Show Off!

TODAY’S BUZZ TIP | February 27, 2009

I’ve had back to back trade shows for clients lately and thought some tips on maximizing trade show participation might be useful.  Trade shows are great opportunities to connect with your customers but at the same time, you can make it into a great media opp as well.  Here are some things you can do to maximize your participation and make the most of that booth!

Send out a nicely designed evite a couple of weeks before the show and a reminder one week before to customers.

Send out a separate media evite  a few days before the show.

Connect with the show producers and their PR department if they have one.  Take advantage of any resources they have available for exhibitors.  Most importantly, do they produce a show publication?  Many shows have a “Show Daily” highlighting exhibitors.  Contact them months ahead of the show as many have about a two month lead time.  Send your press releases and hi res images.  Getting a feature in a Show Daily will definitely boost traffic to your booth and further build awareness of your brand among one of  your most important audiences, your customers.

Have some gifts made for the show with your logo.  Perhaps some nice pens, industry specific gift ie. a shoe shine set if you are in footwear, etc. Or, do a raffle.  Have everyone who comes to your booth provide their business card for the raffle and make a big deal about it.  Raffle off an iPhone or whatever is the latest hot tech gadget.

Finally, have a press kit on hand for the media.  Also find out if the show producers will have a press room.  If so, then make sure you supply kits for the press room as well.  Go to the press room early to secure a good spot for your kits.

I think I’ve covered it all.  I’m sure I’ll think of something else after I’ve already sent this tip.  If I’ve missed anything you want to discuss about trade shows, please email at info@build-a-buzz.com.

Happy Friday and Keep Buzzin’!

Celebrity Thursday: Leading Ladies

TODAY’S BUZZ TIP | February 26, 2009

The jury is still out as to whether Hugh Jackman hit it out of the ballpark or struck out.  One thing is for sure though, there were plenty of happy winners including Kate Winslet, for Best Actress, and Penelope Cruz for Best Supporting Actress.  While Kate Winslet was the odds on favorite, Penelope was a total surprise but no less deserving of her statuette.  Add these two lovely leading ladies to your growing list of celebrity contacts.  They just happen to share the same publicist:

Kate Winslet and Penelope Cruz
c/o Carrie Gordon
42 West
220 West 42nd Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY  10036
212-277-7555

Blog, Blog, Blog

TODAY’S BUZZ TIP | February 25, 2009

I’m still stuck on the issue of the Internet following yesterday’s social networking tip on Bacon. So today it’s all about blogs.  Ahh, blogs.  Just about anyone can start a blog these days but the trick is to gain a following.  Some blogs just take off and become major global phenomenon and purveyors of pop culture.  Such is the case with the following blogs which are among the most powerful in the world in terms of reach.  Get a mention on one of these and you’ve hit it big time.

BoingBoing (www.boingboing.net) — world’s most linked to blog

Techcrunch (www.techcrunch.com)– Tech Reviews

Treehugger (www.treehugger.com) — Green living

Chez Pim (www.chezpim.typepad.com) — food

Jezebel (www.jezebel.com) — fashion, sex, news and gossip

Stylebubble (www.stylebubble.typepad.com) — fashion

DailyCandy (www.dailycandy.com) — fashion/consumer products including DailyCandyKids (www.dailycandykids.com) for children’s products

Copyblogger (www.copyblogger.com) — the reigning authority on online writing with great advice for anyone who writes for blogs, websites, etc.  Not good for PR but great for improving your skills.

You Can Learn A lot from Bacon…

TODAY’S BUZZ TIP | February 24, 2009

Have you heard of the Bacon Explosion?  Essentially two guys were looking to promote their BBQ site and decided to invent an over-the-top bacon recipe to draw attention.  What happened next will soon become PR legend.  The guys began by discussing the recipe on Twitter to an audience of over 1200 followers and then it spread like wild fire.  Their site received 390,000 hits and the recipe became an internet sensation that was picked up by all major media including The New York Times from which the following excerpt is derived:

Mr. Chronister explained that the Bacon Explosion “got so much traction on the Web because it seems so over the top.” But Mr. Chronister, an Internet marketer from Kansas City, Mo., did what he could to help it along. He first used Twitter to send short text messages about the recipe to his 1,200 Twitter followers, many of them fellow Internet marketers with extensive social networks. He also posted links on social networking sites. “I used a lot of my connections to get it out there and to push it,” he said.

But Twitter was dwarfed by the impact of StumbleUpon, a networking site whereby over 7 million members recommend sites that they find interesting.  One of Mr. Chronister’s followers waxed poetic about the recipe and as they say, the rest is PR history.

So what’s the lesson?  Social media sites are extremely powerful especially if you know how to use them.  And of course it helps if you have an extraordinary product or at least a highly unusual one.  And in an age of eco friendliness and organic living, the fact that a 5000 calorie, fat laden recipe got this much attention is an extraordinary feat. Or perhaps we are all just pretending to eat healthy…whatever the case, bacon won.

Your Hit List

TODAY’S BUZZ TIP | February 23, 2009

Last Friday we discussed the importance of a strong brand message.  And now we turn to the topic of media lists.  Clearly, you need to get your message across to the right people and the most important audience is the  media, of course.  Having a targeted, up to date media list is key.  First, look at your market.  If you are in the fashion industry you will be targeting fashion editors and several categories within such as: accessories editors for shoes, bags and jewelry; fashion editors for clothing, etc.  If you are a technology company, the tech editors at all the major business magazines, newspapers and blogs will be on your hit list.  But Tech is a wide category so that will also be broken down into journalists that cover your particular tech sector be it personal computers, software, etc.  And don’t forget TV.  There are tons of producers at the major network and cable stations that should be part of your outreach, particularly the morning shows, both national and local.

Creating and managing a media list is an ongoing process and a solid media list will take time to develop.  If you don’t want to go it alone, there are a ton of media database companies that will create, maintain and even distribute your news to your target list.  Hope this helps.  Any questions, shoot me an email at info@build-a-buzz.com.