The Tchotchke & the Segmented List – #boothfail
Look at that image. A jar full of business cards just waiting to be turned over to sales as evidence of successful time spent at a trade show!
Not Really. What you are looking at is a bucket of cards of people who want that drone sitting next to the bucket of cards. #marketingfail #tradeshowfail
To be honest, this whole booth was a massive fail. They had 3 (and sometimes 4) staffers in the booth, a table and two chairs, a big bucket of “Star Wars” related toys to give away, as well as the raffle for bigger “Star Wars” stuff and the pictured drone. However, I stood across from them for three days looking at this overly packed 10 foot x 10 foot booth and I could not figure out what they did. Not a clue. No messaging in the booth, no relevant signage. Nothing.
I don’t think anyone really cared what they did. All they wanted was the stuff that was being given away. The company that paid for the booth left that exhibit hall with badge scans and cards from dozens and dozens of people who neither knew or cared about their product.
They also walked out of there with the monumental task of contacting everyone on those lists to figure out if they were qualified or even interested in their products or services. How much do you think it cost them? $5,000 for the booth, at least a $1,000 per staffer (4) they had in the booth, $1,500 for logistics and services (carpet, furniture, electrical, drayage, shipping) plus at least another $1,000 for the cost of the stuff they gave away. TOTAL: $11,500 at least. Then add the cost of the follow-up.
Way too much to pay for a completely unqualified list.
I believe it would have been much better to give away something RELEVANT to their products and services. Like a free product or a service subscription. They would have come away with a much smaller list, but it would have been a list of people who actually want their product or service. Then those prospects go right into an automated nurture program and the start of their journey from visitor, to prospect, to Marketing Qualified Lead and then off to sales for the close.
Getting prospects onto a properly Segmented list should always be the goal of prospect acquisition.