In Steven R. Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit 2 is summarized by ‘begin with the end in mind’. He states “Habit 2 is based on imagination – the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes. It is based on the principal that all things are created twice.” If you have not recently reviewed your event marketing program through this perspective, it’s likely time to do so.
In too many cases, we view a trade show or event in a vacuum. We lose sight of why we’re exhibiting and what we want our endgame to be while scrambling to just “get it done” without logistical catastrophe. The result is a byproduct not the core purpose. Before anything else, we need to crystalize the core purpose of an event (or program) with the appropriate stakeholders. From there, we can begin to envision the ideal attendee interface and experience before the physical exhibit properties are even considered. This is a pretty lengthy topic, so my next few blogs will be dedicated to Habit 2 Event Marketing.
Question: how much time does the average marketer spend thinking about why they are exhibiting at a show? I’m not talking about how many leads you can bring home or satisfying some senior management ego with a big booth. Back up a bit and break it down:
1. Who is our target audience? Who do we really want to interface with?
2. If we already know of a target, what do we want to know about them?
3. How will we drive this key demographic to us?
4. What do they already know about us? What do we want them to know about us?
5. How will we capture data/intelligence we gather and move it into our sales channels?
6. What is the appropriate follow-up timing/vehicle? How can we ensure proper delivery?
Medartis, keeping the end in mind.
First and foremost, who are we attempting to reach and what do we know about each other? Of course, most show organizers will tell you that some specific demographic attends their specific show to see some specific category of products and services. The good ones are audited by a third-party. But honestly, is that still good enough? The new reality is that the days of treating shows like independent marketing campaigns are gone. To be sure, we want to meet new, previously unknown potential buyers of our products…and shows can certainly deliver those numbers and drop them into the sales process. However, the access and flow of information and data is increasingly available to both buyers and sellers. They already know something about us (the exhibiting company/product) and we already know something about them (the buyer/influencer). Consequently, buyers increasingly expect a dynamic, personal experience – especially in a face-to-face encounter. My point: the exhibit environment is just another touch-point in an ongoing conversation that brands are having with their markets. They also interact with web visits, sales calls, webinars, and a whole host of advertising media. Our customers and prospects are surrounded by these messages and channels and can connect on-demand 24/7. In my opinion, that’s a good thing.
The problem is, many exhibit programs have not evolved to this reality. We’re mired in logistics and what’s been done in the past and we can’t get free to really envision and implement an attendee experience that will truly drive results. To me, that means opportunity. So why not begin again with the end in mind?
