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Are Trade Shows Still Worth Your Time?

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Trade Shows|Are Trade Shows Still Worth Your Time?Most small businesses today focus their marketing and networking online. They sell themselves online with a website and social media profiles. But they also find new suppliers and connections online. This has countless advantages, mainly that it makes launching a business a much more accessible prospect and it allows you to reach a wide audience quickly. But, with so much of today’s business done from behind a computer screen, face to face contact is limited.

Trade shows run all over the world, all of the time. Some shows focus on different industries, products, and niches. They appeal to different people. Some attract members of the public, others industry professionals only. Unfortunately, many small business owners are neglecting these fabulous opportunities in favor of online development. This can be a massive mistake, and taking part in trade shows can still be an exceptionally valuable way to use your time.

A Chance to Make a Personal Connection

People trust people. If someone tells us something face to face, we’ll believe it more than we would if we read the same thing online, where it would be surrounded by fake news and unreliable opinion. It’s easier to trust the word of a person when you can look into their eyes and read their body language when they say it.

That’s why personal contact will always be valuable and worthwhile in business. Getting out there at trade shows gives you a chance to meet people face to face. To tell them about your business and answer their questions. It’s also a chance to provide them with materials to take away. Tangible things that they can touch, and come back to, which will make a much bigger impression than something that they can scroll past online.

A Better First Impression

It’s thought that in person we have around seven seconds to make a first impression when we meet someone for the first time. Online, it’s much less. If you don’t immediately impress someone with your social media update or advert, they will scroll right past. If your website doesn’t load instantly, they will look elsewhere.

A trade show gives you several chances to make that all important first impression. People might see your stand from across the room and walk over. Then, you get an opportunity to sell yourself in person. You even get another chance if you give them something to take home, or they see your team later in the day.

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Trade Shows|Are Trade Shows Still Worth Your Time?Time to Be Bold and Stand Out

Your stand at a trade show offers you a great way to attract a crowd and bring people in. By using your space to its best, you can really draw in a crowd and get noticed in a way that you might not among millions of other websites online.

Add x-stand banners, posters and props to your stand. Make sure if you sell a product, you’ve got it with you. Make sure your visitors can see any freebies or promotional materials without having to ask or search. When it comes to getting your stand just right, it’s often a good idea to keep things quite simple, with plenty of white space so that your products or informational materials can do the talking. But, using splashes of color, making the most of the height that you’ve got to work with and adding welcoming props, like plants and flowers can all help you to get noticed.

Remember, your stand isn’t the only thing that you’ve got going for you. Choose the team members that you take very carefully. You want knowledgeable people, but also charismatic people that are happy to talk to strangers and get stuck into a crowd. You want chatty people that get the point across well. The kind of people that sell well and are remembered afterward. Then, kit them out in promotional uniforms that stand out and set them apart.

Use Digital Marketing to Boost Trade Show Performance

Of course, nothing is stopping you teaming your digital media efforts with your trade show appearance for maximum benefit. Start a countdown to your attendance online. Use a hashtag and offer freebies to anyone that can prove they follow you online. Encourage your visitors to share pictures, videos, and updates on social media throughout the day and do the same yourself. Keep things fresh and exciting by sharing as much as you can on the day, and release previews of what you’ll be offering beforehand to create a buzz and peak interest. The two can work together remarkably well if you make the most of the tools at your disposal.

The Opportunity to Offer Extra

A trade show is your chance to come up with some great freebies that will get you remembered. Stationary, badges, notepads, tote bags and other branded materials often work well. Branded sweets and other accessories can also be fun. Try to make sure whatever you offer is in keeping with your brand message, and give everyone a cool tote to carry their freebies, for a bit of easy advertising.

A Great Networking Experience

Trade shows aren’t just a way for you to meet potential customers, give them information and sell your stuff. It’s also a fantastic networking opportunity. You’ll meet other people in your industry and get a chance to see what they are doing well, and what isn’t working. You might meet new suppliers and other people that can help your business to grow. Or you might just make new friends that become part of your support network.

Fantastic Experience for Your Team

As a small business, you might have a relatively small team with little experience. They might not have been to shows before, and their experience with the public might be limited. Taking them to a trade show can give them a great experience. It can help to boost their confidence, improve their knowledge of your company and their skills at selling it, and give them a chance to see how other businesses are doing things. It can be valuable training for your team, which could help them both now and in the future.

Understanding Marketing Jargon To Improve Your Business

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Most people don’t set out to start a business without hoping that it’s going to last. However, the mystery can be in trying to figure out the formula that will ensure your business doesn’t crash and burn within the first few years. The reality is, what it takes to keep a business going is dependent on a range of different factors. One of them is marketing as it’s the only way to get your brand in front of your target audience. In the world of marketing, there are several terms and phrases used that can be confusing for entrepreneurs and other professionals alike. On that note, keep reading to discover the meaning of common marketing jargon.

Business Blogging

The first marketing jargon that will be discussed is business blogging which you may have heard at least once. It is relatively self-explanatory as it refers to everything that blogging is but includes marketing strategies in the mix. It is different from regular blogging as it’s more than a hobby and is often used to drive sales in a business. The main goal of business blogging is to get your business a greater level of visibility online.

Network Marketing

Another term that you may have heard of but perhaps don’t quite understand is network marketing. This is essentially multilevel or a direct selling method where independent-agents distribute goods and services while simultaneously building and managing their own sales force by recruiting and training other agents. Toni Vans are a great example of individuals who have gained a level of success using this business model. It provides opportunities for people to earn at multiple levels and sales reps to recruit and develop their own teams.

Bottom of the Funnel

This refers to a stage of the buying process where leads are just about to close as new customers. As a practical example, they’ve likely identified a problem in their life, shopped around for potential solutions and have now come to the point of being close to buying. At this stage of the sales funnel, depending on the nature of the business they may decide to give the lead a call, demo, or free consultation.

B2B

When referring to interactions between two companies, it’s usually referred to as B2B or B to B. More specifically; it’s a form of transaction that takes place between two businesses such as a wholesaler and retailer. The main point is that it refers to business conducted between two companies as opposed to a company and individual customer. On the other hand, references made regarding business done between a company and customer is referred to as B2C.

Bounce Rate

When a website bounce rate is mentioned, there is usually a reference made to the percentage of people who come on one of your pages and leave without navigating or clicking on any other page. This is important information for anyone with a website as it gives them an indication of how customers are interacting with their website and hints to what needs improving. High bounce rates usually lead to poor conversion rates as people aren’t staying on the site long enough.

Modifying Marketing in a Transforming World

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StrategyDriven Sales and Marketing Article | Marketing | Modifying Marketing in a Transforming WorldIn the last 15 years we have seen the world change to become heavily reliant on digital means of communication and change. This has reshaped all aspects of life for every business. In general, it has made conducting business easier, cheaper and more efficient. It looks as if this is going to push even further as new AI (artifical intelligence) technologies are becoming more and more prominent in the market.

Google itself is already jumping on this market in the property sector, investing in a company called Proportunity, which uses it’s AI to help first time buyers purchase a house and only benefits if the customer does. It could also know enough about you that when you find an estate agent online automatically filters the properties on its list to fit the preferences of the user. It could also help automate the emergency procedure for incidents that arise ‘out of hours’. In this context, and many others, the technology will be able to take a lot of strain off individuals that spend time on non-essential tasks and will enable them to instead spend time on the essential tasks for growing the business.

When it comes to marketing the digital revolution has made large changes to the knowledge and decision-making abilities of customers. Now it only takes a single Google search for a potential customer to find out everything they need to know about you, your business, your products, reviews and much more. While this can be a scary idea for businesses, if your business is genuine and you tread the line correctly, the benefits of such a system far outweigh the possible negative effects.

When looking at modifying your traditional marketing methods (media buying, flyering, radio advertisement etc.) be sure to understand your target audience and the mediums by which they are most influence. For example, if you are selling retirement homes, you may want to not waste your time on Snapchat!

Social Media – A great place for referrals and being tagged in relevant conversations. If you are a trades company, your customers won’t be looking for you to share hard hitting stories, edgy memes or your political opinion on a business account. They do want to find somewhere where they can contact the business, see that it is ‘ticking over’ and that there is a person/personality behind it. Don’t worry about ‘trending’, use this advice article to make sure you are in the conversation.

Blogging / Thought leadership – A wonderful way for smaller businesses to show their expertise through providing insightful research and opinions on the biggest industry issues. For example, an independent London estate agent has become a ‘go to’ for UK journalists when looking for information on the luxury property market thanks to the specific and specialised content they upload to their blog.

Events Attendance – In support of those who believe that no matter how digital the world becomes there is so much power in face to face business, marketing CEO Arjun Arora, provides a great quote for the power of personal interaction. “Attending conferences is an important part of any marketing strategy. Attending dinners and events in different cities provide an opportunity to meet with clients or partners and get to know them better. No matter how effective your advertising and email marketing are, or how skilled you are on the phones, an in-person meeting is always more memorable.”

SEO – Simply put – this is ‘how Google finds you, then displays you to searchers’. It is complicated, time consuming and needs a better knowledge of the digital world than most people have, but it is near essential for B2C businesses. If you want to know more about it read this from the industry leaders.

By no means should you completely stop the strategy you have been using previously if it has provided you with success up to now. Instead use these areas to enhance your strategy and produce a more rounded and targeted approach.

Struggling With Marketing? Here’s How To Improve It Immediately

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There is no doubt in any business owner’s mind that marketing is a central part of the foundation of any company. Proper marketing does much more than just promote a product. On a grander scale, it enables a business to place itself in exactly the position it needs to be for greater ongoing success. Of course, it is not always this successful, and powerful marketing takes time, patience and no small number of failed attempts before landing on something just right for the business. All businesses also go through periods where the marketing is less than ideal in terms of its effectiveness. If this has happened to your business, then you might be wondering how to turn things around. For a start, take a look at these options for improving your marketing immediately.

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Embolden The Branding

You might see the brand as the vehicle with which the marketing does its job. As long as you have a working brand that does the job, all the marketing efforts are likely to be considerably more powerful automatically. That’s why taking a look at and emboldening your branding is one of the quickest ways to improve the marketing. As long as the brand is doing its job, you know that all else will likely fall into place too.

Drive Website Traffic

These days, there are few things more important to any marketing strategy than the website of the business. For most people, the website is the first port of call, so it is clear to see how important it can be for any business of any size. As long as you are drawing in decent numbers, and you’re providing good content, you’re happy. It is nowadays pretty much essential to adopt a strong SEO strategy. Here’s the thing about SEO Services: When You Get It Right, The ROI Is Phenomenal, and that is something that all businesses can benefit from.

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Improve Audience Understanding

The better you know your audience, the more finely tuned and effective you can make your marketing efforts. If you think about it, this makes perfect sense, as all it really means is that you know who you are talking to. Improving your understanding of who the target audience for your marketing is can be a powerful way of dramatically improving the whole marketing effort, so this is an essential tactic to take on board. To achieve this, you might consider asking your customers for feedback. This is one of the best practices a business can engage in anyway, and it is likely to help you get to where you want to go with your marketing in a much faster time.

Focus On Consistency

All your marketing efforts need to be consistent with one another, as this is how the brand develops most effectively. So if you are struggling with your branding, your marketing, make sure that you are being consistent in your efforts. This will likely make a huge difference in the long run.

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Standing Out In Business – The Era of the Brand

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Standing out in the marketplace has become increasingly challenging in a world of sensory overload. Because of this challenge, a familiar and trusted brand still has the ability to cut through the clutter. Organizations will need to look deep inside themselves to find those unique characteristics which differentiate them from the competition and leverage these differentiators to become the preferred choice of customers and prospects.

From over two decades of experience, we have identified eight primary factors which contribute to standing out from the competition when it comes to marketing. We’ve distilled what we’ve learned into The 8 Fundamentals we define below. Ideally this information will help you to shine a light on shortcomings or challenges in your marketing strategy and offer suggestions and solutions for you to Stand Out from the competition, Take Off in a direction that’s true to who you are and where you want to be, and, finally, to Stay On Course to reach your goals.

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About the Authors

Lorrie Brignac LeeWinnie Brignac HartWinnie Brignac Hart and Lorrie Brignac Lee of TwinEngine bring 25+ years of marketing experience to leveraging their twin talents to help companies translate traditional marketing channels into forward-thinking solutions. They have built a reputation as inspired, award-winning designers and savvy interpreters of business brand and personality. Their most recent book collaboration, Stand Out: Tools To Master The 8 Fundamentals Of Standing Out In Business, is available on Amazon.com.

For more information visit TwinEngine.com.