When Do You Pay Top Dollar?

When I need a pair of shoes to match one outfit for a special occasion, I am reluctant to spend a lot of money. On the other hand, price is not an issue when it comes to purchasing a good pair of walking shoes.

I am serious about walking, and typically log about 500 miles on a pair before I look for a replacement. I know from experience that cheap shoes cause other problems. Paying  extra for shoes that fit is significantly less expensive in the long run than the physical therapy for damage to hips, knees or Achilles tendons caused by poorly fitted shoes. Searching for the right shoe doesn’t mean I go out and buy the most expensive shoe I can find. It means spending time with someone who knows about shoes and is willing to listen to how I use them.

Why am I talking about my shoes in the middle of my business blog? Because there’s a lesson here. When it comes to creating marketing collateral, there are times you need to pay top dollar and times you don’t.

Not every investment you make in your business needs to be treated like a pair of my walking shoes. Some investments are literally throwaways, like the handout you take to a trade show. While you want to make a good impression, most of the things you distribute at a trade show will never make it out of the hotel. This is not a piece that needs to be printed on the most expensive paper or contain a lot of detail.

As you’re planning your trade show strategy, remember my shoes. Things that you want to last, like your trade show display, should be well designed to attract attention and high quality to hold up over time. Handouts at the event are the party shoes, think small, fun and disposable. Emails before and after the show are a great accessory to this marketing plan, but the real icing on the cake is the information you send in the mail after the show.

The follow-up piece needs to be the quality of my walking shoe. Why? Because this information is going to a qualified prospect, someone who has specifically expressed an interest in what you do. You hope this is the information that will linger on their desk and really set you apart from all of the other companies they met at the trade show.

Need a little help with your trade show plans?  Let us help you put together the right ensemble at the right price.