This article narrates a successful instance of combining an email campaign with a trade show participation, resulting in a 14.8% success rate for a client. The strategy involved a targeted approach, event-specific planning, a valuable offer, timely execution, manageable follow-up, an incentive to respond, credibility demonstration, and an effective sales letter.
The International Online Show, a B2B event held in December, is a global hub for online information and internet-related businesses. The event features meetings, seminars, and an exhibition that brings together major information suppliers from around the world, including online hosts, major publishers, software houses, and a few Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
The show attracts approximately 20,000 information users, including professionals, librarians, end users, consultants, academics, and students from all over the world. It's an event where exhibitors are eager to showcase their latest products, meet customers, and explore potential new deals.
The decision to attend the show was strategic, as it provided an opportunity to meet several companies in one location, saving on the cost and time of multiple trips to different parts of Europe and the USA.
The first step was to send out an email to 54 companies that were identified as potential partners interested in representation in Scandinavia. The response was impressive, with 8 organizations expressing interest in meeting at the show. This represented a response rate of 14.8%, which is considered highly successful in such campaigns.
These meetings resulted in offers of representation agreements, which the client is currently following up on.
Several factors contributed to the success of this campaign:
The sales letter can be viewed here.
This combination of trade show and email campaign is highly recommended. With careful planning, this strategy can be adapted to suit various business circumstances.