- April 28, 2020
- Posted by: Chase Gregory
- Categories: Advertising, Manufacturing, Marketing, Public Relations, SEO
Most trade shows are up in the air, at least for the next 3- 4 months, maybe even until the end of the year. So, I have been having conversations with clients on what they can do instead. Here are seven ideas I think are worth mentioning:
1- Promotional items
Send the promotional items you bought for the show to your customers with a handwritten note saying how you missed seeing them. Don’t try to sell here…just be nice. Try to get their home address to mail the package if they are working out of the office. No worries if you can’t most of us will be back in the office soon, and what do you think will stand out in a pile of mail? A box!
2- Trade show booth
Set up your trade show booth, and a video camera at your office. Put two sales team members behind the table—have people walk up and ask some of the common questions you get at trade shows and others on your new product/services. Try to be a little creative and funny. Send the video to your current and potential customers, post on your website, and share on social.
Of course, everyone should be wearing a mask, gloves, and stand six feet apart.
3- Advertising
I am not usually a proponent of spending a lot on advertising. I always encourage clients to spend judiciously and do some research on where your ad might work the best. Then choose only one those publications to test the waters. If it works and you still have some left in your budget, spend a little more.
Here are some of the best advertising options I recommend to my clients because I have typically received decent ROI on the $ spent for them.
4 – Enewsletters banner ads
Run the ad at least for a month straight. If you have a decent budget, run four ads every other month for a total of three months.
5 –Enhanced company listings on key industry sites
These can be decent at sending traffic/ leads to your website. Plus, there are many available at a reasonable price. Especially those that have options to post: product PDFs, videos, press releases, and white papers.
6 –Send an Email directly from a publisher
Use their email list to send a white paper or video for readers to download or view.
7 – Google Adwords:
Make sure you have someone with at least 1-2 years of running ads to manage your program because this can be hard for a newbie to do well upfront and not lose $. Also, arrange for them to have regular contact with their Google Ad specialist. They often make useful suggestions to help you maximize your spend. Some of our clients have found Google re-marketing ads to be more effective compared to standard ones.
If you don’t have someone to help you execute some trade show replacement marketing programs, I am available and have years of experience and knowledge of where to spend advertising dollars with the best publishers. Let me know if you have any questions. No mask or gloves required. [email protected]