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?

1. What's unique about this group of people?

Shape your presentation to meet needs and interests of this particular group. See http://www.topten.org/public/AU/ AU74.htm to do your homework before speech.

2. How am I feeling?

Check in with your body for stress and anxiety. It will transfer to your audience like horses in a burning stable. Build Resilience (an EQ competency) which is proactive way of dealing with stress.

3. Is group still with me or have I lost them?

Use your empathy and intuition. Tune in with group at feelings level. Don't ignore obvious signals such as glazed eyes. Your job is not to deliver words, but to teach audience something and to do this you have to reach them.

4. Is there anxiety coming from audience?

Don't ignore things like twitching, legs shuffling, and other body movements. Address whatever's causing anxiety and soothe your audience down so they can hear you. If in doubt, and your intuition doesn't help you, just ask them.

5. Am I controlling my nonverbals?