The initial look of the site was great. Clearly they’ve done some nice design work. But seems like someone forgot the customer experience and why people actually visit retailers’ websites…to look at product!

There’s no where on this page to find what products they carry. The only way is to click on View Flyer and then have to enter a postal code. I don’t want to see a flyer with some products, I want to search as I please…is that so much to ask?

In this day and age it’s surprising to see that Zellers shows so little of what they carry. Maybe I’m missing something here? If I am, do let me know…BTW, I never found what I was looking for (I headed for another retailer’s site).

If you work at an advertising or online agency, are in charge of your company’s online marketing,  or are an internet consultant, this is a tool you need to check out.

Google touts this tool as a better way to plan your online ad spend with deeper insight into your traffic and their advertising network.

The ad planning tool also has a new traffic estimation component. Google says this will help track Unique Visitos more effectively.

There are also new country demographics and pre-defined audience options.

For full details take a look at the Google Ad Planner post on Google’s site.

According to Gary Halbert that is. Does he know what he’s talking about? Yes siree. Gary Halbert passed away a year ago. But he was easily one of the smartest and most effective copywriters on the planet.

Ken Mcarthy has put up a bunch of videos online of Gary Halbert. Some shorter, some longer. But the message in this video is worth more than what you likely earn in 1 hour – and you’ll learn it in minutes.

 It may sound like common sense, but give it some good thought and remember what Gary says,
“The Internet Is Only A Delivery System”.

An increasing number of our clients, especially over the last two years, have asked for our help with their Adwords campaigns. Actually, about 70% of them didn’t even have an account set up … so we often start from scratch.

As you get more and more advanced with Google Adwords you quickly see how effective a marketing tool it can be, but also how advanced it can get. This video below not only gives you a high-level technique that works … but also brings home the reality that not everything will work for everyone.

That’s what testing is for, right?

This one looks at a challenge many large companies face and most do nothing about. But the company in the case study, Business Objects, did.

I’m happy about this for 2 reasons: 1) Business Objects is based in Vancouver, where I live (although they were recently acquired by SAP, and  2) the company clearly proved that direct response marketing deserves a seat (if not the Vice-President’s chair) at the main table.

Here’s why …

The case focused on a software download page for one of the company’s products. Clearly the website had been developed by a ‘professional design’ firm. They had strict design guidelines in place. For those of you not familiar with this … these guidelines are like a set of rules showing what colors, fonts, images, positioning of elements, etc you can and can not use in your materials.While the guidelines are created to keep a consistent image in place … they also allowed for little flexibility.

No change means no improvement.

Us direct response marketers know, flexibility is key as it is part of testing mentality. Lucky for Business Objects one of their employees was smart enough to push for the budget and knock the design and branding team out so they could make the needed changes to test the page for improvements.

And improvements they did see. In fact, the two new test pages brought in a 32% and 17% improvement.

Think about this for a minute. Most companies are led to believe that ‘the prettiest’ and ‘most professional’ looking website or materials are mandatory. My thoughts on that? Bull***t!

Without continual testing and a flexible approach you’ll never see the true potential of your business. That’s why this case study is such a breath of fresh air … it proves that big business can and should implement direct response techniques throughout the biz.

It doesn’t have to be done company-wide off the bat. But gradually over time. Imagine what a continual 32% improvement would do for your business …

Access to the full Marketing Sherpa article is open until September 17th
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=30820&pop=no

To your success,
Michael Zipursky

No silly, not by physical force. But they were genuinely concerned.

Turn on the TV, check the front few pages of any newspaper, listen to the radio and no doubt you’ll be bombarded with a chess match of mentally developed and not-so-understandably respected folks yelling at each other “recession-this” and “no-recession-that’”.

“A financial crisis here” says one lady, while the other ‘just-as-wise’ smiles her best smile, looks you in the eye and tells you “there is no financial crisis, this is a time of opportunity.” And just then, ten other well-greased analysts, and a couple of bow-tie clad economists declare there is no opportunity. Everyone must cust back and cushioned their rear-ends in preparation for the big loss.

What’s happening really isn’t anything new in my view. Sure, parts of this dramatic play “have never been seen before”. But the economy, since the beginning of time, as had its ups and downs, its sidesteps, trips, hops, jumps and falls…

Being the way we are, we tend to forget that everything goes in cycles – and that this too shall pass.

I am by no means an analyst, nor an economist – so we’ll leave the end of this story to the men and women that can tell us each and every morning that they know what will happen in the future. I guess while I’m working out each morning, their reading their crystal balls…

So back to the concerns those two presidents had…

They both felt this economic wave was going to collapse their castles. They were genuinely worried, maybe even a little scared inside.

I reassured them that unless their foundation and walls were as brittle as a toasted almond sliver, they’d be fine (these two companies were built plenty sturdy).

“So Michael, we should buckle down then, right? Cut and curtail our spending and hiring, of course?” I’m quite positive many other business owners have been thinking the same thoughts. That’s human kind.

But letting these thoughts take over your strategic and business edge, that inside core that lit your passion for business, would be a mistake.

A HUGE MISTAKE

You see, now is the time to spend more. The greatest challenges provide the greatest opportunities.

Stick you head in the sand, build a wall around yourself….and you may or may not weather the storm. If you’re willing to take that gamble go ahead.

But there is a massive opportunity here. And like I told both these executives…the opportunity comes simply because most business owners will be cutting this special here, removing that benefit from there, snipping bonuses on this side, and demolishing ad and marketing spending on the other side.

Their voices changed…they both knew what I was getting to, what I had in mind. Because fewer people are spending to get their messages out, and are reducing the amount of money they can spend on pampering their clients and attracting new ones…by you spending more…you’ll be miles ahead…people are always buying something, and this is a great time to stand out, get noticed and acquire those new customers.

By no means am I recommending to increase your spending by 10x. I’m not even implying increasing your spending. What I’m suggesting,  because I’ve seen it work many times, is that you keep your spending going – continue investing in your business, your marketing and advertising.

This doesn’t change the need to test and track constantly.

So remember, there is always an opportunity around the corner. Look at your business’ current situation, follow what your competition is doing, and prepare…then go in for the jugular, move forward when all others are moving back. You will come out ahead. Market share and profits will be yours for the taking.

I know this can be a touchy issue. As always I welcome your questions and comments.

To your success,

Michael Zipursky

Well, you don’t just say hello and show them your product. Of course, there is nothing wrong with showing your products to anyone that comes to your booth, but what you really should do is qualify each person.

You don’t want to spend 20 minutes showing someone your product only to find out they have no intention whatsoever of buying it or writing/talking about it (if they are press).

My suggestion here is for times when there are many people around your booth. If there is no rush, not many people around, sure – take your time and talk away…you never know who that person may tell…even if they don’t plan to buy, someone they know may.

But you need to have your priorities in place.

Back to qualifying attendees. You can do this by finding out, “which company are you with?”, “have you ever seen this kind of product”, “do you have experience with this product?” ….or simply ask if they are looking for the kind of solution your product provides.

This will give you a good indication if you’re talking with a potential “prime buyer.”

And then, if they are, you can make the move to get their contact information. Before we talk about that there is one extremely important topic we must cover….

…preparing for the dialog with potential buyers before you even arrive at the tradeshow.

It’s a mystery why most companies don’t do this (actually, not really, people are just lazy). Gather your team around a table and make a list of all the questions your potential buyers (those that would be most interested in your product…the ones you had in mind when you developed the product) could possibly ask you.

Things like the cost, the materials, how does this part function, can I use it with this other product, so on and so forth. This might take 30 or 40 mins to write down, but it will be time well spent. Then take another 20 mins or so to answer all of those questions. What you’re doing here is ensuring that all of your staff’s answers are aligned and that you’re prepared for any possible question that comes to you.

This is important because often times you’ll lose potential customers because you can’t justify for them why they should make this purchase or you don’t have the information they need to make up their mind that “this is the right choice.”

Again, it is time well spent.

You can also build in much of this information into your print materials that promote and support the advantages of what you are offering.

What  kind of print materials are most effective for trade show marketing? A 1-page, double-sided outline of your product with a few photos and list of what it can do…often times a comparison chart of other similar products in the industry works well too.

What should this not be? Forget the 10-page brochure. Leave that for when the potential client requests additional information. Most trade show attendees have their bags filled with papers and promotions…and they don’t appreciate receiving heavy packages. Fact is, they can (or should be able to) get all that information and more from your website.

So keep your materials short and sweet. The key to these materials, as always, is the copywriting. It should be laser targeted to you prime prospect and clearly tell them why they should care.

A headline, benefits, proof, testimonials and don’t forget to make them an offer….use a call to action that emotionally forces them to want to contact you again for a free report or demonstration.

In the hole please….
That’s where it can go. Many executives think it’s too cheesy…but it still works. To make collecting people’s information easier offer a draw for a prize -  you can even have them fill in a simple survey…and then you can sort through to find the real prospects later. Thing is, you give away an iPod or something that most people would like…but it also attracts attention to your booth and makes it easy for you to get the contact information of attendees.

I’m going to have to end here. Sorry folks, but stay tuned. Next week I’m going to cover the most neglected yet exponentially important final step of tradeshow marketing.

See you next Monday.

To your success,
Michael

So Joe, here we go….

Last week I said I wouldn’t touch on the actions you should go through before the tradeshow. But let me digress and bridge that gap for a moment.

The worst thing you can do as a tradeshow or event exhibitor is to settle for a small listing on your website about your exhibition and booth number and leave it at that. Show up, set up, and hope all goes well is a dangerous set of ingredients. 9 times out of 10 that recipe is going to give you some terrible tasting results.

The major reason most companies attend tradeshows is to increase their sales. I mean, you can put a blanket on the ‘increase sales’ phrase with whatever language you want, like “demonstrate our new product” or “make contacts” or “create awareness” – fact is, you’re doing all of that to make a sale.

Now, if you’re going to make a sale, you need to know who you are going to sell to. And what you have that they so badly want or need that they’ll spend their time taking out their credits card to buy it from you. But you always identify who your prime targets are before going to a trade show, right? And the product or service you’ll offer them has been crafted with laser precision to give them what they want, right? 

Good, I’m glad to hear that.

So you have a list of prospects, maybe not the exact companies, but you know what kind of company you want to target. Great. The next step is to get a list of those ‘ideal clients’ and start the dialog with them.

Operator…connect me

How can you find these companies, you ask? You can go through the yellow pages and call them. You can buy a list from a list broker and send direct mail to them. There’s also placing an ad in a publication those prime buyers are most likely to read. And of course, their is the various ways to do all of this on the internet. 

Remember, these initial communications don’t need to say everything. You definitely don’t want to start this dialog trying to hard sell your offering. This is just to get things going….

Next, send out that initial communication months in advance. Why? Because some ideal clients may not even be planning to attend that trade show. But after you personally invite them to your booth…to see something amazing you have to offer…they may decide that attending the show is worthwhile.

Your next communication can be a month or two before the show, and then another week or two before the show. What you’re doing here is creating and keeping the anticipation, awareness and desire of your target market to meet with you. You’ll be on their ‘to-see’ list during the show.

Here they come baby, here they come

They will come. That’s what this is meant to do – and it works. If each communication is done properly and if what you’re offering fills a need or want of your target market…they will come. Not only will they show up at your booth, they’ll be primed with interest to talk with you, to see what you’ve got, and you’ll be ready.

I wanted to write more about this but I gotta run. Check back next week and we’ll be covering more about tradeshow marketing, like:

• What kinds of materials are best to bring to the trade show
• How to keep in contact with each person that visits your booth – it will increase your sales
• A recap on the do’s and don’ts of booth design
• One of the top 3 keys to a successful tradeshow, and more.

Come on by next week.

To your success,
Michael

This week we’re going to dive into a quick snapshot of what works and what doesn’t in trade show marketing.

Since I just came back from the CES, we’re going to use this as our case study.

Looking at the results, I can tell you, many if not most companies’ trade show marketing stinks – it’s terrible.

Here’s why….

Let’s leave the marketing steps you should take before the trade show even begins for another day. I want to show you some examples from the show.

The reason to have a booth at a trade show is to:
1. Get attention
2. Create awareness
3. Start a meaningful dialog

Then, with that all taken care of there is the all-important:
4. Follow-up stage 1
5. Follow-up stage 2 and so on

So I’m walking around the show and see this. Companies need to think of their booth designs as advertisements…not as space to play with color use as art. Generic words like these say nothing. They don’t get attention, and even if someone happened to take 5 seconds for a glance at the text, they get nothing from it.

The copy here provides no reason for people to be interested.

Folks, use this space wisely. Text should be large enough to get attention, but just as important, it needs to communicate directly to your ideal prospect with a fact, news, or benefit that will make them stop and rush over to your booth.

This company could have said something like this “Save Money Delivering Your Products: We deliver more than 13,000 products a day to global markets”

After they’ve read your copy and feel compelled to come over to you and find out more, than you can start a meaningful dialog with them.

Point: Maximize your booth space to not just look ‘professional’ but also to sell attendees on a reason why they should get more information from you.

We’ll pick up from here next week…and I’ll elaborate more how to complete the trade show experience to get real measurable results and increase profits.

 To your success,
Michael

There is much I could report on. Rather than hit you with a post too long for its own good – I’m going to break this up and give you bites of goodness over the next couple of weeks.

Let’s dive right in.

I’m going to start today with my overall take away on what’s happening with technology from  the show. You can watch or read the keynotes for Bill Gates of Microsoft, Toshihiro Sakamoto of Panasonic, Paul Otellinini of Intel by going here CES Keynotes 

But if I had to sum up where consumer technology is heading in 2008, at least as presented at CES, I’d give it to you in one word. That’s right, just one word…

PERSONALIZATION

You’ll hear 100 different ways to call it, to name it and to come up with what it really means. But it all comes back to personalization.

That’s right. I didn’t see many revolutionary technologies. Which is fine, I wasn’t really expecting to. What I did see a lot of were extensions of current technologies, altered in one way or another to give and allow the consumer more control.

Yes, of course manufacturers have made TVs thinner (now as thin as an iphone), and larger – the Panasonic 150″ (I think that is something like 9 or 10 – 50″ TVs put together), stunning. But most of the ‘new’ technologies are focused around making technology more relevant to each individual consumer.

This isn’t anything new…we’ve been able to change our PCs desktop background for a long time, and then to choose the color of our Hotmail accounts, and to push one button to scan and archive receipts and on and on.

It makes sense that this trend keeps progressing. Until something revolutionary comes out companies can only hope to keep consumers interested in their brand and products by making it more and more relevant…and in this case, making consumers feel proud of what they own. It’s not a XYZ Brand MP3 player, but an MP3 player unique to each person and customized for their lifestyle.

Vets of marketing know that personalization is nothing new. While this technique has been around for ages only recently have many global corporations caught on that they should personalize their direct mail and promotions to the person they send them to. Receiving something in the mail or by email that has my name on it feels more personal, doesn’t it?

I’m glad to see the focus on personalization enter the mainstream increasingly.

Here are a few examples:

Optimus Maximus Keyboard – http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/demo/
Decal Girl – http://www.decalgirl.com/

Next week I’m going to give you the inside scoop on trade show marketing…

To your success,
Michael