At Next-Mark, we believe in engagement. To us, that means to get the attention of viable prospects, start meaningful conversations and, ultimately, create mutually beneficial, ongoing relationships. For trade shows, this engagement is a process that should begin well before anyone steps up to your booth.

As we prepare for the fall trade show season, we thought we’d give you an inside look at what is an extremely front-loaded endeavor.

Pre-Show

It all starts with a powerful idea, something that will help you stand out and encourage interest. That involves knowing what you’re going to do and the products and services you’re going to introduce/highlight as far in advance as possible. Your plan should be cohesive, with all pieces fitting together to tell a complete story.

Everyone knows there’s an art to effective use of pre-show ads, public relations, email and social media to create awareness and fill your show appointment schedule. What many companies forget, however, is that that art should be grounded in the sciences of persuasive communication and strategic messaging. No matter how inventive your concept, there’s always a way to tell/remind the audience why they need your product, not just where they can pick up a t-shirt.

Okay, picking up a t-shirt can be a draw. People love swag, so having something for them to toss in their show bag can be a plus. That said, the point is to have it go home with them, making the cut when they decide what to pack.

Another hot draw is “gamification,” in which game thinking and mechanics are used to create competitive activities, or “spin-to-wins” that incorporate industry language and market characteristics.

Though not new, video and digital communications can also be powerful at trade shows. When concise and well produced, these visuals can create a pause that opens the door to engagement. In this same vein, value-added materials such as topical white papers and case studies made available at shows can be the “keeper” you’re looking for while establishing your company as an expert.

Starting early also gives you time to volunteer that expertise with participation in panels and sessions, partnering with clients to present case studies, introducing ways to solve common problems or giving your organization’s take on industry issues.

And while these active participants are getting ready for the spotlight, take the time to build a strong show team with a diverse group of people who can address a wide variety of questions and issues. Make sure every member of that team knows your goals and is trained in your messaging.

Finally, this is also the time to create your post-show follow-up plan – that is, just what exactly you’re going to do with all those names you’ve collected, leads you’ve identified and promises you’ve made.

At the Show

It’s easy to get caught up in the energy (or lack of same) at an exposition and forget some key concepts of engagement. Remember to:

• Build on demonstrations, giveaways and games with a good conversation about your products. You (and/or your agency) came up with all those good ideas to attract participants; don’t forget why you did it.

• Keep in mind that this is just the beginning of what could become a long-term relationship. Strive to establish your expertise and attentiveness to needs with each and every person you engage.

• Unless you might be called to perform brain surgery at any moment, turn off your phone and forget your email. The most important thing you have to do that day could be walking past you.

Trade shows can be physically exhausting and being “on” all the time can be emotionally draining. Still, it all will be over with soon enough, and the rewards can be significant. Keeping your eye on the prize (prospects) and your mind on your task (engagement) can make the hours fly – and dollars flow.

Post-Show

After taking a quick look at your post-show plan and tweaking it, if necessary, execute it immediately, while the show and conversations are still top of mind.

Once that’s done, as we’ve advised before, catalog your lessons learned and use them to create an even stronger plan for next time.

We Know Trade Shows

At Next-Mark, we have extensive experience developing, designing and managing trade shows in a broad range of industries.

Here are few:

Health Information Management Society

International Association of Chiefs of Police

Radiology Society of North America

American Health Information Association

Miami International Boat Show

American Pediatrics Association

Fort Lauderdale Boat Show

American Health Insurance Plans

 

I lost a friend to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). As she wrote in a blog about her diagnosis: “You know you’re in trouble when you go to the doctor hoping you have MS.”

A young mother of three, she eventually succumbed to pneumonia brought on by the symptoms of this horrible disease.

A talented writer, she also had a wry wit and strong sense of irony, and I’m sure she would have been greatly amused by a fundraising campaign that has people dumping ice water on their heads for the honor of donating to a charity.

Yeah, I know that’s not how it’s supposed to work. Theoretically, what most of us know as “The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” is an either/or proposition – get iced down or pony up cash. But it has captured the public’s minds and hearts and increased the ALS Association’s coffers by nearly $16 million at last report, for a 767 percent hike over the same period last year.

Let’s face it, from a social media and PR point of view: It’s brilliant.

Naysayers (hereinafter referred to as “party poopers” for the purposes of this document) are calling it a sterling example of how to appeal to the vanity of the Facebook/YouTube-obsessed. Others point to the relatively few people who suffer from this particular disease or the unlikelihood of the fundraising’s sustainability. Still more like to point out that it wasn’t an original idea or, at its nascence, had anything to do with ALS.

Our reply is: So what?

Can’t we just take it for what it is – a viral phenomenon that shows the power of social media to do good and spread the word? And, for our purposes, its place as a necessary component in almost any public outreach effort?

People with ALS eventually lose their ability to speak. This campaign speaks for them in an inclusive way that creates community. Okay, so it may be a flash in the pan, but it shone bright and long enough to raise needed research dollars.

May we all be so successful.

 

At Next-Mark, we handle both national and international clients, so it is important for us to be aware of both the disparities and parallels that exist between international borders. Earlier this year, I was presented with the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Adelaide located in Adelaide, Australia. While enrolled in an entrepreneurship and peace studies course there, I had a tremendous opportunity to learn about the culture and rich business history of Australia. Seeing a different perspective, specifically in marketing, I picked up on a few similarities and differences between the United States and Australia.

1. Technology is driving the world

Overseas, and in the United States, there is a technology craze; users are constantly looking for the latest and greatest invention. Akin to the United States, the Apple Store, the worlds leading technology retailer, leases out some of the largest space in downtown areas throughout Australia.

The prominence of digital marketing is also very similar between the United States and Australia.. Mobile advertising is making a strong push, and one of the biggest international influencers is, of course, social media.

2. Public Advertising

With a strong emphasis on public transportation, there are emerging trends that allow organizations to effectively market to potential customers using public transport advertising space. Delivering a message and utilizing the allocated advertising space on public transportation is a key difference in between America and Australia. When considering the amount of time a person spends sitting on public transport, there is significant opportunity for a companies to reach a much broader audience.

Advertising through various media outlets is where the true difference lies between overseas and marketing in the U.S. Australians take better advantage of the designated space in public transportation. Looking at the small avenues of advertising that one never thought had any value is something that we look for in the United States.

Make note of where you spend more than five minutes of your day and think of the marketing possibilities in area surrounding you.

3. Marketing to youth

Marketing to youth and the millennial generation has always been a tall order, no matter what geographic region you are in. In Australia however, independence might not come right after high school. An increasing amount of students are still living with their parents well into their twenties, allowing them spend more on material items instead of rent. It’s hard not to underestimate the power of advertising when the minimum wage is around $18 and the unemployment is around 5%. These youth are more likely to spend money in a retail setting instead of saving for future living needs.

Marketing to youth in Australia is a more challenging task, but worth the effort because of the large amount of untapped potential. Young adults are able to earn a decent living without going out of their way to fulfill their education.

Next time you travel abroad keep these in mind, and take note of the similarities and differences YOU notice!

 

Quick: which is more creative, the billion-dollar multinational corporation with established market positions in competitive markets all over the world or the scrappy start-up with ten employees in a loft and a foosball table in the corner?

If you’re like most people, you probably assume it’s the start-up. After all, everyone knows that start-ups are fueled by the creative vision of their founders.

But what if someone told you that popular concept of creativity—chaotic, harried, stressed, small-scale—has nothing to do with the actual science and practice of creativity. And worse yet, most businesses are sorely lacking in creativity, whether they have two employees or twenty thousand.

Experts are just now beginning to understand how creativity works and how powerful it can be in the business world. The problem is that so few businesses understand how to correctly identify creative people and create an environment that fosters creativity.

According to Natalie Nixon in Inc. magazine, the idea that creativity “just happens” and is driven by flights of fancy and emotion doesn’t reflect the reality of creativity. Nixon is the director of strategic design MBA program and Philadelphia University. According to her research, creativity is actually a discipline. It takes practice and thrives in a structured environment. In practical terms, this means making an effort to provide time and space for people to be creative.

Google is a great example of a company that works hard to foster creativity. The tech giant famously has a department where people are paid to dream up the robots and tech products of the future. This department is where Google Glass and the Google self-driving car were born.

The fact is, most companies don’t recognize the creativity of their own employees and do little to encourage it. Instead of providing a venue for employees to exercise creativity, many companies have built cultures that are based on rules, division of responsibility, and above all, relentless productivity. The same employees who might grumble about following the latest departmental procedures are likely going home and mastering all sorts of creative pursuits, whether it’s scrap-booking, gardening, painting, photography, or any other art form.

So, is your company creative enough? If your company has created a culture that is open to new experiences and ideas, where people have structured time to engage in the act of pure creativity, then you are likely reaping the rewards of a creative workforce.

If this doesn’t describe your workplace, it’s likely that you’re company is missing out of the tremendous competitive advantage of creativity.

 

As you are probably well aware, the importance and impact of blogging has become, and continues to play, a major role in the marketing world and beyond.

In today’s highly competitive internet-based world, it can be difficult for companies to stay relevant and stand out amongst competitors, especially in those industries that have become increasingly saturated. Blogging not only adds fresh relevant content to your business website, it gives users a voice, an opportunity to share something with your social communities. It gives businesses a chance to go beyond the status quo sales pitch to give the brand a degree of personality.

So what makes an effective blog? We have come up with five tips to keep in mind when creating blog content.

1. Let your passion shine through your words

Like anything in life, in order to be a successful you need to have passion. Focus on a topic you really enjoy, something you feel zealous about and put a little of yourself into it. If readers can feel your passion, that passion will translate into a devoted readership.

2. Speak to a target audience

Who is your audience? That question in itself begs careful attention. Good blogs know their audience, listen to what they have to say and consistently speak to that audience the whole time. Make sure your blog is current, and relevant to the audience you are seeking to address.

3. Keep it simple

Don’t get caught up in the length of your posts. As long as your content is interesting and engaging, your readers will come back for more. However, blog posts should be easily digestible, as readers lose interest if they have to scroll down endlessly. Your writing will be more powerful without superfluous words and phrases.

4. Start a conversation, include a call to action

Write content that will encourage your audience to respond, allow them to leave comments and comment back thanking them for their feedback. Not all comments will be positive but all allow you to learn from them. Blog posts should finish with something that moves readers to some sort of next step. Do not ask them to buy something, as that will turn them off. Instead, perhaps tell them to do more research, leave a comment follow you on twitter, etc.

5.  Show your readers, don’t tell them

Stray away from telling your audience that your organization is awesome; show them by writing good content. Readers are easily turned off by haughty language, so use distinct unambiguous language and examples to build trust with your readers.

Those are our top five tips for creating a successful blog. Now get out there and put it to good use – and let us know how it worked!

 

 

 

Joseph is a business analyst intern at Next-Mark. In his role, he analyzes our clients’ business models and goals, creating strategies to maximize their marketing outreach, particularly in digital media. In his first blog for Next-Mark, Joseph looks at what it takes to reach the young adult market today.

This fall, more than 17 million college students will go back to school – taking their $117 billion in discretionary spending with them. Once there, their minds will be focused, of course, on grades and paying for the increasing costs of tuition (said the intern who works for his father).

Obviously, these young people make up a lucrative potential market, but how do you engage them long enough to convince them of the value of your particular goods or services?

As a college student myself, I have first-hand experience as a consumer, of course, but I also can look at it as a marketer. While majoring in finance and marketing at Indianapolis’s Butler University, I’ve learned to look at potential markets in every way they can be diced, employing different techniques to promote brands to each.

In a recent article, Elizabeth’s Harz’s states that “old school” marketing doesn’t work for younger consumers. Here is what, according to Harz, marketers should do:

1. Diversify: Take a 360-degree approach.

–       Regarding college students, developing a 360-degree approach means targeting all aspects of where they are viewing; for example, not only advertising in a digital way, but also focusing in on the physical college campuses themselves.

2. Be real.

–       With a busy schedule, college students are eliminating the “fake,” that is, anything with language even faintly reminiscent of scams and get-rich-quick schemes, and looking for facts and real reasons to buy.

3. Listen and adapt.

–       Demographics are seldom static, and this age group is one of the more volatile. Use social media to listen to your market and quickly change your tactics and strategies if you find that something doesn’t work.

Contact Next-Mark today to learn more about effective approaches to marketing to a college demographic (and the rest of the world as well).

Engage Today. Transform Tomorrow.

 

 

As the social media world continues to grow and evolve, organizations are beginning to look at social media as more than just an inexpensive outlet for getting their marketing messages heard. As we move into the latter half of 2014, there are 7 trends beginning to take shape according to PR Daily and Media Mosaic. As you read through the trends, take note of the ones your organization does or does not participate in.

1. Social Listening Taking a Prominent Role
Polls show that more brands are beginning to listen more actively to their consumers. 24% of marketers said they plan on using more effective listening techniques, a 2% increase from 2013. This offers brands an opportunity to interact on a more personal level with their consumers.

2. Social Advertising
The lure of social advertising is becoming increasingly enticing to social media marketers. 57% of marketers used social ads in 2013, and this is expected to increase by 23% in 2014. Social Ads give you the opportunity to reach the audience in which you’ve invested a lot of money and time into nurturing, which is why social media ad revenues are expected to grow by $11 billion by 2017.

3. Images as Marketing Tools
The use of images in social media marketing has grown exponentially over the years and is continuing to grow in 2014. Images allow marketers to share a lot of information in a short amount of time in space. Infographics are becoming an increasingly popular promotion tool for brands.

4. Data-based Marketing
Prior to the rise of social media, database marketing has been the conventional go-to solution to increase sales. With the seemingly boundless rise of social media however, companies are presented with an opportunity to reach customers immediately and efficiently. It gives marketers great insight into consumer culture through customer activity such as comments and likes on company products.

5. Social Media Integration with Business
2014 will see the further integration of social media with the rest of the business. Polls found that 57% respondents have a dedicated social media team to strategize, and implement planned social media initiatives. However, most only have the budget to have a team of 3 or fewer.

6. Social Data Guiding the Future of Relationship Intelligence
Information from social sites is being used more and more to effectively gage and monitor audiences. This will push brands to place much more emphasis on formulating increasingly creative campaigns.

7. Online Meets Offline for Customer Engagement
Despite the ongoing momentum for everything digital, organizations still have to find the best recipe for effective marketing tactics. This means finding ways to bring online content into the real world in order to engage consumers. Thus, in 2014 we are seeing companies take a much more hands on approach to finding that their consumers care about in order to find those winning practices.

At Next-Mark we work with major brands in managing their social media content and strategy. Let us know if we can help.

 

The term Brand Ambassador means different things to different people. In some usages, it’s a corporate position; in others, it’s college kids handing out swag. Often, it means empowering employees to go forth and spread the word. And, increasingly, it means building a power base with a product’s or service’s fans.

In that regard, following are a few ideas to fuel the buzz you need from customers to create excitement for your brand.

1. Know the customers most passionate about your product. Look at the base you have and build from there. Google your company or product and see what’s being said. Then start brainstorming about how to turn comments into       commitment.

2. Create an aura of exclusivity. Not long ago, we talked about Maker’s Mark, a bourbon with an official Ambassador Program. What makes it cool is that it isn’t advertised (at least we haven’t seen it); it’s a word-of-mouth sort of thing that makes Ambassadors feel unique. (Trust me, if you know one, they never shut up about the product and look for it everywhere they go.)

3. Let your employees know what you’re doing and why. Get them excited, as well. You can even provide incentives for bring true Ambassadors on board.

4. Go social. Set up forums for your fans and get conversations started on social media or on your own web site.

5. Encourage your active Ambassadors to invite kindred souls. Remember that you’re not searching so much for quantity as quality when it comes to people who represent your brand.

6. Reward your Ambassadors. Whether with the occasional lagniappe, or insiders’ emails or special status at events or notifications specific to them.

7. Listen! Along the same lines, don’t forget to listen to what your Ambassadors say, acknowledge it and, if appropriate, act on it. There’s no better reward than knowing you’re being heard.

There’s more, of course, but these are some of the basics.

A good place to start is the next time someone says, “I use your product/service all the time.” Instead of thanking them, ask questions as to why. You may find out you already have Ambassadors. You just have to reach out to them to make the most of their enthusiasm.

Need help getting started? You know where we live.

Here at Next-Mark, we work in the social media space all the time—just like your company probably does, and 99.9% of the world’s big brands—so we’re in a great position to see one of the fundamental disconnects between marketing and social media.

Social media has taken marketing by storm and changed forever the way brands interact with their customers. Simply, social media has taken a traditionally one-way monologue, where marketers talk at their customers and prospects, and turned it into a two-way conversation, with customers talking among themselves and to the brand itself.

The result has been an intoxicating brew of information and dialogue that marketers have a hard time resisting. After all, what marketer could resist interacting directly with customers and prospects?

But as Jorge Aguilar and Abhishek Mehta argue in Branding Magazine, it’s easy to go too far down the social media rabbit hole. Why? Because social media engagement is not necessarily connected to sales—and the marketer’s job is to build the brand and drive sales goals. As they say, “Love is not enough.” Simply knowing that someone likes a brand is less meaningful than understanding the behaviors that stem from that like.

So what’s a marketer to do? The key is to align your marketing with your sales goals, and then take advantage of all the tools out there that can help you bring social media into line with sales goals. It’s not enough to simply know that a person “liked” your Facebook page, for example. You need to know more: Is that person a current customer? How did they get to your Facebook page?

To be a truly effective, social media engagement needs to combined with marketing data that can uncover actionable data and potential sales. Something as simple identifying the purchasing habits of your own Facebook fans, including who “liked” your page but hasn’t bought anything by looking at transactional data, can turn a bland metric into a powerful sales driver.

It’s OK to be loved—but it’s better to be loved while you’re increasing sales!

Occasionally, companies looking for marketing, advertising or public relations support will ask the invited agencies or those responding to a proposal to provide “comps,” that is, samples of specifically what they would do for the company.  We never do.

It’s not because we can’t compete but because it isn’t fair – either to our agency, which is being asked to work for free; our existing clients, who deserve all our time; or the prospect, who would not see a true reflection of what a truly strategic approach would accomplish.

And that’s the key:  No one can know what an organization needs without knowing the organization. On the surface, it may look as though a few bells and whistles will suffice, while, deeper down, more relevant content may be needed. The point is that comps are shots in the dark – very unlikely to hit the target.

So how do you gauge what an agency can do for you?
 
A good place to start is their web site, particularly any case studies. Do they work with clients in businesses such as yours or have they addressed issues similar to those you face? Did their efforts bring measurable results? Do you like their design aesthetic?

Nose around a little more, looking, for instance, at their blogs. Are these people you want to work with and know? Check out their credentials. Are these the quality of people you would want on your team? If you’re still interested, ask for a meeting. Any professional agency would be happy to chat with you about your needs at no charge.

At Next-Mark, we stand on our competencies and ground all we do in strategy. We don’t create materials in a vacuum and work to sincerely understand our clients and their goals. We also showcase our client work on the portfolio section of our website.

 
If that sounds good to you, we may be good for you, as well.