Out-Smarts Marketing Services

Today was the Massive Show in Vancouver - a trade show aimed at allowing companies to demonstrate technology for business.  The event seems to get bigger every year, this year companies of all sizes  from Yahoo to start ups were there.

In attending these events I always find it interesting to consider the impact of the present organizations marketing message and image.  Here are some tips to make your trade show marketing more effective.

• Make sure your name and logo stands out on all materials.
• Don’t try to give people information overload - people can only process so much in one small space.
• Don’t use overly technical terms - translate the benefits of your offering in to business speak.
• Keep your message short, with impact.
• If you are giving out freebies make sure they work (I picked up several dud pens from dud companies methinks).
• Don’t sit at the booth with your head down picking your nails or worse in a huddle with your booth mates with your back to the crowd.

If in doubt hire a marketing consultant or events organizer:  a well branded, professional presence at trade shows really pays especially for small to mid sized organisations.

Here’s podcast number 2 - Northern Voice.  We loved it so much we wanted to tell you all about it! northern-voice.m4a 

Seems like 10 is the number of the week here at Out-Smarts. We’re off to Northern Voice today and we’re so excited we’re practically rippling. Here are our ten (tongue in cheek) reasons to attend.

1. For the free lunch - didn’t you see that photo (drool).

2. To snag a T shirt - hopefully with a big Moose on the front. How Canadian eh?

3. We would do anything to get a day out of the office.

4. To get much needed and aforementioned podcasting advice.

5. Its much cheaper than the social media telesummit(although much shorter) that is also taking place this week. Granted that could be the Scottish in me coming out there.

6. To meet some rockstar bloggers. I met the Engadget guy earlier this year. I’m on a roll….

7. To find out if blogging really is dead or if its just that the early adopters have moved on to the next new thang.

8. To check out the beautiful UBC campus. Terror alert or no terror alert, we will be there.

9. To live blog on my XO. It is charging its little green and white battery as I type.

10. To make some new friends to add to my Facebook profile.

At a session I attended this week at CES questions were posed of 4 panelists on the subject of taking the blogosphere seriously. The panelists consisted of industry experts including “rock star” blogger (the mediator’s title not mine) Ryan Block from Engadget. Here are a couple of the questions posed with my slant on the answers:

Who isn’t taking the blogosphere seriously? Answer - there are 70 million blogs out there and thousands more added daily if corporations aren’t taking it seriously then a heck of a big chunk of their client base is. Simply put there are people who get it and people who don’t. Those who do are reaping the rewards and those who don’t face extinction.

When asked how the panelists would approach convincing a CEO to blog, the general consensus seemed to be that if a company isn’t using the blogosphere (either to listen or to communicate) then they risk losing control of their brand completely.

Judging by the turnout at the session most CESers were more interested in gadgetry than the fine art of blogging - more fool them perhaps. For more ruminations from the panelists:Taking the Blogosphere Seriously, Consumer Generated Media, David La Plante, Really? This is my job.

We just got back from the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas and what a blast that was with over 2,700 vendors showcasing everything from the latest, skinniest, largest TVs to desktop clocks of all things. I went to the show with great intentions of blogging from the floor but alas my laptop died en route. Not to worry I thought - I’ll be able to access the Internet at a booth and indeed that was the case but my intentions were thwarted once again as I was unable to find the site because I had a symbol in the wrong place of my long convoluted login URL. What a cheek I have to call myself a blogger when instead of real time posts I am reduced to this - 2 days later….

Still the whole experience was good as it gave me focus at an otherwise overwhelming event. My focus: to find the device of my dreams that would enable me to easily blog regardless of where I am. In my hunt I looked at smart phones, laptops and other PDA type devices and I want to share my 2 favorites - those that I drooled on at the booth and dream about using to make my blog life easier.

The first is Sony’s latest Micro PC the VGM-UX490N/C. At about the size of a book and opening to a small keyboard and screen I could easily carry this device to blog anywhere and even better, it has the full functionality of a laptop 3 times the size. Sony gets around the issue of the small screen being difficult to read by incorporating a neat zoom mode.

The other device of my dreams was the Samsung SPH-P9200 another micro PC this time with an extendable keyboard that would make blog input much easier. Unfortunately Samsung had a blanket ban on photography at their booth (why this is I have no idea given that its images are freely available to anyone who cares to Google it) so I can’t share any more of my own grainy images :o) but check it out anyway and you’ll see what I mean. Unfortunately the device doesn’t seem to be available in Canada yet so I’ll have to be patient on that one.

Next time I go to CES I’ll be taking one of these sweet tools with me and I will blog from the floor…. I wonder which one it will be?

Our friends over at FM Walsh and Associates are offering the popular “Business Marketing for Women Business Owners” again this Saturday morning. If you want to learn innovative ways to improve your bottom line you should definitely consider signing up. Find out more here.

The next Third Tuesday event is scheduled for the Tuesday 25th September. Following the success of last month’s inaugural event which attracted over 40 attendees including myself, the group is getting together to share new developments in social media and online community building. Next week’s session features the CBC tech head Tod Maffin as guest speaker and the forum. For more information and to sign up go here.