use the Who, What, Where, When, and How exercise. Five times as many people read headlines as read body copy, so say something important. 8. Create an incentive An enticing offer will give prospects a reason to visit your display. The incentive will only be meaningful and irresistible if it is linked to a direct benefit for your prospect and only made available at the show by redeeming the offer at your stand. Often two-part mailings entice attendees to visit your trade show exhibit. This usually consists of a premium item that is sent in two parts. The first half is sent prior to the show. If the visitor wants the second half of the item, they must collect it at your booth, during the show. 9. Schedule your mailings Timing is critical to your show mailings. Consider the need for a single or a series of mailings. Plan a realistic timeline for your campaign. Use pre-sorting to save on postage. Take advantage of show management's promotional materials. Purchase pre-printed postcards for pre-show mailings. 10. Track your success The best way to measure your mailing success is to establish a tracking system. Use a code on each mailing. As part of your incentive offer, encourage visitors to bring the mailing to your display in exchange for a gift. 11. Alternatives to direct mail Some additional ways to promote your show or event include email, web banners, and magazine advertisements.
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By Paul Bridson HERE ARE the basic principles our award-winning designers use to create graphics that work! 1. Make them stop and look In just three to five seconds, graphics should communicate who you are, what you do and how customers can benefit. Graphics are the first impression an attendee has of an exhibitor at a trade show, so it is important to make the right statement. 2. Consider your show goals Consider how to convey your show goals graphically. Aim to grab attention with full-blown, interesting and vibrant graphics. Make graphic images life-size or greater for the highest impact. 3. Project the right image Understand what image you want to project: traditional, hi-tech, dependable, etc. Your company's image will dictate choices in typefaces, artwork, color, etc. 4. Design for the audience Design your graphics to your target audience. Focus on customer benefits. Use your graphics to show how your company differs from the competition. Design images to stimulate your viewer's imagination to think beyond the con- ventional. Avoid designing down to particular audiences, e.g. white for doctors, diagrams for engineers. Convey technical information using good design principles and carefully planned graphics. 5. Use different types of graphics There are a variety of graphic solutions available including front and backlit photographs, digitally printed images, murals or detachable signage. Your trade show consultant can also show you how you can build dimensionality into your graphics, using standoffs or spacers. 6. Have an integrated approach Plan to use your graphics on other collateral material for a thematic, integrated look. For greater memorability, use color rather than black and white. 7. Use light If you don't adequately light your graphics, you may as well not have done them. Lighting is one thing that's hard to overdo in a trade show display. 8. Include special effects Pull in your audience with graphics coupled with other effects. Attract attention with movement. Consider adding an LED message sign to your display, adding motion or using 3-D imaging. 9. Limit copy Limit the total amount of copy as people rarely spend time reading a mass of type on a graphic panel. Use simple language. Write copy in short sentences and keep your paragraphs short. 10. Avoid Superlatives, or the "brag and boast" syndrome, clichés and overused metaphors, superimposing copy on your illustration or reversing out large amounts of copy (white type against a black background), and periods at the end of headlines as they stop the reader from reading any further. |
800-760-7706Paul Bridson and Kelly SargentWe've been helping companies achieve lofty goals for over twenty years now. Here's the benefit of our experience! Archives
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