When you throw an event, is the ticket worth saving?
The Indianapolis 500’s tickets are made with the race fan in mind: They’re oversized and include a lot of artwork, as well as the image of the previous year’s winner. Not only does the large size and the colorful images make the tickets hard to misplace or forge, but they also make them something worth putting on the wall.
The Lesson: If you can make your ticket a collectible, they’ll find their way onto the fridge, in picture frames, and on the wall where fans can show off that they were there.
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Trade shows are unique opportunities where you’re given just a few minutes with a lot of strangers to make an impact. Try these techniques to get them talking about you during and long after the event:
1> Take the conversation online
2> Send something after the show
3> Share photos online
1> Take the conversation online
Take your offline trade show conversations and bring them online by staying active on social networks during the event. Live blog or tweet the show, have a way for people to connect with you on Facebook right from your booth, and frequently share fresh YouTube clips of interviews or product demonstrations from the event. While not everyone at the trade show may be social media savvy, many of your biggest talkers and key influencers will be.
2> Send them something after the show
Create an impression and some word of mouth by sending a gift to attendees a few days or weeks after the show ends. Attendees will be overloaded with the freebies they get from each booth, making it hard for your giveaway to stand out. Instead, send folks something they can share with their whole office a few weeks later — when they’re not so overwhelmed by the conference.
3> Share photos online
Never go to an event without taking photos and posting them online for everyone to share. This especially applies to trade shows, where you meet a lot of new folks in a short amount of time. Offer to take photos with visitors to your booth and upload them to Facebook or Flickr, asking everyone to tag themselves — which automatically shares the photos with everyone’s extended networks.
Supergenius Example #5: Cintas
A couple of booths were inviting interaction with a few mini games or quizzes at the NRA Show 2009, but the one that perked our interest was Cintas‘ head-to-head fire extinguisher competition.
Cintas — who was promoting their fire safety equipment — encouraged participants to take on one another in a timed race to see who could put out the virtual fire the fastest. The winner received a $10 iTunes gift card.
But what made it worth talking about was that you had to go up against another person — which led to a bunch friends and strangers taking on one another, having some laughs, and earning some bragging rights.
The Lesson: Hosting a fun game is a great way to get interaction at your booth, but adding a level of head-to-head competition helps everyone talk about it.
[This post is part of a series inspired by some of the clever word of mouth marketing we saw at the NRA Show 2009 here in Chicago.]
Supergenius Example #3: Eco Products
Eco-Products — a company that sells environmentally friendly cups, containers, and packaging – raffled off a bike at their booth.
But instead of the normal raffle, participants were also asked to add their signature to a pledge that read:
“We the People of the restaurant and hospitality industry, in order to ensure a long and healthy future for the planet earth, do pledge to rethink the choices we make every day.”
Not only was this a more interactive and memorable booth experience, but it gave participants something to show their friends.
The Lesson: Instead of the generic raffle everyone does, get people talking about yours by getting their signature on the wall of your booth.
[This post is part of a series inspired by some of the clever word of mouth marketing we saw at the NRA Show 2009 here in Chicago.]
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