Marketing-Minded Financial Planners Get Free Publicity by Choosing the Right OutletsWritten by Ned Steele
Sure, any publicity is good. But don’t invest time and effort to be in “Lucky: The Magazine for Shopping” if your major topic is planning for college. Go where your market is!Which media outlets are best for you? Easy answers – and Home Run of publicity – include national giants like CNN and The Wall Street Journal. These outlets reach millions of people...and they also have thousands of publicity-hungry folks constantly badgering them for coverage. Your prospects can also be found through many outlets that are more readily accessible. Sometimes best outlets are ones you've never even heard of. Trade magazines, special weekly television or radio programs, syndicated columnists—all have unique and loyal audiences.
| | Trade Show Promotional Products - Boosting Booth TrafficWritten by Cindy Carrera
I was about seven or eight years old when I learned value of promotional items at trade shows. I just didn't know it yet. I was at a home show with my parents. As we walked through hall it was held in, I noticed people walking around with yardsticks. I really had no need for a yardstick, but seeing them made me want one. So, to make me happy, my parents kept an eye out for booth passing out yardsticks. I got my yardstick, and my dad got a deck from contractor who was passing them out. I use that example to paint a picture that promotional items can and do work at trade shows- although target audience usually isn't a third-grader with a $10/week allowance! The whole idea of a trade show or seminar booth is to gain new customers and perhaps repeat business from past customers. The whole idea of using a promotional item at your booth is to attract people to your table, generate interest and hopefully provoke questions. However, promotional items can also be dangerous. Why? Because people love free stuff- so you have to do this properly. You cannot confuse an effective giveaway with a 'freebie'- many trade show attendees love to walk around and simply collect everything in sight. You do not want this to happen at your booth. But, some trade show booth workers are quick to just lay items out and sit back and read paper, while qualified leads walk away with stuff. A few suggestions to avoid that are to keep your giveaways out of arm's reach. Then, when people approach your table, grab one and hold it, and strike up a conversation by asking a question. Then, hand them item. Perhaps conversation will even continue. This way, they will be walking away with item, but also with a message about your business. Or you can offer an item to people walking by, and when they approach you to take it you can surprise them by asking qualifying question to strike up a conversation.
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