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Conferences : Tips for Improving Return on Investment

By: Mac McIntosh

Exhibiting at a conference or trade show can be costly. Consider these tips in order to maximize your marketing return on investment (ROI) at these events.

Before:
Be selective. Are show visitors actually good leads for your offerings? It's usually better to present to a smaller number of qualified prospects than a large number of unrelated people. You need to understand what you intend to do in advance, in order to measure your level of success. Make goals as clear as possible, and set clear targets in terms of number of leads. Put this plan in writing, using a clear schedule with tasks assigned. Be sure the appropriate managers have approved the plan - once getting the OK, don't wait for the last minute to begin.

Remember, the most successful exhibitions choose a single message and present it well. This is preferrable to the frayed image which is presented when businesses try to communicate too much at one time. To attract visitors into your booth, be sure it's accessible and not too packed with counters and tables. If you do have enough space, some comfortable seating is a good way to get people to stay a bit longer. Good headline text and attractive graphics can also encourage walk-bys to come in for a bit more info.

Before show time, mail invites to your known prospect list that include free exhibition passes. These free passes can usually be obtained by the managers of the conference or show. In the days before the event, why not call your invitees to remind them about their invitation, and an interesting reason for them to come by to see you. Publicize your events in the company newsletter, and add tag lines to your outgoing emails.

Exhibit staff members must be trained before the event, to understand what they can do to make the best return on the investment in the show. This training often includes news about new products and services as well as basic business objectives. Design a custom lead form asking qualifier questions, for use by staff at the event.

During:
Live demonstrations work wonders for getting people over to your booth for your exhibition. This format is a great way to present a message to a group of people at the same time. Make sure to remind the exhibit staff that the goal is to generate leads. They should be encouraged to note their experiences and what they heard from visitors during the day. Staff members should collect contact information whenever appropriate; consider offering incentives to those staff members who generate the most leads during their shift.

After:
Have your follow-up info ready to go out before the show even starts. When info is requested, send materials out immediately in the format requested. Fast response time can really cinch the good impression that you made at the event. Interested prospects should receive help in knowing what the next step is, and how they can take it. Additionally, you may want to be tracking the leads as they work into sales. What's happening? Did your prospects purchase? How much? This information can be quite useful in justifying the show expenses in the budget in future years. Lastly, be sure to look back after the event is done, to really consider what was effective and what wasn't. This is the sort of feedback that can really help you hone in on improved return on your marketing investment.

Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com

M. H. "Mac" McIntosh is described by many as one of America's leading B2B sales and marketing consultants and an expert on sales lead generation. He is president of Mac McIntosh Inc., a sales and marketing consulting firm that helps companies get more high-quality sales leads and turn them into sales.

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