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Trash Cans Full of Trinkets & Treasures
Why you should be thrifty with literature and giveaways
volume #1, article #2
By Dianne Smirl, CME-Designate
You’ve spent tireless hours putting together your exhibit marketing program, and you’re feeling good knowing that you’ve done your homework. You’ve sent out your pre-show mailers, equipped yourself with an eye-popping exhibit, prepared attractive team wear for your booth staff, and have confirmed all your travel and hotel arrangements. You’ve got it all under control. But what about brochures and other handouts? The following steps should be considered when planning your literature:
72 Percent "Garbage" Rule
Before you dig into your boxes of expensive glossy brochures and hefty catalogues, know this: 72% of what an attendee gathers at a trade show ends up in the trash can. If you are having a hard time believing this just take a peek into the garbage bins towards the end of a show and see the piles of trinkets and treasures left abandoned. It’s a shame, but also a harsh reality. I do believe attendees have every intention of skimming over your literature when they accept it from you. However, when human nature takes over, the convenience factor kicks in – who wants to lug around pounds of paper into a hotel, on a plane and back home? Apparently not very many.
Print a Single-Page Flyer
I highly recommend you leave your higher-end brochures at home. Instead, develop an inexpensive single-page "trade show flyer" that you can distribute at shows. This can be printed by your print supplier on a digital press, which is a more cost-effective process than off-set printing (used traditionally for higher-end brochures). In the flyer, you can highlight key selling points (no more than five or six) of your company, products and services. Then, provide them with a means to get more detailed information, such as your web site address and full contact information. It can also contain information on a special promotion or contest available only to show attendees with a "call to action". The look and feel of the flyer should be consistent with your overall exhibit, so that it makes a stronger impression on the attendee and easier for them to recall their visit to your booth.
Send Brochure Package After Show
For qualified visitors who express interest in your services, let them know you will mail them your complete brochure package shortly after the show. Record their contact information onto a lead card, the products and services they are interested in, and a note to send them a brochure package. This strategy allows you to properly identify and keep a record of qualified attendees, as well as manage the distribution of your higher-end brochures. This will greatly reduce your overall print costs. Also, a single-page flyer has a better chance of being retained by attendees because it is so much easier to pack away. And if they decide not to, the cost of the flyer is negligible compared to your other literature.
Design Show-Specific Flyers
Show-specific flyers are also a great way to get maximum benefit from a show. This approach ensures the information is highly relevant to the attendee and has a better chance of being held onto well after the show is over. If you choose to create show-specific flyers, ensure that you budget for shorter runs of various versions of your flyer. Design your single-page flyer to reflect your participation in a particular show, and tie-in very specific information and promotions targeted directly to that particular audience. The results may astound you!
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