Comments from K2 Global Communications

 It’s not just a matter of sending your sales team.

You’ve determined your trade show marketing goals, partnered with an experienced PR team, contracted with an exhibit designer, set up your logistics, and picked your giveaways.

Now, it's time for one of the most crucial, yet overlooked, trade show prep tasks: training staff to work your booth. You need sufficient booth staff who handle crowds, restock brochures, walk around, attend meetings, and talk to media and customers.

You need people who are knowledgeable, efficient, motivated, and at ease outside their comfortable zone, all while working seamlessly as a team.

Topics: DIY, Trade show, Staffing, Conferences

Getting ready for a trade show can be overwhelming, even for those of us who are regular exhibitors. Early in my career, I was at a show every fifth week, which made life quite busy for a year or two. To make it simple for all of us, here's a quick and easy calendar of activities you need to keep in mind.

One year in advance
Most importantly, make sure the budget will be there. If you don't know if you'll actually attend, at least make sure you register for the call for papers or apply to speak. That way, you'll be able to make your mark without having to pay thousands for a booth.

If you are attending, sign your contracts and secure your booth space before all the good spots are taken. The back corner isn't necessarily a bad place if it's near the bathrooms and the food court since it’s all about foot traffic.

Based on the size of the show, consider booking your hotel space now. Check into the cancellation policy. If it's flexible, you may want to book more than you think you'll need just in case your team or business has grown by the time the show rolls around.

Topics: Public relations, Press release, Media coverage, Media, Trade show, Staffing, Conferences, Giveaways

Once upon a time, I covered trade shows as a market analyst for a major consumer publication.  Shortly thereafter I flipped to the other side of the desk and ended up with a press conference on one side of the Consumer Electronics Show and a photo shoot clear across the exhibition hall.  Let’s just say that roller skates were very much on my mind by the time I finished my dash back and forth across the crowded exhibit halls.

I empathize with journalists who have been given the immense task of covering trade shows, scouting for new trends, and trying to maintain relationships with industry leaders. That is why when I have a client exhibiting, I try to be a resource to media covering the show by helping them identify my clients’ product introductions long before the show, setting up interviews or, better still, pre-show interviews to save journalist’s precious time, jet-lagged exhaustion, and, especially, their shoe leather.

Here are some pointers for being a resource to media at your next trade show:

Topics: Public relations, Journalist, News story, News value, Media resources, Press coverage, Press release, Media coverage, Trade show

How can marketers get smarter about marketing strategy? The answer is goal setting, and more specifically - SMART goals setting. SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.

Topics: Content marketing, Content, Metrics, Social media, Persona, Inbound marketing, Messaging, Account-based marketing, Planning, Tactics, Buyer's journey, Integrated marketing, SMART Goals

Whether you want to hear it or not, In the age of AI, person-to-person communications are as important as ever. Everyone at any organization can become a content generating powerhouse, using AI to “write” post after post, blog after blog, article after article. Of course, all this content needs to be reviewed by great editors – since AI writing is bland and repetitive - but that’s another blog…

Topics: Public relations, Press coverage, Media coverage, Media, PR, AI

No other tool drives reputation management more effectively than public relations.

What Is Reputation Management, and How Does It Drive Investment Decisions?

Corporate reputation refers to what people think of your brand, company, or product. Reputation management deals with the efforts to influence and burnish such public perceptions - critical to your business’ survival and success. It has become pivotal in its impact on investor relationships, confidence, and, ultimately, decisions. The same goes for rapid, open response when there’s a problem or a crisis – the response immediately effects your reputation.

Topics: Content marketing, Social media, Brand, Customer communications, Corporate communications, Marketing qualified leads (MQL), Sales qualified leads (SQL), Corporate social responsibility, CSR, Investor relations

Even in the days of AI, AI can't deliver the most critical asset you possess - your institutional memory - the why, how, and way you do business. 

Retaining a PR firm with the expectation that they’ll hit the ground running without knowing and understanding your business from start to finish isn’t realistic.

Topics: Public relations, Journalist, Press release, Media coverage, Media, Messaging, USP

PR experts are attuned to the momentum of the media. We understand that in order to present a compelling package to any journalist - a story that gets them interested, it takes research beyond just what AI gives you and requires having all the tools, especially a messaging document and “quotes on demand” – ready to deploy at a moment’s notice.

Even with AI, your company sits on years of proprietary information - product details, customer-focused data, executive expertise - that can be leveraged to generate PR.

Topics: Journalist, News story, News value, Media, Audience, Messaging, PR, Corporate communications

Social media has major impact – delivering increased customer engagement, free publicity, cost-effective public relations, enhanced brand awareness, stronger credibility, and thought leadership-building opportunities.

Social media gives you more control over your brand image and reputation – and less.

Topics: Content marketing, Social media, Brand, Customer communications, LinkedIn, Marketing qualified leads (MQL), Sales qualified leads (SQL), Twitter/X, YouTube, Facebook, Reputation

Recently, I spoke with a marketer who had used ChatGPT to revise some content he created; it initially performed in its "regular" way - writing the idea clearly, but being quite redundant. Of course, he had to tweak the prompt to ask it to vary the word choice. Once it did that, it incorrectly stated that the product did X and Y as a single feature. He had then had to "teach it" that those were two separate activities until it provided decent results.

What if he were in a hurry or didn't know enough about the product to understand that the AI created an error that wasn't there before?

Topics: Public relations, Journalist, News story, News value, Timeliness, Media resources, Press coverage, Press release, Media coverage, Media, Brand