Comments from K2 Global Communications

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

The rise of AI for content marketing has made it much more difficult to stand out.

Your platforms generate a wealth of data that can be leveraged to create powerful PR and social media campaigns. Data-driven content builds trust and engages your audience. The data not only helps to tell your company’s story but also provides valuable insights that resonate with your audience.

Data-driven content has a distinct advantage: it is grounded in facts and provides value to your audience.

Topics: Public relations, Social media, Marketing qualified leads (MQL), Sales qualified leads (SQL), Marketing strategy, Sales enablement content

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

Your company sits on a treasure trove of data. Every click, login, support ticket, and feature usage tells a story that can help you understand customers, optimize operations, and accelerate growth. When analyzed collectively, this data reveals profound insights about industry trends, challenges, and business needs.

Topics: Public relations, Content marketing, Giveaways, Inbound marketing, Marketing strategy, Sales enablement content

Standing out as an industry leader is not easy. Make it easier by positioning your company as the go-to expert in your field with the right approach to data - delivering concrete data that demonstrates deep industry understanding. Benchmarking reports, derived from your platform's wealth of user data, positions your company as an authoritative voice while providing invaluable insights to your market.

Topics: Public relations, Sales enablement content, Thought leadership

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

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

Since starting our business almost two decades ago, we’ve seen companies

Topics: Public relations, Blog, Content, Marketing, Valuation

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

Public relations isn't rocket science, as my partner has consistently reminded me over the past decade. However, it does take a significant amount of time, energy, and persistence.

Getting your news out there

Topics: Public relations, Journalist, News story, DIY