Building Brand Awareness at Trade Shows

First quarter for most companies is trade show hell. I know I've had my share of them. Some that are back to back. But, are you getting the most out of your trade shows? I attended one in January and I was so amazed at some of the smaller companies who had no visitors ... and I mean no visitors ... coming to their booth. I inquired to find out how the show was for them. They said it was okay. Even though they weren't getting much traffic, very many leads, or much interest, they still felt they needed to be at that show. Not really the results that I would want if it were my company.

So, how do you promote yourself and integrate brand awareness into your trade shows? It's very easy. Remember these three rules.

1. Remember the "C" word consistency and the "R" word repetition. Loyal customers will remain true to you if they trust you. So, if you communicate to your customers what you stand for, they will come back for more. Keep your image consistent and repeat it in all of the marketing materials that you use for the show...from the tchotchkes to the pre-show mailer, to the literature that you hand out.
2. Make sure your corporate identity, that is, your logo, tagline, slogans, typeface, colors are all consistent in your marketing literature, website, and even e-mails. When people see you they will recognize you just by looking at your logo, layout, or colors.
3. Know your customers' perceptions of your company and products. If you don't have a clue how people perceive you, then do some informal surveys at the trade show. What a great way to informally ask people what they like or don't like about your company.

Your exhibit booth should be considered just like any other marketing communications vehicle. So, make sure the graphics, the colors, the logo, etc. are consistent with your other marketing materials. Be sure you are conveying a consistent message with your booth graphics and that message should reinforce your overall corporate branding message.

Too often companies will just show up, set up the booth, and hope the people will come. What incentive did you give them? Did you announce that you were attending the show? Did you do any pre-show activities, plan any events, or promote your company in any way? I see so much wasted marketing dollars being spent on trade shows that aren't successful. Did you even set any goals for the trade show so that you know if it is successful or not?

Train your staff to engage people to come into your booth and see what you have to offer. I see so many sales reps just talking to themselves. Or worse yet, they have their backs turned or their arms crossed which shouts "Stay Out". So, make your booth inviting. Make people be curious to find out what you are all about. One way to do this is through pre-show promotion, whether it be pre-show mailers, e-mail blasts, advertising, or web advertising.

And, don't forget to follow up after the show. Again, maybe you had a successful show, but you would never know it if you don't leave a good impression upon your exhibit guests. Show them that you care. Provide them the information they requested. And follow up with them again several weeks after the show to see if they need any further information.

All of these activities contribute to create a great experience, which, in turn, builds brand awareness for your company.

What's the Great Formula for Great Marketing?

Not sure any of the so-called gurus, sherpas, or other divinations with crystal balls can answer that question. But I can. And the answer is simple. Stop focusing only on getting new customers and start serving your existing customers. Simple? Well, it is. Your current customer base can be a wealth of referrals for the future of your business. They can also provide testimonials so that new customers will know that you are a quality company. You can't buy that kind of loyalty. So, it behooves you to provide your existing customers will stellar service and support.

Now, don't take that first paragraph in the wrong light. I'm not against getting your company name out to other potential customers. You always need to feed the customer trough. As we all know for whatever reason, customers come and go. Companies go out of business, companies merge, the person you work with gets a job at another company and the new guy brings in his own people, ya da, ya da, ya da. But, I do think many times we think of marketing as only getting new prospects, inquiries, or sales. It also is about communicating to your existing customer base. Too many companies have a great database of names and do nothing with that database.

We all talk about relationship marketing but no one seems to be developing a relationship with their customers. In fact, customers are ignored after the first sale. Whoever heard of after sales support? What does that have to do with marketing, you say? Well, marketing is more than the upfront lead generation. It's all about building a positive brand and image of your company.

So, my point is this. The great formula to great marketing is to service your customers well. If you do that first, it will be much easier to promote your products or services to potential customers.

Marketing Segmentation: Its Importance in Building Brands

Do you segment your customers? Or do you just lump them all into one category? Do you categorize your customers by technologies, techniques or products they use? If you don't segment your customers, you will be missing out on fulfilling your customer's specific needs.

Market segmentation can be defined as dividing or categorizing your market into homogeneous groups. Each group of customers will most likely respond differently to different messages, promotions, or products that you offer. By segmenting your customer data base you'll be able to more closely target your marketing communications efforts.

Market segmentation can even play a role in your product development efforts. You will be able to clearly see any unmet needs your customers may have. Or, you can see customers who are not served by your competition. But, don't just segment your customers on the usual categories such as geographic or demographic. Go further and also categorize them on psychographics or behavioral responses.

Geographic segments such as region (country, state, city), size of metropolitan area, climate and the like are fine if those characteristics correlate with your products or services. And the usual demographics attributes (age, gender, occupation, education, etc.) can also be beneficial, again, depending upon your offerings. But, you should further categorize into psychographic behaviors. See the related blog article on psychographics. Also look at behaviors such as brand loyalty, readiness to buy or your customer's usage rate. Don't forget value-based segmentation. You can determine your customers' values through the use of market research. Too many companies think they know what their market segments consist of but they really need to dig deeper into their customers' perceptions about their company and your products.

So make a commitment for 2010 to segment your market. You'll be rewarded with increased sales by honing your marketing communications efforts.