VenueSet In Motion

If I were ever to change my insurance away from StateFarm, I would have to consider AllState!  The commercials they are playing right now are right in-synch with where the marketplace is (their advertising agency gets major kudos in my book!).  They are focusing on that they started in the depression, people watching every dollar, and families getting back to the basics.  They have a few great ads running currently – all of which are talking the language of their target audience (which is a common mistake companies make – using internal names, acronyms, and lingo that mean everything to fellow employees but doesn’t mean anything to the marketplace).  Whether it is television, print, online, or even a presentation that you will be giving in a few weeks – what language are you using?  Tip of the week – make sure you are talking to your audience in their language!

In today’s economy most companies are wondering if they should invest in Trade Shows.  Here is the deal – attendance is down and the number of exhibitors are down.  At a high level, this could look like a negative thing, but if you dig a little deeper – it might not be as bad as you think.

If the show still gets your target audience, you should consider it.  Yes, attendance is down (I am seeing an average of 20% less than last year), but what I am also seeing is that companies are sending less people and usually the people that are attending are looking for a solution for an immediate need.  Yes – there is also a decrease in the number of exhibitors (just in the past 2 months, I have seen multiple big shows have to redo their exhibit space to get rid of all the empty booths) – once again, this might not be a bad thing – especially if the attendees are your target market.  What I have been able to do is negotiate more into my package, better booth space, and even reduced cost.

Just a little food for thought before you completely 86 your trade shows for 2009…

We all know websites are important for our business, but really how important is it?  I would argue EXTREMELY important!  Every one is watching every dollar and the world is changing.  Five years ago, people got information from collateral and a little bit from websites.  Now a-days, most people go to websites for answers. Your website is usually the first impression people will have of you as a business.  Your website needs to be compelling, concise, easy to navigate, and needs to reflect your business (yes – even the careers section is important).   I would almost say, toss the printed collateral and focus more on creating downloadable assets for your site (heck – you may even be able to use some of those assets as lead generators).  Bottom line, don’t skimp out on your website!