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Five Marketing Nightmares and How to Prevent Them

The success or failure of your trade showaudience.
rests heavily on how well you market your
event. Marketing, when done right, can3.  You construct a poorly designed Web site.
project a positive image of your event,
entice exhibitors to sign the dotted line,You'll feel like a relic left over from the
and  attract  loyal  customers.pre-Electronic Revolution days if you don't
have a Web site. However, many trade show
However, critical mistakes in your marketingmanagers, in a rush to construct and display
campaign can have the opposite effect. Herea Web site, wind up with sites that lack
are five costly errors that are common in ourcompelling graphics or information that will
business, along with some sound advice on howbe useful to their potential exhibitors.
to  avoid  making  them.Without proper guidance you'll waste money
... and project an image of a business that
1.  You  select  the  wrong  exhibition hall.isn't  ready  for  this  millennium.
You've got the perfect trade show -- or soThe solution: Find a reliable Web site
you think. The products are a great fit fordesigner who is familiar with the trade show
the demographics you're going to attract. Thebusiness and will hire writers who can create
city you've selected is glamorous, loadedWeb site copy that is powerful, persuasive,
with cultural and entertainmentand informative. But don't put a site up
opportunities, is easily accessible, and hasuntil you're ready; you wouldn't want your
ample hotel space near the exhibition hall.Web  site  debut  to  fall  flat.
And you've done a crackerjack job marketing
your show -- you've sold all your exhibit4. You have a great Web site, but nobody sees
booths and advance ticket sales are off theit.
charts. What could go wrong? Plenty, if the
exhibition hall you've selected is a poorThose who aren't Internet savvy sometimes
fit.think that once they create a Web site, their
prospects will automatically find it -- after
For example, suppose the exhibition space isall, that's what Web search engines are for,
too small for the crowd you'll attract. Withright? Wrong! Search engines are great if
thousands of people pushing and shoving eachsomeone wants general information about trade
other to find the exhibits, your show willshows, but there's no guarantee your show
quickly get a bad reputation as anwill be at the top of the "hit list." Because
uncomfortable event where it's impossible tothere are millions of Web sites on the
see all the products. And negative word ofInternet, the only sure way to differentiate
mouth travels almost as fast as the speed ofyour site from the rest and drive traffic to
light.it is through collateral advertising. Make
sure your Web site address is prominently
The solution: Do your homework! Get thedisplayed on all your advertising and
inside scoop from other trade show managersmarketing materials, including your
who have done shows at that exhibition hall.stationery and business cards. An expensive,
Find out what was positive about theirsnazzy Web site is useless if no one visits
experiences. Conduct an on-site inspectionit.
before committing to the exhibition space,
paying close attention to such factors as5. You put together an ineffective ad
exhibit hall space, bathroom facilities, andcampaign.
air  circulation.
Bad advertising is worse than no advertising
Consider location (is it in a dangerous partat all. Unless you have a great in-house
of town?), accessibility (are there trafficadvertising department, resist the temptation
problems?), and service (are ticket countersto create your own ad campaign. Advertising
adequately staffed?). Better yet, do youris not a good place to start a budget-cutting
inspection while a trade show is going on atinitiative. But just because you hire pros to
the exhibition hall. You'll get to see fordo your advertising doesn't mean you'll have
yourself whether shows operate efficientlyan effective campaign. It's best to find an
there.ad agency that has had consistent success in
the  trade  show  industry.
2. You compile an ineffective prospect
database.To find such an agency, do your research.
Consult with other trade show managers and
You might be trying to cut corners by doinglook through the Advertising Redbook,
your data management in-house, but if youavailable in the reference section at most
don't have database pros on staff, it's bestpublic libraries. Ask for examples of an ad
to seek professional help! A list that hasagency's work with other trade shows. Steer
unlikely prospects or out-of-date addressesclear of campaigns that might be a turn-off
is a waste of time and money, and you'll loseto your prospects by appealing to a specific
precious opportunities to zero in on hotgeneration rather than a wider audience. And
potential customers. You might hesitate toremember that humor and creativity are
spend more money on a solid databaseimportant attention-getting devices in
management firm, but you could lose twice asadvertising, but don't let your message get
much by failing to reach the right targetlost.



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