Many foreign companies express disappointment with the results of their China trade show, expo or product launch.
Poor stand location, ineffective stand design, no traffic, few contracts signed, costly, the return poor are some of the comments we hear.
Events are no longer an ad hoc arrangement of a few chairs, posters and a banner strung across a 3*3 floor space.
They are expensive and competitive, hi-tech, can be difficult to organise and manage from the other side of the world in a foreign language. Little wonder the result is often disappointment.
But in some cases, foreign firms are the architect of their own failure.
Most did not have a Strategic Event Marketing Plan, but focussed on stand aesthetics rather than the mechanics of marketing. In doing so lost sight of their main objectives.
Event Marketing Plans combined with Social Media tie events to your overall plan and bring loyalty from visitors. To improve the return on your event investment you need a clearly defined aim for exhibiting, a systematic marketing plan then design your stand around that.
Chinese Social Media; the hottest marketing tool in China. Chinese Social Media sites; Weibo, Renren, have thrust China marketing light years ahead, to the point where Weibo is now the default on line marketing tool in China. China Social Media builds a close relationship with customers, relating to their needs and wants in real time.
Beijing BMW Dealership: Social Media Marketing
Social Media Event Marketing improves results
Social Media helps target specific customers
Digital Marketing is INTERACTIVE, vibrant, effective, no longer cold, sterile and impersonalI have a good stand, but no traffic
I have good traffic but no enquiries
I have enquiries but no contact
The event was costly, the return poor
New Product Launches
Brand or Image reinforcement
Recruitment of Agents, Distributors or Resellers
They did not have a Strategic Event Marketing Plan.
As the Cat might have said to Alice, if you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?
In other words, you need a clearly defined aim for exhibiting, a systematic marketing plan then design your stand around that.
Ok, yes, there are other issues involved which makes life difficult for foreign SMR's exhibiting in China, we will discus those later.
When people speak of "Event Marketing" they largely think of organising things like:
Trade Shows, Fairs or Exhibitions
Pre -Launch or Product Releases,
Press or Industry Conferences
Road Shows
Soft Openings
Grand Openings
But today Event Marketing goes beyond this to analysing the brand and the competition, identifying the target audience, as well as conceiving, designing, planning and coordinating the technical and HR aspects.
For businesses from manufacturing to retail, this is a golden opportunity to showcase, not just the product, but the company image, building a level of trust and brand loyalty
With so much at stake, it is little wonder that events and trade shows have grown to be a major industry around the world and have spawned a plethora of companies hoping to catch a piece of the action
Events have undergone huge changes and are now part of the "New Media," more complex, more popular and event marketing has become harder and more specialised.
WPBeijing China Marketing considers Event Management as a strategic marketing and communication tool to build closer business relationships.
Relationships?
So, can we use Digital Marketing to increase the efficiency of Trade Shows and Fairs in China?
We discuss this in the next chapter.