Candy, squeeze balls, pens, and key chains -- these provide questionable value to anyone visiting or staffing a tradeshow booth. More and more meeting and marketing professionals are considering something a little different - booklets. They are a way to attract higher quality prospects, reap a handsome return on
investment of time and money in attending shows, and help set a company apart from crowd. What is a booklet? The ultimate purpose of a booklet is to educate a target audience. It contains tips, techniques or strategies to help accomplish certain tasks. Typically it measures 3 ½" x 8 ½", has 16 to24 pages, fits perfectly into a purse, pocket, or briefcase, and can conveniently be mailed in a standard #10 business envelope.
The following five points highlight how you can use booklets as a powerful marketing tool to increase sales from tradeshow leads.
1. Why booklets make a great tradeshow giveaway item.
Booklets have a lasting value, more than many handouts currently used at tradeshows. Yet booklets are not overpowering in any way. One major purpose in exhibiting at a show is to educate your target audience about how you can provide solutions to their challenges. A booklet packed full of a useful tips might address those challenges. In addition, it heightens your company's credibility as an expert in industry, and draws prospect to you when it's time to purchase.
Your company's name on a coffee mug or pen doesn't quite have same impact when a prospect is looking for solutions to their challenges. Rather when they easily read your information in a booklet, you're perceived as knowledgeable. Also, you leave reader with distinct impression that you are looking to establish a rapport, and a business relationship with them. Handing out booklets separates you from those with a dish of candy at their booth, or those who offer yet one more shopping bag. And, cost of booklets is less than many other giveaways and can effectively and easily be used throughout year in other parts of your sales and marketing efforts.
2. Who uses booklets as a giveaway?
Anyone in any industry who is selling or exhibiting at a trade show is a candidate for using booklets as a unique promotional tool. A company can write and produce their own booklet, have a booklet produced for them, or purchase copies of someone else's booklet on a topic of interest for their target audience. Small, mid-sized, and large companies alike use booklets. The minimum purchases are usually completely manageable, and there is an economy of scale as you purchase larger quantities.
3. What kind of information to include in a booklet?
The best information to include in a booklet is common sense, grass roots, basic, practical "how-to" content on a topic relevant to your business and important to your customers. The material can be solutions to everyday concerns, which people often overlook. Sometimes "magic pill" answer to challenges turns out to be information that is known but merely forgotten. The booklet acts as a reminder. It can also serve as new information for novices to an industry.
