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Back to NewsFive Tips for Promoting your RTO at a Trade Show or Employer Conference
You have paid the invoice for your event booth, now you need to make the most of your marketing dollar and get the all important ROI. Here are five key tips to maximising your investment both short and long term.
1. DO NOT MAKE IT A SALES PITCH
This will be the hardest thing for you to do but it is possibly the most crucial. People know why you are there, they know you paid for the privilege, this is your chance to surprise them. It’s about connecting with potential clients on a more human and personal level.
Give them the opportunity to ask you about your company and its products or services as they are far more likely to listen to your response if they ask you the question. It’s far more important for you to spend time understanding your clients and their needs than going for a hard sell. Importantly, you will then be able to help them in a much more targeted fashion if you have a deeper understanding of their needs.
2. DO NOT HAVE A BORING BOOTH
Every event you go to now has a line of carpet-walled booths with two people playing Candy Crush, sitting behind a table with a tablecloth and a fish bowl for business cards. This is a massive opportunity to engage with potential clients.
Make sure your booth has a point of difference. It needs to be attractive, appealing and most importantly ENGAGING.
3. GIVE THEM SOMETHING USEFUL
It’s all well and good to hand out pens but they end up buried amongst 13 others in a fluoro Smiggle pen cup on someone’s desk, long forgotten. Give people a reason to come to your stand for something tangible and useful. Things like a reusable checklist or document they need, a sample or an ebook - make it something of value that reflects your expertise.
4. IF YOU TAKE CONTACT DETAILS - MAKE SURE YOU USE THEM
Don’t be scared of contacting people whose business cards you collected while at the event. It’s amazing how many people don’t follow up prospective customers. It can be as simple as a post-event email, thanking them for the opportunity to have made contact. They then have your email on file and you can tell them to feel free to contact you anytime. You can also make this an opportunity to let them know you will be contacting them from time to time so it isn’t as confronting when they have a marketing email from your company pop up in their inbox.
5. MAKE SURE YOU AND YOUR TEAM INTRODUCE THEMSELVES TO EVERYONE
There is nothing more off-putting for a delegate than a staff member sitting behind a desk with their head in their laptop. People are too nervous to interrupt you. Try and take the initiative to network, don’t just wait for people to come to you. It’s important for your onsite staff to be engaging and interested.
If you take the time to implement some or all of these measures at your next event you will find it is far more beneficial for you and your prospective clients. Importantly, you will not just boost sales or enrolments but build your brand in a much more positive way.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Peachey
Matt Peachey is the Managing Director at the Learning Resources Group. Over the past decade, he has grown the small resource development company into one of the largest training resource providers in the country and industry leaders in digital and LLN space of Vocational Education Support.
Matt has spent extensive time working directly with RTO’s all over the country to help them implement their training and assessment programs. He has also assisted a number of RTO’s with their marketing and business strategies.
Recently, Matt has orchestrated the transition from Safe Work Resources into The Learning Resources Group to ensure that the organisation is poised to support the VET industry through future changes.
Prior to his work in the VET sector Matt had 10 years working in the automotive industry firstly in sales management and eventually as a process and strategy consultant.
Outside of the TLRG office, Matt can be found volunteering for Lifeline as a counsellor, scouring the countryside for great wine or touring around on his motorcycle.
