We now produce three expos targeting consumers in the baby boomer and senior markets. These are growth markets with tremendous face-to-face marketing potential for many product categories, and yet with social media being the hot trend, some marketing managers erroneously believe that face-to-face marketing is obsolete.
They couldn’t be more wrong! In truth, face-to-face marketing is one of the most effective marketing tools available. Here are five truths about consumer expos.
1. Expos can you save time and money. Print and broadcast ads can be costly, and Internet marketing requires time to reach a decent-sized audience. Expos give you the opportunity to deliver your sales message and interact with a large group of people gathered at the same time in one place.
2. A good expo producer does a lot of the legwork for you. Companies experienced in producing highly targeted events know how to bring in specific audience types, such as baby boomers and seniors. When you choose the right targeted event, you’ll be assured that you’ll be getting in front of a high percentage of your prospects in that market segment.
3. Expos build confidence and trust between you and your customers. Meeting people in person is crucial for building and maintaining strong relationships.
4. Expos create instant visibility. This is a big difference between face-to-face marketing and other promotional channels. Your presence at a targeted expo is a show of support for that target market. In our attendee surveys,seniors have repeatedly told us that while they may not buy at an expo, when they are ready to purchase they are much more likely to do business with a company that has exhibited at one of our events.
5. Expos break down barriers. The value of being face-to-face with your prospects and customers is that you have the benefit of verbal and non-verbal communications, allowing you to clarify the nuances of your sales message.
