Trade show marketing can be an expensive endeavor. Dishing out money for a booth, promotional items, marketing materials and travel accommodations all add up. However, trade shows are valuable because of the exposure they offer your business to network with prospective customers and other entrepreneurs. Considering the expense, it is critical to come prepared because you want to make the greatest impact for the amount you spend.
Marketing your business in this day and age can be tricky–in no small part because consumers are wary of companies with insincere or aggressive sales methods. That’s why word-of-mouth advertising is still the holy grail of marketing. In fact, a recent Nielsen study found that 92% of consumers trust recommendations made by friends and family above all other kinds of advertising.
Don’t dismiss print marketing as a thing of the past. Used strategically, direct mail marketing can set you apart from competitors. Whether your business is launching a new product or service, celebrating a milestone or just vying for new customers, you can implement these smart print marketing trends in 2015:
Everyone needs insurance. With an improving economy, insurance jobs are expected to grow more than 10 percent between 2012 and 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet, as a largely commission-based job, insurance agencies often see high turnover rates as agents struggle to grow their business. In the competitive world of insurance, promotional marketing and inventory management are powerful tools in marketing for insurance.
Companies are always looking for new ways to market their brands. Instead of looking for new outlets, though, why not look to your existing processes to promote your brand? Statement processing and billing services represent a huge opportunity to connect with your customers and market your brand through targeted, personalized and relevant communication.
While cloud computing is the talk in many industries, warehouse management software (WMS) is slow to adopt cloud-based hosting, according to a report by Logistics Management. Experts estimate fewer than 10 percent of the WMS market uses the cloud, compared with about 45 percent of the customer relationship management (CRM) market.
While so much of our life happens online these days, companies wonder if direct mail is still a viable marketing approach. At Kaye-Smith, we recognize that every business has unique goals. To support our clients’ diverse business plans, we have compiled a few direct mail pros and cons.
According to the findings from the Advertising Specialty Institute‘s recent study, promotional items are one of the most cost-effective ways to increase brand awareness in the United States. Combine this information with the knowledge that consumers keep branded merchandise for an average of seven months, and it becomes easy to acknowledge the boundless opportunities promotional merchandise presents. After all, 62% of consumers who receive branded merchandise have reported that they do business with the company after getting promotional items.
So that you can get the most out of your business plan, we’ve put together three ways you can grow your business with branded merchandise:
The idea is simple: free stuff for free promotion. One of the newer social media trends on the scene this year comes from Innovative Vending Solutions, a West Carrollton-based company which sells and rents vending machines which dispense free merchandise in exchange for promotion on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Corporate gifts and promotional products are a marketing investment. You can strengthen relationships with your best customers, improve relationships with marginal customers and encourage those all-important second purchases from new customers with strategic brand marketing.