Internet Marketing Is In - Trade Shows Are Out?

Trade Shows are less well attended and are more costly for exhibitors. They make good economic sense only when integrated in a holistic Internet marketing strategy.

(PRWEB) March 28, 2004 --Introduction

Security and cost concerns have had a damaging effect on the attendance at trade shows and trade exhibitions. Internet marketing is becoming more powerful and effective. So what should a company do? Go with the up-and-coming technology, or stick with the old traditional way of contacting customers.

The Direct Benefit From Exhibiting At Trade Shows

The direct benefit of trade shows are the sales that result from those who actually visited the trade show booth or met with company representatives at the show. For most shows, these revenues will be lower than they used to be a few years back. Security concerns over the past two years and time pressures mean that fewer people want to be travelling to trade shows. With increased costs, trade shows are dropped from most managers' marketing budgets if only the direct benefits are considered.

The Holistic Benefit From Trade Shows

Holistic Marketing deals with all Marketing activities and the way they reinforce each other. Exhibiting at a trade show confirms the company can afford to underwrite a somewhat costly promotional activity. Such a company can gain further ground on their competitors by having a website that promotes their trade show activity. The 'holistic benefit' that the trade show activity generates is very significant. It includes the impact on people who did not visit the trade show, but become aware of it through the website. This benefit can be worth several times the direct benefit achieved only through those who actually visited the trade show booth.

This holistic benefit of trade show exhibiting comes from its effect on a number of the critical sales- effective parameters of a website: that is searchability, usability and credibility. The holistic benefit can be maximized by how the trade show presence is featured on the website.

Conclusion

If you run your trade show activities now in exactly the same way as you ran them 7 years ago, then you have probably seen a major decline in ROI from this activity. This is not the best way of doing things. A trade show can be an important part of a holistic marketing strategy. The full Newsletter can be found at http://www.strategicmarketingmontreal.ca/newsletter-38.shtml