Should You Trade the Trade Show for Your Own Event?

This idea might be a wiener: hosting a solo exhibition or road show



We’re busy making final preparations for two big trade shows this month involving our clients. It’s exciting, because trade shows still offer a great marketing stage for manufacturing and other B2B companies.

However, advancements of the Digital Age present new opportunities to connect directly with customers at a fraction of the cost. It’s now more affordable than ever to drive the necessary publicity to host your own successful event.

Open houses, road shows and other self-styled exhibitions have distinct advantages:

• Focus – Without the distractions, noise and competition of a typical trade show, you have the captive attention of your guests.
• Depth – As the exclusive presenter, you have the floor, allowing for detailed presentations tailored to specific needs, rather than a quick, condensed overview at a trade show booth.
• Diversity – Your company likely serves more than one market. Your event can appeal to all your customers – demonstrating the full array of products, services and expertise you offer.

Realizing these advantages, however, isn’t necessarily easy. Even more so than for a trade show, you must attract the audience to make it all worth your while. All the strategic planning, preshow promotional emails, landing pages, media kits, etc., become even more important.

For example, these events typically target a certain geographical area, making local newspapers a critical communication channel. To gain national attention, many companies have taken their shows on the road. Consider the classic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Or General Electric Co.’s mobile truck, a great success when it launched the company’s new FlexEfficiency 60 power generation technology.

With the right preparation and publicity, starring in your own show can be a cost-effective and powerful way to interact with customers face-to-face and deliver an unforgettable brand experience.

6 SEO Results You Should Be Searching for

An organic approach offers benefits well beyond increasing website traffic

Search engine optimization isn’t just about getting visitors. It’s about getting the right visitors – along with better data and a stronger competitive position.

The most successful SEO is aligned with your unique strategies, built with best practices in programming and driven by content that’s relevant to your audiences. When you take this approach, here are six key advantages. 

1. Gaining credibility – If you’re on the first page with your subpages listed, your company and your brand command a level of respect that ads and PPC alone cannot bring (and at a lower cost, too). 
2. Standing out – There are hundreds of millions of active websites. It can seem nearly impossible to get attention. But when your website is optimized for targeted keywords your audience uses, it can provide the differentiation you need.
3. Getting clicks – About 18 percent of click-throughs on Google go to the very first search result, according to a 2011 study by Slingshot SEO. The second position comes in at 10 percent, the third at 7 percent, the fourth at just under 5 – and all others at sub-2. Securing a spot at or near the top is a key way to gain a significant edge.
4. Increasing competitiveness – Your competitors are applying SEO practices, too. Stay ahead of them by executing in a way that’s smarter and more strategic.
5. Helping your customers – Search engines are unique in that they provide targeted traffic – people looking for what you offer. Support their quest by making it easy for them to find you through a search engine.
6. Learning and adapting – By revealing what people are searching for in your industry, SEO analytics help you uncover shifts in demand and market conditions, which can in turn help you adapt your products, services and strategies for more revenue.

Quick, Appealing, Captivating: Learn How to Create an Effective Infographic

Here’s a simple truth: people process visual messages more quickly than text.

That should be all you need to know to spur you to make visual media a priority in your content marketing efforts. With the staggering amount of information available to your audiences, you need to help them absorb your message in every possible way.

However, for those who are less artistically inclined, the thought of putting together a visual presentation may be daunting.

But how about an infographic? A good infographic conveys information in a concise and aesthetically pleasing style, which helps increase retention. Plus, they can easily be built using various online tools.

This one, for example, was built with the help of Piktochart. Please absorb and enjoy these 5 tips for creating an effective infographic.

Innovate Creatively to Address the Talent Paradox in Your Organization

Manufacturing is consistently seen as a key component of a strong economy and as a critical job creator. Yet according to a recent public perception survey conducted by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, many individuals don’t consider manufacturing careers highly desirable. These insights and more were shared during a recent webinar titled, “HR Management in Manufacturing: A Vital Lever for Talent-Driven Innovation.”

The war to attract and develop talent through creative innovation is a growing trend in the manufacturing industry. That trend is driven largely by difficulty in filling talent gaps, escalated turnover costs and a demand from potential employees for engaging and meaningful work.

So, how can you successfully address this talent paradox? As noted in the webinar, here are just a few actions that are already working:

• Establishing partnerships with community colleges, trade organizations and industry peers
• Building and monitoring social media engagement focused on recruitment
• Aligning onboarding and retention strategies with what’s important to vital recruits

Other actions to consider include:

• Developing a careers website dedicated to recruitment
• Supporting your recruitment efforts though media relations
• Hosting an open house or other special event that allows potential employees to explore your facility, ask questions and learn more

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, winning the talent game requires smart strategies, utilizing a variety of channels. Explore more about how our agency is helping clients deal with the crucial talent issue. Or check out the case study below: 

Case Study (PDF): How a comprehensive program can support  HR recruiting efforts

Act Globally. Think Locally.

I recently returned from a two-week trip to Shanghai for the annual meeting of IPREX, a global network of communications agencies. 

It was my latest in a string of opportunities to travel overseas in recent years, on account of taking on an increasing role in IPREX (I was sworn in as the new president at the meeting), as well as serving several clients with global operations.

But throughout my relatively modest travels, I’m always reminded of an important truth upon my return: I still have a lot to learn about the people and places I’ve visited. 

So who can help me better understand these essential elements? Only the people who’ve lived there all their lives. 

If you’re looking to succeed on international fronts, there’s simply no substitute for local expertise. You need people who not only speak the language fluently, but also truly understand the culture, the mindset and the current environment.

That’s why our partners throughout IPREX are so important to our business and our clients. In a global economy in which knowledge and speed are crucial, these relationships ensure instant access to professionals who really know how to advance success in Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Sydney and so many places in between.

No Lead Left Behind – It’s Easy to Keep Track with Today’s CRM

How many times have you engaged in a conversation with a potential customer and never made contact again? Whether you lost their business card or simply forgot about them, you missed an opportunity.

Lucky for you and your team, there are powerful tools available to help you make sure you never let another one slip away. It’s now easier than ever to stay on top of leads through web-based customer relationship management (CRM) programs like Salesforce.com.

Here’s a quick primer at the two main categories of leads and how to use them.

Leads – Pretty much anyone that meets your target audience criteria. Leads are categorized by cold (people or businesses that do not know who you are) and warm (leads that have a prior relationship with you). Each can be assigned to a specific person on your sales team to increase accountability for converting this lead into revenue.

Opportunity Pipeline – Leads who recognize the need for your company’s services and have engaged in multiple conversations with your team. Keep track of the conversations in the “status update” section to gauge your progress and share notes to tailor your next message to that company’s needs. The opportunity pipeline is separated by three stages:

• Prospect – Recognizes the value of your products or services and has engaged in initial, informal discussions about moving forward.
• Dance – In the process of talking about specific products or projects, but yet to decide if your company is the perfect partner.
• Quote – Has received a formal proposal that outlines the cost and timeline of a given project.

If you’ve never tried one of today’s online CRM tools, you’ll be surprised just how simple they are. So give it a try. There’s no reason to ever lose another lead.

No One Is Coming to Save You from the Skills Gap

Your company is going to have to take the initiative. Trefoil Group’s principal, Mary Scheibel, reflected on this reality and how companies can win the talent game at the recent Society of the Plastics Industry conference in Miami. 

Open almost any major manufacturing publication and you’ll see a common thread: the ever dooming skills gap. Despite the worrying, however, many mid-market manufacturers are not doing all that they can do to make themselves attractive to skilled recruits.

So how can you do a better job? Let’s break it down into three focus areas.

• Differentiate your company. Why should people want to do business or work for your company? Don’t blend in with all the competitors. Tell a compelling story. Be the bold, colorful competitor that sticks out. Keep in mind that a strong brand that appeals to customers often appeals to recruits as well.

• Define and drive your culture. Culture is more than a competitive advantage; it’s the number one attribute recruits value most. If you don’t have a culture that’s driven to succeed, start to build one right now.  If your employees are inspired, they’ll help you win against the toughest competition. 

• Build a strong online presence. A recent study done by Cisco demonstrated “that 1 in 3 college students and young professionals consider the Internet to be as important as other fundamental resources like air, water, food and shelter.” Thus, the web offers one of your strongest opportunities to showcase your brand personality and engage talent. 

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to tackle this tough issue today. For further insights on recruiting, retaining and aligning a great workforce, you can review Mary’s presentation below.

Winning the Talent Game in an Increasingly Competitive Marketplace from Trefoil Group