We’ve all heard the saying, "knowledge is power." We believe this statement is extremely true, especially now! It’s no secret that the face-to-face marketing industry has been stopped in its tracks.
Though difficult, we believe that every challenge is embedded with an opportunity. The time is right for marketers to use their resources in innovative ways and reimagine their program strategies.
To help with this evolution, we’ve sought the advice of our Account Management Team … the team who is in the saddle with our customers day in and day out and who have now had to shift on a dime.
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Resources |
1. Exhibitor COVID-19 Coverage
It’s no surprise that Exhibitor Magazine is doing a great job at keeping us updated on the latest news and updates surrounding this virus and how it impacts our industry.
In addition, it is always uplifting to see how our industry is banning together to help communities across the country in whatever way possible with temporary structures, PPE, and more. What are some ways can you give back to your community during this time?
2. Free Online Marketing Classes
As we like to say, leaders are learners.
And forgive us for our shameless plug, but if you haven’t checked out Steelhead University, be sure to do so!
Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes available across a broad base of topics. And while typically these classes have a cost associated with them, currently the website is offering their premium subscription FREE for two months!
Now more than ever is a great time to branch out of our comfort zone, intellectually, and be prepared to make a strong comeback once things return to "business as usual."
Consider these questions: How can I use these classes to help me better serve my clients or provide more helpful information? Are there tools that I can use/learn about that I usually wouldn’t think of using in my field?
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Virtual Events |
1. Event Marketing During a Pandemic: How to Shift Your Strategy
This resource is a great jumping off point if you’re not quite sure what to do if your show has been postponed or even canceled.
Kuno Creative, a traditional marketing and branding agency, provides resources and examples for digital live events, webinar packages, social media options, and more.
A great selection that will leave you to decide: Which of these solutions work best for me?
2. What To Do with Your Trade Show Contingency Plan
Now that you have your plan, what’s next?
CG Life, a life science and healthcare marketing and communications agency, mapped out a few similar solutions as Kuno Creative above, but they take things to the next level with actionable plans to keep promoting your brand.
They make great points such as keeping the communication going via video and social media and creating a dedicated content hub for your audience to access. How can you make your virtual touch points feel personal to your prospects and authentic for your brand?
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Unique Digital Marketing |
1. 18 Virtual Event Sponsorship Ideas
Did you know virtual sponsorships can be added into Zoom calls, deck presentations, happy hours, or any other marketing tools being used?
Sponsors have always been and always will be an important arm of any marketing event, which is why we love this article by Event Manager Blog. They’ve listed over a dozen ways to incorporate sponsors into your now virtual events to continue those partnerships and garner more eyes on your events.
2. Social Distancing: 10 Ideas for Engaging Your Audiences!
We love a good marketing campaign, especially one that is out of the norm for your brand and really catches people’s attention!
Let’s face it, everyone can use a little fun right now and Event Marketer has definitely rounded up some awesome examples of brands turning lemons into lemonade during this crisis.
What’s something your brand can give a try?
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Budgets & Lead Generation |
1. Five Silver Linings for Exhibitors with Postponed Events
Exhibitor Magazine makes a great point, that while none of us are happy about our shows being cancelled or postponed, there are still unexpected opportunities to be found during this time.
Now may be the best time to take a moment to reflect and deep dive into your current marketing strategies.
Are you keeping items in your marketing budget because “that’s what we’ve always done” or because they are truly bringing in leads?
How can you learn from what you've done before? From your successes? From your mistakes?
2. Tips for Rerouting Your Trade Show Spend During Quarantine
On average, marketers who participate in trade shows and events allocate anywhere between 30-40% of their budget to this line item. That’s HUGE!
And as you navigate to receive those credits and/or refunds from your vendors for the events that didn’t happen, now is the time to reinvest those dollars digitally.
As Brafton notes, “Whatever you do now, it has to be digital.” Does this mean more dollars into your SEO strategy, virtual events, or content? What’s going to bring leads in right now?
3. Six Effective and Free Virtual Marketing Techniques
We understand your “huge” trade show budget may no longer be intact, considering all the changes we’re experiencing. Which is why we found this article by Business Blogs especially helpful.
We know you’ve heard of LinkedIn, Facebook, and marketing activities like creating blog posts, but are you harnessing those tools to their full potential? Business Blogs makes a great point, one we couldn’t agree with more: Like a recession, now is not the time to pull back on your marketing, it’s the time to kick it up a notch!
