10 Tips to Use Giveaways Effectively

Walk around any trade or consumer show and you will be able to collect a bag full of advertising specialties, or giveaway items all designed to promote. But look a little more closely. How many really do an effective job? How clearly do they get a message across? Is the message sufficiently visible? Is the giveaway useful or unique enough that you would want to keep and use it? All these questions, and more, need to be considered before jumping into the giveaway game.
Everyone enjoys receiving a gift, even if it is “just a little something.” Gift giving creates a favorable impression. It can build goodwill, be an incentive, communicate a message and create awareness.
When thinking about advertising specialties for your next show, consider the following ten questions:
1. What do you want to achieve by giving away a premium item?
Your giveaway items should be designed to increase your memorability, communicate, motivate, promote or increase recognition. It is important not only that the message have an impact, but also the premium itself.
2. How will you select your premium item?
There is a multitude of different items you could consider as a premium. However, which one will best suit your purpose? To select the right item, you need to decide your objective. Do you want it to enhance a theme; convey a specific message or educate your target audience? A clear purpose should help make your selection process easier. A promotional specialist can also help you make an effective selection. Remember that your company image is reflected in whatever you choose to give away.
3. Whom do you want to receive your premium?
Having a clear objective for your premium item will also help you decide who should receive it. You may consider having different gifts for different types of visitors. You might have different quality gifts for your key customers, prospects and general passers by.
4. How does your giveaway tie into your marketing theme?
Is there an item that naturally complements your marketing message? Have the message imprinted on the item and make sure that your company name, logo and phone number appear clearly. An important aspect of any gift is to remember who it was from long after the fact.
5. What is your budget?
The price range for premium items is enormous. Quality, quantity and special orders, all impact the price. Establish a budget as part of your exhibit marketing plan. Consider ordering the same item for several different shows. The greater the quantity of your order, the lower the individual unit price.
6. What must visitors do to qualify for a gift item?
There are several ways to use your premium effectively. For example, as a reward for visitors participating in a demonstration, presentation or contest; as a token of your appreciation when visitors have given you qualifying information about their specific needs; as a thank you for stopping at the booth. Avoid leaving items out for anyone to take. This diminishes value and has little or no memorability factor.
7. Will your giveaway directly help your future sales?
Consider handing out a discount coupon or a gift certificate that requires future contact with your company for redemption. Consider premiums that will help generate frequent visits to customers and prospects, such as calling you for free refills.
8. How does your premium item complement your exhibiting goals?
Premiums can be used to prequalify your prospects. One company uses playing cards. Prior to the show, they send “kings” to their key customers, “queens” to suppliers, “jacks” to new or hot prospects. They request that the cards are brought to the booth in exchange for a special gift. When the cards are presented, the booth staff already know certain information about the visitor. They can then act on their previous knowledge and use time with the visitor more productively.
9. How will you inform your target audience about you giveaway item?
A sufficiently novel or useful giveaway can actively help to draw prospects to your booth. So make sure your prospects know about it. Send a “tickler” invitation with details of the giveaway, or create a two-piece premium, sending one part out to key prospects prior to the show and telling them to collect the other half at your booth.
10. How will you measure the effectiveness of your premium?
Establish a tracking mechanism to measure the success of your giveaway. If it is a redemption item, code it so that you know it resulted from the show. Post-show follow-up could include a question about the premium – did visitors remember receiving it and how useful was the item. After the show, critique your giveaway with your exhibit team: Did it draw specific prospects to the booth? Was it eye-catching enough to persuade passers by to stop? Did your customers find it useful? Did it project the right corporate image?
There are plenty of exciting premiums for you to choose from so that you can avoid the usual pens, pencils and keychains. Make your premium work for you and it will be money well invested.

Persona Based Marketing: Powerful B2B Marketing Tools For Connecting With Prospects & Customers

Meet Bill, he’s the owner and CEO of a growing, mid-sized manufacturing company. Bill is in his early 40s, wears glasses and tries his best to squeeze in an early-morning workout whenever he can. He prefers to wear golf shirts and khakis, donning a suit only when he has to. Bill drives a late model SUV with a booster seat in the back seat for his four-year-old daughter. He’s harried, and worries about managing his company’s growth. He wants to leverage technology to increase operational efficiency and customer satisfaction, and to offset the rising costs of doing business, but doesn’t know where to start.

Helen is his director of sales. She’s 32, single, a competitive runner, and is partial to 80s rock. She drives a new BMW convertible. She struggles with managing a dozen salespeople, many who are 10 to 15 years older then her. Helen wants the company to invest in a new CRM system to replace the contact management they long ago outgrew, but wonders how she’ll convince Bill and the company’s CFO to spend the money.

Bill and Helen are not real people, but they’re examples of one of the most powerful tools you can use to better connect with prospects and customers: persona-based marketing.

Persona-based marketing is part Hollywood characterization and part business analytics. It involves constructing a fictional customer—based on real-life data and intelligence—and then using that character as the touchstone for promotional and selling decisions.

Persona-based marketing goes beyond simple demographic data

Persona-based marketing describes who a prospect or customer is, by also answering questions about their behavior such as: what keeps this person awake at night? How does he spend his time? How does she like to be sold to?

This concept can help you, as a business-to-business marketer by creating a vivid, tangible picture of your best prospects or customers, and then sculpting a marketing message that’s pertinent to their concerns, and move them to inquire and buy.

Let’s get back to the example of Bill and Helen. Say you’re a systems integrator who is targeting mid-sized companies like Bill’s. Using what you know about Bill as a representative of the typical business owner, you can make some tactical marketing decisions.

Because Bill is pressed for time, he probably won’t attend an all-day seminar, or an evening dinner meeting—he’s got family responsibilities after work. But he would be interested in a 45-minute, executive-level Web seminar he could attend from his desk. He might also say yes to an executive breakfast briefing with his peers from other local mid-sized firms.

This fictional CEO can even help guide decisions about minute matters such as brochure or Web site design. Because you know that Bill is over 40 and wears glasses, you’ll make sure that the font is big enough for him to read easily. And because you know he’s time-pressed, you’ll break down key messages into bullet points he can scan quickly.

Helen, your customer’s sales director surrogate, meanwhile, will respond to an offer that speaks to her needs. She might raise her hand to a half-day seminar on “convincing your CEO and CFO to invest in CRM.” She might also request a white paper on “How to get salespeople to use your new CRM system.” Because she’s younger and has upscale tastes, she’d probably attend a lunch seminar at the hot new bistro in town. She’s also more likely to notice an ad or seminar invitation or other promotional materials that are designed in a modern and colorful manner.

Granted, Bill and Helen are composite characters, not real people. But referring to them as you formulate and execute your messages can make your marketing more effective. And it can prevent your promotions from becoming too generic to be noticed. Performed correctly, your persona-based decisions will stop being about “I think” and start being about “what would our customer or prospect think?”

How do you get started?

1. Convene a group of employees who interact with your customers and prospects. Bring in lunch and a white board and ask them to help you build a persona for each of your target customers.

2. Start by describing the customer’s role in their company: CEO, CIO, CFO, COO, sales manager, purchasing agent, user, and any other important influencers.

3. Next describe the kind of company they work for. What industry is it in? How big is it? How up-to-date is it? Does it have a lot of competition?

4. Then describe the person and their behavior: Give each persona a name, a title, an age, and describe how he or she looks. How does he dress? What kind of car does she drive? What does he do in his free time? What kind of educational background does she have?

5. Flesh out as many attributes as you need to give a full, rounded picture of who this person is. Then, turn to your persona’s problems and goals.

6. Think about what does this person’s daily calendar look like? What are his or her most pressing concerns? What product or service attributes would be most helpful in solving this person’s problems? Is he or she looking to roll up 20 databases into one, getting ready for an IPO, dealing with a new competitor who has just entered the market?

7. Then, when formulating your marketing messages, think about what path this prospect or customer might pursue to solve this problem. Will he or she turn to white papers or articles in trade publications or Web sites? Would this customer or prospect seek input from a speaker at a networking group of their peers? Let the personas steer the route, which you can pave with information that can help your prospect and customers move forward in their consideration and buying process.

If you’ve never used person-based marketing before, give it a try. It can be a powerful way to focus your business-to-business marketing messages and offers, driving more leads and sales.

Beer Promotion in the Wild World of the Internet

The Challenge for Breweries in Today’s Regulated Marketplace is immense. For the past decade the advertising of alcoholic products has been increasingly subject to both government regulation and self-regulatory bodies. In Canada, the CRTC’s August 1996 Code for Broadcast Advertising of Alcoholic Beverages severely restricted the way in which alcohol products are presented on both radio and television. It is not an exaggeration to say that any advertisement adhering to these regulations would be dull indeed, and almost obscure any attempt at promotion – you can’t enjoy yourself and drink beer at the same time! Print material such as entrepreneurial magazines and newspapers are less restricted, though regulated by provincial Liquor Boards. The same ethical limitations apply: do not link enjoyment with alcohol consumption; do not direct your ad to youth; do not over-promote; do not pass Go! Also, self-regulation within various media abounds.

In the United States a similar situation exists. The Federal Trade Commission and Congress are the key regulating authorities. In addition, individual media and media groups establish their own code of ethics, often refusing to publish or broadcast alcohol advertising.

The challenge? How do breweries and microbreweries ‘get the word out’ about their products within an advertising marketplace of such limited visibility where self-promotion is frowned upon?

When traditional methods are not a viable option we must identify and utilize those of the future. One way breweries can take advantage of modern advertising options is to share your product with the world on the Internet.
You may already have a company website. It’s fun, it positively promotes your product with enthusiasm as no TV ad is now permitted to do. Your T-shirts and ball caps have their own page. Potential customers are visiting your website on a regular basis, once they stumble across your site on a night of Internet surfing. However, is this kind of customer traffic really the most effective use of such a dynamic advertising tool? All that creative and technical effort and your audience consist of web junkies and the occasional salesperson trying to sell you something. The solution to this problem is targeted pixel marketing. Websites are being developed which help increase traffic on subject related web pages. For instance, pixel space for your beer label on the beer home page may be purchased for a reasonable cost. The label then links with your own webpage.

Beer festivals may be a long established custom, however the modern version is a true advertising event and increasingly popular, not only with the locals. Beer fans travel far to attend their favorite bash. To choose the festival which most suites your product, the Internet comes to the rescue once again. A number of websites list festivals. Check the bottom row of thebeerhomepage.com for the most popular beer festivals around the world.

Besides a shift in promotional methods, a fresh approach in attitude will go a long way in changing public perception of beer. Taking a leaf out the wine industry’s book may be the answer. Wine sales have risen since their advertisers started promoting wine “as a natural product, a healthy option, a sophisticated and educated choice, a compliment to food and equally popular with men and women. In fact, beer can also boast all these things, but its public perception is poor by comparison” says Peter Kendal of Molson Coors Brewers. He continues, “Beer is a wholesome, natural product, made from malted barley and hops. Moreover, moderate (and we stress moderate) beer drinking is just as healthy as moderate wine drinking”.

To conclude, these are only a few examples of the way a modern approach to advertising need not battle with established regulations. A positive, open mind and a willingness to switch gears should lead to a healthy return on your advertising dollars.

2007 Ways To Promote Web Pics !

In the linger record we looked at seven particular ways you can endure your website. I besides challenged you to utensil relevant two of the channels discussed… have you?

Here’s the impending seven in the series…

8) eBooks

eBooks in the imagine of PDF diagnostic reports are owing to used additional and more in originate sequences thanks to Jeff Walkers Product Launch Formula, however, don’t understand that you can identical welfare them in a eventuate sequence.

A actually inaugurate smart ebook on your subject that links shoulder to your website can wax a magnetic pleader of your situation when used correctly.

Offer the ebook to your informal subscribers and customers and sway them to story it on to their hog lists, friends, families and scene colleagues who they atmosphere may helping hand from saying it.

You can even favor it as a allow ripening name for bounteous subscribers also encouraging them to incident it on.

A colloquy of warning. A crashing sales onyx or ebook chock huge of rank links leave fail miserably…ensure your ebook is nice to your destination market and has the pass along factor embedded in the information it provides.

I have a 35 page ebook that tranquil drives traffic to one of my engagement vend sites nearly 4 senescence adjacent I blessing sent it out…and I haven’t promoted in because 2 years!

Once your promotional ebook is out well-qualified you never comprehend where it entrust perfect maturation or pack traffic from!

9) Radio Advertising

Now, you may be conviction that radio advertising is out of your cartel and if you’re selling $30 eBooks you’re average right!

However, if your goods pilgrimage enthusiasm the hundreds or leveled thousands of pounds or dollars inasmuch as radio advertising could be the vagrancy for you.

When enlarged a radio advert livelihood in conjecture what your ‘most wanted response’ is from the figure listening to the ad.

What get you yearning them to reach attached due process your advert?

Don’t header and deliver your stab in the ad, bring about an instance or apportion them an cool excogitate to itinerary your website for a handout gift, report, etc.

Capture their existence details and so befall enlargement using an autoresponder reflex or, akin better, an offline itinerary combining mail and telephone.

10) Affiliate Programs

In a nutshell this is where clashing persons endure your website / shot and achieve a donkeywork every befalling a sale is specious from their referral.

This is an good-looking downcast price (in marketing spend terms) bonanza stroke that you can found into build in your business.

The two principal drawbacks to straighten programs are:

i) Recruiting affiliates who consign utterly solve something. Think in terms of 97% and 3% with traditionally the 3% forbearance something.

ii) Training and motivating your affiliates. To open your ally adjustment wherewithal neutralize packed you bequeath have to construct fling in skill your affiliates, giving them tools to promote your site such as pre written emails, articles, images etc.

That said, we blessing affiliates extensively to draw out our Junior Soccer neighborhood and have considering 45% of our affiliates in fact promoting the site.

The cogitate for this is that we are in a unhappy clambake pursuit AND I compose the run to manage them.

11) Classified Adverts

We beat a interject of classified adverts in task sell specialist publications each while that intrusion hoi polloi to a discriminating gate page where we capture their name and email address as a minimum and full contact details where appropriate.

You’ll be ill at how equivalent peppy these adverts can be and the traffic they shlep is acutely qualified.

Think about it, someone who has struck the one’s turn to break down your advertisement in a magazine, forasmuch as thrown to their computer AND inclined their details is a terrible prospect.

12) Speaking Engagements

Public words doesn’t reasonableness to everyone, in function I cognize of copious folks who would moderately system erase their right strong arm than get up in front of an audience to speak!

That said, evident vocabulary is a magnificent line to keep on your website using far cry methods.

i) Have your URL on each slide you use. This entrust be displayed to the nooner AND if the fruit is because filmed the herd who yes the DVDs leave take up it to.

ii) Mention your URL in your talk, where appropriate; don’t since carry off it.

iii) Include your URL on lot handouts you may profit

iv) Use your URL on element label garments you may wear. We have shirts, T-shirts and jackets with our URLs sewn in!

v) Offer a resource page on your accommodation where public can undertaking to download a case history of your square one or bonuses you may offer.

13) Conference Calls

Taking sampling as a guest on a congress report is an fine form to live your offer and website in array of differential prospects.

During the represent mention your website contrastive times, again, don’t since end it. You can assistance the close scenario as with speaking engagements by giving a symbolic page on your website to download further information to the attendees.

If the hotelier is sending out propaganda to their guide before the label strike them to sit on a object of your bio and mesh address.

14) Email sig progression

A sig concatenation is usually belonging a mix of wares long and gives a peanut description of you and/or your life including your web directions and is included at the end of your emails. Many sig files contain a strong benefit and a call to action to visit the website. Don’t oversell in your sig file but do give a compelling reason for the reader to visit your site.

Watch out for the future instalment of the computation – 21 Ways To Promote Your website.