TREW Co-Founder Wendy Covey recently sat down with Michael Aivaliotis from VI Shots for an interview titled “Why Engineers Should Love Marketing.”  Michael Aivaliotis, founder of VI Shots, records audio podcasts targeted to scientists and engineers who use LabVIEW. The podcasts include interviews, discussions, and ideas centered around LabVIEW development and growing a successful technical business.

In this interview, Wendy discusses how to approach B2B marketing to technical audiences and provides practical advice encompassing a range marketing topics, from planning and positioning to conferences and social media.

Highlights from the podcast include:

• Planning– what are your business goals?
• Messaging – how are you truly unique?
• Branding – it’s more than pretty colors and a creative logo
• Website and Content – your virtual storefront and the #1 marketing investment you should make
• Conferences – personify your brand, capture leads
• Thought leadership – it’s a marathon, not a sprint
• Social Media – start with a blog, listen first
• Email – stay top of mind

Listen to the podcast at VIShots.com.

Related blog posts:

New eBook: A 15-Point Checklist to Evaluate Your B2B Technical Website

Infographic: B2B Marketing in 2013

How to Create a B2B Marketing Plan that Drives Results

Looking for additional insight? Check out our TREW Talks- Case Studies Slideshow



Today B2B marketers heavily leverage online channels for their inbound marketing efforts; however, print collateral including corporate, product, and segment flyers still has a strategic place in comprehensive integrated marketing plans. Flyers can be used both online as additional resource material that is nicely formatted so customers can print it if they choose; and professionally printed flyers are particularly valuable at tradeshows and as talking points and leave behinds at customer sites where security doesn’t allow laptops or smart devices to be brought in on visits.

So what makes a great flyer? Let’s look at a couple of examples to demonstrate the use cases and best practices for superb flyer execution.

Kline Technical Consulting

The need:
To build credibility around their experience and core competencies as a boutique security integrator and to aid their sales efforts.

The approach:

• One-page, two-sided flyer with branding aligned to the website for strong consistency that included:
  • Reversed out header and footer area for clear sight of company logo and contact information
  • Sidebar quote to build credibility through customer reference
  • Column area at the bottom to highlight past projects and quick facts
  • Unique graphic to visually convey their solutions
  • About section to describe the company for new prospects

Primary use case:

• PDF resource link on the specific landing page of their website
• Small print quantities to hand out at in-person meetings with high-level decision makers such as line commanders, political appointees, and chief scientists and engineers

Kline Physical Security Systems 2-page flyer featuring unique design,
compelling visuals and customer quote.

Flyer PDF used as call-to-action on web resource tab.

ClosedWon

The need:
To build awareness and increase visibility to prospects at an industry tradeshow.

The approach:

• Four-page, corporate flyer with:
  • Overview messaging of the company and their product and services offerings
  • Consistent brand positioning and identity from their website
  • Customer quote to build credibility with their target audience
  • Icons to create visual association of key focus areas listed in the accompanying text
  • Customized photography that features their actual employees and their headquarters in Albuquerque to deliver an authentic brand experience
• Three, one-page, two-sided flyers (product, support, and segment) featuring:
  • A unique side-tab color bar for easy visual distinction of each flyer
  • The ability to be used as stand-alone pieces or in customizable combinations inserted inside the fold of the four-page corporate flyer
  • Short, impactful headlines to make the most important content standout
  • A balance of text, graphics, and white space to ease readability

Primary use case:

• Tradeshow booth collateral display rack
• Talking points and prospect take-aways for booth visitors
• PowerPoint slides that leveraged the content and design that were used on an iPad to deliver an interactive experience

Four-page corporate flyer based off TREW branding brain.

Each 2-page flyer had a consistent layout and brand identity, and featured a
right-sight branding bar for easy distinction in the booth display.

ClosedWon President, Mark Morris, used
flyers in print and on the iPad for talking points at a tradeshow.

Key Takeaways:

• Flyers are still relevant, multi-purpose marketing tools that can be used online and in printed form
• Printed flyers are effective for use at tradeshows and events and as customer leave behinds
• Use best practices for flyers, like writing catchy headlines, using compelling visuals and directly addressing customers’ needs

To learn more about creating impactful collateral and content, check out these other posts and content or visit our website for more information about TREW writing, and design services.

Looking for additional insight? Check out our TREW Talks- Case Studies Slideshow

Related Blog Posts:

Open Dialogue and Collaboration Results in Spectacular Product Brochure

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Trade shows can be an amazing opportunity to network, educate buyers, and grow your business. However, the art of trade show marketing can be tricky and has become an ever-changing battle for the attention of the client. Through strong competition with surrounding booths for the show visitors’ attention, exhibiting companies have driven demand for a greater variety and increase in complexity. Every year new products, processes, and services are created solely around the need for a full and complete stop by a client or customer.

These products, which started from the most humble of beginnings, have grown steadily in complexity, expense, and interactivity as time has gone by. Originally, a free pen or pencil was enough to stop a client and draw his attention toward your literature or representatives. But now, even the most useful of office items is seen as trivial and uninspired.

In an effort to help your trade booth in the upcoming season, here are the top 5 trending B2B trade show items to help boost your booth traffic:

#1 – Eye catching USB 2GB Thumb-Drives

These little pocket promos are great for B2B tradeshows! Not only are they a useful office staple, but they are cheaply available in bulk, are made in any custom shape, size and color, and have two customizable print surfaces. Over all they take the number one spot for ease, affordability, versatility, and an easy creator of top-of-mind awareness.

#2 – Quality Reusable Tote Bags

Tote bags may seem like an old trick, but it is also a sure bet. Especially at large trade shows when there is a lot of literature, samples, and promotionals to hang on to. Totes are an easy way to guarantee a client will have your name on their person throughout the show and back home or around the office.

#3 – Combination Pen/Laser Pointer/Memory card Pens

The typical business professional is not interested in a normal pen. Even the nicer of promotional pens is still not something they are willing to carry around during the show. Which means, they are not willing to stop at your booth either. In order to still use the option of a cheaper promo, like a pen, you can enhance your offer with even more flash. The combination of a laser pointer and usb thumb-drive in a sturdy, sleek pen gives you both the convenience and unique qualities needed in a trade show promo to bring your target to a full and complete stop.

#4 – USB Tech Gadgets – Mini USB Presenter remote

This unique office gadget is great to flag down attention from your future clients. Not only is this a cheaper option for a high tech audience, but it is also something that almost every business professional needs. This pocket presenter is slim, compact, and avoids any argument against carrying “too many things around the show.”

#5 – Quality Breath Mints with case.

Mints may seem passé and obvious, but it is a staple for any trade show rep or prospective client. These high quality, affordable mint dispensers are perfect for getting people to stop and put YOUR name right in their pocket. Both mint tins and sheet dispensers have large full color print areas and are fully customizable to your specifications. When worst comes to worst, everyone needs a mint.

Although the promo “bait and hook” strategy is wonderfully successful when properly executed, there have been a few other trends in trade show marketing that have been very useful and exciting as well. Most recently, businesses are fixated on the “Win a Free iPad” raffle or drawing. This is, in fact, an easy way to get specific information from a client, such as an email or business card, and draw them into your booth. However, because this has become such a consistently used tactic, it has lost the excitement needed to truly capture the direct attention for your business needs.

In an effort to overcome these obstacles, here are some top trending ideas for interactive activities and re-imagined raffles that will steal the spotlight back for your business.

#1 - Skin It Web Tech Gifts

These gift-able, customizable, personal tech device covers are a fantastic give away for the tech-savvy consumer who wants a cool promo without any of the fuss. Skin It provides you with preloaded gift cards redeemable through a link that takes your client back to your company’s website!

#2 – Numbered Bag Raffles

By creating competition and camaraderie between your potential clients, you can create a lot of chatter and bring attention to your booth. One idea has been to give out totes, numbered by a tag, to clients. Each bag and number has an identical double, if a client finds the other client with the twin matching bag, and return to the booth, they will receive the prize. With desirable prizes this method has worked very well.

#3 – Rentable Engravary Machines

This is an easy and unique way to bring in booth traffic! There are numerous companies that rent out engraving machines at daily rates. This supplies both a unique draw and a custom product that your client will surely keep for a long period of time!

#4 – Rentable Token Powered “Raffle Game” Machines

Similar to the engraving machine, there are also plink-o machines that are available for rent by the day. These are fun, loud, and a much needed change from the monotony of usual show tactics. By giving out tokens for providing lead information, or participating in a demonstration, you can get your clients excited, interested, and involved!

In closing, as you move closer to your trade show date and are making the crucial decision of which product to invest in for your individual business, REMEMBER, just any product is not guaranteed to yield better results unless you can devise a way to loop these methods into your business or sales model. Your products and gifts will be most effective when the product relates to or directly promotes/reminds your buyer of your original business or product.

Need help planning your upcoming trade shows? Contact TREW Marketing today.

Related Blog Posts:

6 Smart Trade Show Tactics Seen at Design West

Trade Show Media Relations: Do’s and Don’ts

5 Marketing Activities for Trade Show Success

Looking for additional insight? Check out our guide: Smart Marketing for Engineers

Want to create professional-looking recordings of product demos or customer testimonials, but don’t have a high-end budget to produce them? Start by creating a company account on YouTube – a search-friendly social media channel for sharing user-created videos. Then follow these simple do-it-yourself (DIY) guidelines to produce an effective and cost-efficient video for spreading company awareness and communicating with your audience.

Figure 1. This video of customer testimonials was shot at a tradeshow and edited with Apple iMovie.

Video Objectives and Content

Before you get started, establish the goals of the film to determine if the video is worth the time and effort of producing.

• What is the point of the video? Are you selling or training?
  • Note: A sales pitch video should be much shorter (only 1 to 2 minutes) and have less detail than a tutorial video in order to keep the viewer’s attention.
• Who is the audience?
• What is your goal and how will you know if the video is successful?

Using these objectives, create a rough outline of the video’s content. For example, if the video is a product demo, the story may unfold as such:

• Act 1: a short introduction that gives a hook of why the viewer should care
• Act 2: the meat of the presentation that shows why the product is impressive via a short demo
• Act 3: an explanation of the wonderful benefits of using this product and the next steps to take

To make the recording session as productive as possible, use the outline to map out a storyboard of the necessary shots, as well as a matching script for the narrator. Choose a dynamic and exciting speaker, and consider adding a little humor if appropriate.

Equipment List

Next, you will need to have the following tools at your disposal:

• Digital video-recording device, such as a Kodak minicamcorder or smartphone
• Tripod
• External microphone
• Video-editing software, such as the free Window Movie Maker or Apple iMovie
• Screen recording software for software demos (optional)
• Audio recording and editing software, such as the free Audacity software (optional)

Nowadays, smartphones are a lot more accessible than handheld camcorders. However, to produce higher quality videos on a budget, it may be worthwhile to invest in a dedicated recording device with extra capabilities. Key features to look for include an external microphone jack, ability to mount on a tripod, and high definition (HD) quality video output.

Recording Setup

On the day of the recording, set aside extra time beforehand to prepare the environment.

• For good sound quality, choose a conference room or other quiet setting. Using an external microphone is highly recommended. For wired microphones, snake the device up through the bottom of the speaker’s shirt and pin it on the collar. If you only have an internal microphone, make sure the speaker is close enough to the video recorder and do some sound checks beforehand.
• For lighting, make sure the subject is well lit and properly color balanced (so that white actually looks like white on the video). This can be accomplished by choosing a location with good natural lighting, bringing in additional lamps for artificial lighting, or adjusting digital settings on your camera or video-editing software.
• Practice the rule of thirds. Position the main subject of your video on the intersecting thirds lines, instead of centered in the middle of the screen.

Figure 2. This Microsoft technology video uses the rule of thirds to create an interesting and well-balanced shot.

Best Practices for Recording

Keep in mind these tips and tricks when creating the storyboard and on the day of recording.

• When using amateur recording equipment, avoid moving, panning, zooming, or even touching the camera during takes to prevent shaky camera syndrome. Instead, get static shots from varying angles, as well as a mix of wide and close shots, which can be smoothly connected during the editing process.
• Get at least 5 seconds of extra video before and after each shot for editing purposes.
• Record supplemental B-roll footage to cut away from the main shot, keep things interesting, and hide any problem areas. For example, you can insert close-ups of the demo while the narrator is speaking, instead of just showing the speaker the whole time.
• Rather than fitting everything into one shot, record multiple takes if needed so you’ll have many options to choose from during the editing process.

Post-Production

Once you have obtained the necessary footage, upload the files onto the computer with the editing software and follow these guidelines. Once completed, embed the video on your website and upload it on the company’s YouTube account with the appropriate description and search tags.

• Shorten the film as much as possible to maintain the audience’s attention. Do not use any fancy transitions between shots; cut and fade are sufficient for most videos.
• Keep the visuals interesting by using shots from different angles, inserting unexpected images or B-roll footage, and moving static pictures.
• Do not use any music or graphics unless they are royalty-free or you have the explicit permission from the creator.
• The audio quality must be clear enough to understand, so re-record the audio or add subtitles as necessary.
• Insert a title page that can include the video title and speaker’s name and title. Insert an end page that can include the company logo and next steps, such as a website address or contact information.

Figure 3. Create an end page to provide viewers with concrete next steps to take.

Looking for additional insight? Check out our guide: Smart Marketing for Engineers

Related Links:
5 Fast, Compelling Videos to Create Now
A How-To Guide for Creating Webcasts

Today, TREW Marketing launched an online survey asking technical engineers questions on their media choices for news on the latest technologies and industry trends. The survey addresses marketing media topics ranging from web search habits, to industry publication and social media usage, as well as planned media investments for B2B science and engineering companies.

“Engineers and scientists use a variety of media sources to seek technical information, which are constantly evolving. This can be challenging for companies who target this audience,” says Wendy Covey, Co-Founder & Principal, TREW Marketing. “With this survey, we aim to better understand the changing media habits of engineers, then use this data to help guide custom marketing plan development for our growing list of B2B technology clients.”

The survey will be conducted both online and offline at Design West. Located in San Jose, Ca., this conference brings together diverse groups of high-tech professionals, including embedded hardware and software design, total systems integration, power management, open source software, android, embedded security, LED’s, and MultiCore, Sensors. TREW Marketing will be in attendance on the show floor from March 27th – 29th, conducting the survey and meeting with select companies to discuss their marketing strategies.

For those not attending Design West the survey is also available off the show floor through this blog, and we’d appreciate your participation. Click here to take the survey. It will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. After completing the survey you will be entered into a drawing for one of four $25 Starbucks gift cards. You will also have the opportunity to be notified by email when the results and findings become available.

TREW plans to announce the survey findings on our blog. Check back for the link to download our full report. In the meantime, download our free e-book, Smart Marketing for Engineers, a practical guide that includes positioning and planning, website development, content creation, search marketing, turning leads into sales, and social media.

Looking for additional insight? Check out our guide: Smart Marketing for Engineers

Exhibiting at an industry trade show can be a great investment for companies of all sizes. It provides an opportunity to showcase your products and enables you to meet in-person with customers, partners, analysts, suppliers and contacts from the industry media. Whether you plan to reach out to media contacts in advance to try to set up interviews, or try to catch their attention on the show floor, keep in mind the following do’s and don’ts of trade show media relations:

1. Do Provide News and Eye-Candy…

Editors and reporters who attend trade shows are primarily there so they can report on the “news” from the show. This is why it is important to offer them an opportunity to learn something new about your company, products, customers, or industry. If you don’t have something newsworthy for the event, give the media an opportunity to learn about your 6-month product roadmap, sharing appropriate details in order to pique their interest.

• Offer something visual. Many editors will appreciate if you can offer them a visual demonstration of your product or give them a chance to video a Q&A conversation with one of your executives or customers. This allows the media to share with their non-attending readers.

For example, demonstrate the way your new product works in one of your customer’s applications. This will help your booth stand out to the press who are looking to share fun stories and highlights about the show with their readers.

For example, here is a picture of the car that one of TREW’s clients had in their NIWeek booth, running the new test software they announced at the show.

But Don’t Expect All Media Contacts to Be Available for Meetings.

For highly anticipated trade shows, the media contacts are often outnumbered by hundreds of exhibitors. Simply due to time limitations, media contacts can’t meet with each exhibiting company. To maximize your time, qualify the list of media to those that will be most inclined to meet with your company.

2. Do Look for Informal At-show Opportunities to Build Rapport…

• Be aware of media badges. All attendees are given some type of identification to wear, and the media contacts typically have “media” written on their ID badge or nametag. As you attend sessions, keynotes, and even meals, keep an eye out for people with media identification. Take these chances to casually introduce yourself and company.
• Spark a friendly, casual conversation. Ask how their day is going, local happy hours, etc. Building relationships with the media is no different than building a relationship with anyone else – it takes time and intentional conversation to build rapport.

But Don’t Bombard– Exchange Business Cards with Added Details on Back.

When introducing yourself, don’t dive right in to an elevator pitch about your company during an informal, unexpected meeting with a media contact. They may not be covering the type of content you have. That said, it’s never bad to offer one of your business cards. Add a brief note on the back with what your company specializes in and why you think they might be interested in following up with you later. Even better, jot down brief points of supporting customer testimonials and/or upcoming news, that may interest them. This way you give them something enticing to revisit as they review business cards they collected at the show.

3. Do Make Spokespeople Readily Available and Prepared for Media Interviews…

• Be on time and flexible. Media personnel are typically booked with back-to-back meetings, and often, when one meeting runs late a domino effect occurs for the rest. Be sure that 1-2 dedicated company spokespeople have flexible schedules, so they can easily reschedule if needed. Furthermore, be willing to meet during informal time slots, such as coffee breaks or meals, as this may the only time you can get with that media contact.
• Exchange cell phone numbers. If you have set up at-show meetings in advance, be sure to exchange cell phone numbers, so they can call or text you if their schedules change, and you can do the same if your spokespeople has a time conflict.
• Rehearse sound bites and interview techniques. Be sure your company spokespeople are well-prepared for media interviews. They should be equipped to handle questions concerning the product, company, competitive landscape, pricing, and customer base. Have them do several mock interviews prior to the show, practicing their sound bites, holding a microphone, and standing in front of the camera.

And Don’t Forget to Take Notes for Follow Up.

As you meet with the press, take notes during the interview about what types of questions they ask. You may notice some journalists are more interested in customer applications, some probe for technical details, and others are inclined to learn about your corporate structure or partners, etc. Be sure that you are explicit about areas where you or your spokesperson will follow up with more detail, if needed.

After the meeting, it’s ideal to send the media contact a brief email with useful post-interview resources or requested documentation. This helps ensure your key messages are included in the write-up. It is also appropriate to send a social media “thank you” from your company.

4. DO Have Fun!

While trade shows can be busy and exhausting, they should also be a fun experience for your company reps. Enjoy the time to let your work shine and celebrate once it’s all over by putting your feet up and reading through the media coverage that you are hopefully able to secure as a result!

Need help with your media relations or trade show planning efforts? TREW Marketing can help! Contact us today to get started.

Looking for additional insight? Check out our guide: Smart Marketing for Engineers

Related blog posts:

5 Core Steps in the PR Marathon

5 Marketing Activities for Trade Show Success

How Strategic PR Efforts Boosted One IT Company’s Feature News Coverage by 125%

Did you know that for the first time, social media has surpassed company websites for consumers’ research on product information.

If you are one of those business leaders who thinks social media is only for big companies, it’s not relevant to your industry, or you’re thinking about social media but not sure where to start and how to measure its success, this blog series is for you. In Part 1, we’ll outline the five key benefits and 3 myths about social media. We’ll dispel these myths with real-world examples that illustrate why social media not only cannot be ignored, but with a clear strategy and plan, can truly enhance your company and marketing program. In Part 2, we’ll cover social media planning, how-to’s and tools and measurement tips.

So what are the key benefits of social media? Here are our top 5:

1. Gain deeper insights into your target audience and industry trends more affordably
2. Push relevant content around the clock through third-party endorsements and ease of sharing
3. Reach and engage new audiences that your traditional communication channels may not be touching
4. Increase credibility by being a valued member of and contributor to your community
5. Improve your search ranking through deeper links with social integration

Myth #1: “My customers are highly technical scientists and engineers. They don’t post on Facebook or have time to tweet.”

Reality: Don’t make the assumption that because you aren’t on social media, other engineers or prospects aren’t either. You might not be looking in the right channels for your highly technical interests. For instance, LinkedIn is a treasure trove of key decision makers across various industries. The largest population are ages 35-44 years, followed closely by 45-54 year olds.

Below is a screen shot of a LinkedIn group discussion, answering the question “What do you feel is the #1 challenge or threat to IT today?” The topic was posted in the CIO Network Group, which garnered 422 comments, many of which reveal deep insights and thorough analysis of the IT industry and provide on-the-fly market research. For more information about LinkedIn’s demographics and useful business practices, see blog post, “Social Ad Showdown: 5 Ways LinkedIn Takes Care of Business.”

Another example is Twitter. This can be an overwhelming channel if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Although Twitter has fewer members compared to other social sites (Pew Research estimates put it at approximately 10% of the global population), the channel’s users are very active spreading messages to new audiences you wouldn’t normally reach. For example, let’s look at trade shows. With tighter travel budgets, people are not attending like they used to, but through online forums, those who stay home can still follow the events of the conference and discuss. The image below shows the Twitter discussion and promotion at IP Expo, a conference serving the IP converged network community. In addition to people talking about the show off site, IP Expo uses Twitter to create a community, so people can continue the conversation after it’s over.

Myth #2: “Only outrageous or edgy products get social media attention”

Reality: While much online buzz is focused on the entertainment and fashion industries, social media also influences less consumer-focused industries such as the agricultural, electronics, and medical fields. In fact, the most unlikely products can generate tremendous online buzz. This doesn’t magically happen for B2B companies; typically it’s a result of careful marketing tactics, integrating online advertising, PR, shareable content, and offline activities to get these results. Here’s an example where one B2B engineering firm reached nearly 44 times more people through social media.

In August of this year, engineering firm Wineman Technologies and European-based applied research lab,  Tecnalia Research, announced their release of Dynacar, a fully validated, real-time vehicle model simulator for developing and testing passenger and light commercial vehicles. TREW Marketing executed the product launch around trade show NIWeek and results included coverage in print, in video, across the web, and in social media.

The graphic below illustrates the relevant impact of social media around Dynarcar’s launch. Wineman made their announcement on their website distributing to their 125 Twitter followers,which was amplified by 8 key influencers in the engineering field, who retweeted the message one or more times, reaching a total of 5,845 people on Twitter.

Myth #3: “I’m a small business and can’t afford the resources necessary to manage social media”

Reality: Social media is not free. Although it doesn’t cost you anything to create a Facebook or LinkedIn site for your company, it does take time to learn the landscape, keep up with the latest tools and trends, and maintain a consistent presence. And as we have said before and outlined in our guidebook, Smart Marketing for Engineers, we strongly encourage you to invest in social media only after you have developed a marketing plan, website, strong content, and an email marketing program.

When you are ready to begin a social media program, keep in mind some powerful statistics that may alter your future marketing allocations:

• 8 out of 10 companies of all sizes are using social media. The relatively inexpensive nature of this channel is the cause for rapid and widespread adoption of it, helping smaller businesses compete with their larger competitors (Omniture, page 3).
• Approximately 50% of companies plan to increase their social media and email marketing budgets for 2012 or in the near future (Omniture, Page 4).
• 70% of consumers reported turning to social media for objective information about a product, and 68% rely on the company website to obtain further specifications of the product. As mentioned above, for the first time, social media has surpassed company sites for consumers’ research on product information. Consumers are increasingly relying on social media for objective information about your product, then going to your website to purchase (Omniture, page 5).

Looking for additional insight? Check out our guide: Smart Marketing for Engineers

Q4 Technical Trade Shows & Conferences:

• Aero Engineering 2011, Nov. 9-10
• Automotive Testing Expo 2011, Oct. 25-27
• IP Expo 2011, Oct. 19-20
• International Time & Synchronisation in Telecoms (ITSF) 2011, Nov. 1-3
• Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) Minneapolis 2011, Nov. 1-3
• NI Technical Symposium (NITS) 2011, Oct. 18-Dec. 8
• Productronica 2011, Nov. 15-18

Face-to-face marketing such as trade shows and seminars are a powerful way to personify your brand, capture leads, and grow customer excitement and loyalty. With that said, they can be expensive, so it is critical to have a clear strategy and well-defined objectives to measure your return on investment.

Before anything else, set your trade show objectives prior to creating marketing activities. Example objectives to discuss with your team are:

• Number, profile of leads
• Speaking engagements
• Press meetings
• Key prospect/customer meetings
• Competitive analysis
• Partner co-marketing

1. Create one page flyers detailing your product features, key applications, and benefits. An example product flyer TREW designed for Cyth Systems Circaflex can be seen here.
2. Create presentation slides to succinctly introduce your product to customers, partners, and press. Start with your core slide deck, and customize it for the specific audience attending the trade show.
3. Develop compelling customer testimonials for use in booth, online, and in partner sales and marketing meetings.
4. Use a well-timed PR launch to spread your message. To see a recent example of a hugely successful launch for TREW client, Wineman Technology, that received coverage in print, in video, in the conference keynote, and across the web, click here.
5. Follow up with leads after the event, as soon as possible after their interaction with you while your company, product or service is still fresh in their minds. The more timely they hear from you following an action they took with your company (visiting a booth, downloading a white paper or watching a video on your website, etc), the better chance they will further engage, and thus move closer to a sale.

For more helpful tips on how to make every dollar of your marketing investment count, download our free guide, “Smart Marketing for Engineers” a practical guide to grow awareness and generate demand in technical markets.

Looking for additional insight? Check out our guide: Smart Marketing for Engineers

“Our partnership with TREW Marketing resulted in clear, consistent company, product-level positioning and messaging with a well-organized strategic marketing plan. Their smart, collaborative approach, flexibility with our evolving team and strategy, and a commitment to truly understand our business model enabled them to define and deliver our unique value proposition in a highly competitive market.” – Jon Pafk, Sr. Director of Marketing

Founded in 2006, Starmount delivers software solutions that transform the retail environment to a more connected and engaging store experience. Their mobile selling, interactive kiosk, and digital signage software brings the richness of the web and the power of mobile into the store, where retailers can create more personalized, relevant, and dynamic interactions while shoppers can learn, discover, and buy anywhere in the store. Starmount’s customers include leading retailers such as Pep Boys, Urban Outfitters, and Home Depot.

Starmount selected TREW Marketing to develop the company and product-level positioning and messaging “brain”, followed by a 12-month integrated campaign-based marketing plan to establish awareness and preference of Starmount and its products and services.

Deliverables:

• Developed core elements of the “brain”, including:
  • A clearly defined mission and vision statement
  • Company positioning and quick pitch
  • Distinctive and intriguing tagline concepts
  • Product- and services-level positioning and messaging
• Custom, integrated, campaign-based 12-month marketing strategy and activity plan, including:
  • Prioritized trade shows, recommendations to extend “event shelf life” with pre/post-show promotion
  • Content development plan to generate qualified leads through compelling, targeted content
  • Direct marketing centered on launch of a quarterly e-newsletter
  • A multi-tiered PR approach to maximize resources and target top-tier relationships
  • Search engine marketing analysis and recommendations across multiple campaigns, including natural search and pay-per-click reporting metrics
  • Recommendations for co-marketing with Oracle Retail to increase leads and become an aligned partner on events and news opportunities

Results:

• Communications Brain used as messaging guide for primary company and product communication
• Consistency and efficiency gains by using Brain vs. reinventing messaging with each new activity
• Scalable and integrated mix of low- and high-cost media investments to generate demand
• Creation of the company mission and vision statements:

• • Mission: ”Starmount solutions bring the richness of the web and the power of mobile to create relevant, engaging store experiences.”
  • Vision: “To transform the in-store shopping experience to make stores relevant and more connected than ever before.”
  • Taglines: “We make shopping sense.” “Don’t just serve your customers. Engage them.”; “Create relevant shopping experiences. Anytime. Anywhere.”; “Software that makes shopping local, mobile, and shared.”

Here are examples of the Starmount “brain” brought to life:

Since the founding of TREW Marketing, our focus has been on serving engineering and scientific organizations with smart, collaborative, and measured marketing services. While serving this uniquely defined niche, we offer a broad array of marketing services.

#1 – Exceeding expectations: To start, how about some data?

43% 3.9x 156%

Q: What do 43%, 3.9x and 156% all have in common?

A: They are all results that exceeded expectations for our clients in 2010:

• 43% = Open rate for trade show followup compared to industry standard of 15-18%

Alfamation’s email marketing response rate was 2.6 times greater than industry average.

The Alfa team taking care of customers and visitors to the booth during NIWeek 2010.

And no matter the project, our customers want to see results up and to the right. In 2010, we did just that:

• Exceeding expectations on individual activities, which led to…
• Customers growing their business with TREW, which led to…
• TREW growing as a team and company

• 3.9x = How many dollars over goal quoted for back-to-school campaign targeting control engineering professors as result of specialized microsite and database marketing efforts

• 156% = Growth in web traffic to Wineman Technologies’ website following our work on the company’s website redesign and search-engine-marketing campaign. In addition to quantitative traffic growth, we heard about a recent success story that speaks to the quality of traffic from this web and search marketing investment:

“One of our recent web leads went from new prospect to booking a PO for $250k within 3 weeks! Thanks TREW Marketing for driving qualified visitors to our website through search marketing.” – Darryn La Zar, VP of Sales and Marketing, Wineman Technologies

The Wineman team gave TREW Crew members Wendy and Irene a tour around company headquarters, including R&D and manufacturing.