NEW MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES AT UPCOMING TRADE SHOWS
SPE, SEG and a ton of other similar events are fast approaching, and companies are looking for new ways to get the most from participating in these events. Here’s a couple of ideas that we’ve seen work very well for our clients in the past.
Client Testimonials-
A trade show can be a great opportunity to network with clients and potential clients. Much of a company’s entire client base can be together, under one roof, for several days. Not only does this mean a great opportunity to reach them, it is also a great opportunity to gather testimonials from them. As we first described in a similar update over a year ago, we’ve developed an efficient, inexpensive system for acquiring customer interviews and testimonials during trade shows, conventions and other meetings where valuable customers from all over the world might gather. Here’s how it works:
We create a small set in a meeting room or in a hotel suite suitable for interviews.
Our client recruits willing interview subjects that will be attending the show in advance and/or from the show floor during the event. We sometimes use a free gift such as an iPod or digital camera as an incentive to encourage subjects to participate.
The interview subject visits the conveniently located set for a 15 minute interview about the client’s products, services, performance, or any other relevant topic. We also usually ask the subjects how the client’s company could improve which sometimes produces surprising, and very useful, information.
It is a brilliant system that works very well – often times much better than the client expects. In the course of a single day we may get six to eight interviews or more, with subjects from all over the world. In three days we accumulate enough interviews to create several extremely effective productions. We have even created programs overnight with the new footage to use during the last days of the event. Some examples are on the Work Samples page of our site at http://www.texas-pictures.com/work_samples.html . See the third listing, “HP Blade Customer Videos,” under the category, “Sales and Promotion.”
Looping Video Displays-
In our Texas Pictures Update last fall we included a list of general guidelines for creating better looping video displays for trade shows. With the fall season upon us we thought we’d include a link to that list in case you plan to create something for your booth this season. The list of guidelines from last fall is here. Samples of some of the trade show loops we created can be found on our web site here.
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VIRAL VIDEO PRODUCTION GUIDELINES now on our site
More and more large companies are turning to viral video by posting clips on YouTube and other sites to increase brand awareness and to promote themselves, but what really works? In some cases the quality of the video is so poor that message gets lost in the distraction of the medium. Some posted videos have segments that are under or over exposed, out of focus, unsteady, badly composed, have terrible audio or have other technical errors.
Sure, technical errors aren’t a very big deal for most of the material on sites like YouTube, but eliminating these errors dramatically improves a video’s chances of success. Also, these errors can send the wrong message about a company’s commitment to quality. If a company is willing to make compromises when creating something they post for the world will see, what does that say about the quality of the material they manufacture or the services they provide?
We recommend hiring pros like us – what a surprise – to help you create video you want to go viral with. We have more and better gear, we know all the quality controls, all the tricks and all the problem solving techniques to achieve ideal results that let your audience focus on the message rather than be distracted by technical errors and production quality compromises. However, producing a quality viral video without hiring pros is definitely within anyone’s reach. We’ve created some general guidelines that you might find useful if you’re considering creating something viral on your own. They’re in the RESOURCES section of our web site or you can view them here.