Although social media and word-of-mouth are gaining credibility in marketing circles, it’s still e-mail — accessed on a personal computer, laptop or mobile device — that drives communication. When you’re marketing to trade show attendees, you need to know the ins and outs of e-mail campaigns.

E-MAIL CAMPAIGN TIPS
• Capture e-mails and permissions at every opportunity.

• Personalize. Don’t send generic e-mails. Be sure each is personalized with the recipient’s name. Create personal URLs so if you’re linking to registration or purchasing landing sites, the recipient’s account is pre-populated with information (company, address, etc.) you already have.

•Never send a registration appeal to someone already registered. Your e-mail service should automatically separate registrants from prospective registrants.

•Avoid overkill. Sending too many e-mails will reduce interest and you’ll get opt-outs. Think quality over quantity.

•Avoid too much information. People tend to read the beginning, but don’t scroll too far. Keep messages short and simple.

•Balance text and graphics. Many e-mail marketing messages are using video clips. Don’t embed text in graphics. If recipients have trouble with graphics — and many will — the message itself could be lost.

SUBJECT AND HEADLINE HINTS

■ Write with the reader in mind. What’s in it for them? Focus on benefits rather than announcements.

■ Keep it short and to the point.

FYI: Direct mail isn’t dead. Costs and environmental issues have led to a decrease in the number and size of marketing pieces for trade shows, but save-the-date postcards and simpler program previews still drive attendees to register. All marketing media must be integrated for a complete package.

WORTH THE INVESTMENT Cash benefits of e-marketing to attendees are likely to come from up-selling registrants. Two shows saw additional upgrades or purchases for special events of $30,000 to $40,000 after four weekly e-mails. Done right, an e-marketing campaign brings enough to the bottom line to more than cover its costs.

SEGMENTATION
There’s more to segmenting e-mail promotions than just separating registrants from those not yet registered. Every market has different segments and your e-mail campaigns should reflect their special interests. (A medical show might have practicing physicians, med school professors, researchers, nurses, lab techs, even students.) Different exhibitor categories, educational tracks or networking events can be promoted to the appropriate audiences. An automated e-mail marketing system should allow you to set up these segments and customize messages to them.

■ Use a different subject line for each e-mail in the campaign. Don’t make “XYZ Annual Show” the topic every time.

■ Try testing with different headlines. If you have a list of 10,000 names, send 1,000 out with one subject line and 1,000 with another subject line. When you see which one gets a better open rate, use that subject line for the remaining 8,000 names.

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT AND TIMING
• Once, early on, six months out or whenever registration opens for the next show, announce that registration is open and promote savings with an early-bird deadline to all past attendees, members and prospects.

• At the half-way point, send reminders about early-bird deadline savings and any other benefits.

• Automatically (when appropriate) send confirmation and thank-you notes for registration.

• A few days before early registration closes, send out “last chance for early registration” promotions.

• Every week or two, send out event updates highlighting speakers, special events or new-product areas; up-sell for ticketed events; promote hotel booking. These updates will be numerous and should be different for those already registered and those not yet registered.

• A week or two out, send “see you there/know before you go” messages promoting last-minute add-ons, announcing changes or whatever is pertinent for registrants and “don’t miss it” promotions to remaining unregistered prospects.

• Three to five days out, or a week out for international travelers, send “here’s your bar code/badge ID” for registrants.

• One to three days out, send special offers for last-minute registrants/bring a colleague discounts for those already registered.

• At the end of the first day of the show for multiple-day events, send “sorry we missed you today/here’s what’s happening tomorrow” to no-show registrants.

• At the end of the first day for multiple-day events, send “still not too late to get some good info/networking/see new products.” Offer a partial registration discount targeted to local prospects within driving distance.

• Within a few days after the end of the show, send “thanks for coming” messages to all attendees/announce date for next event/link to a survey.

RULES OF THUMB
Test internally before going live with a campaign. Look at e-mails through Gmail, AOL and Outlook to check graphics. Proofread thoroughly. E-mailing or telemarketing will often help capture “drop-outs,” people who begin to register online but don’t complete the process. Your best list is your own. But don’t overlook your exhibitors’ lists. Give exhibitors incentives to invite their customers to your show by allowing a number of free or discounted registrations to their clients. There are also third-party services that let exhibitors securely invite contacts from their own lists.

MONITORING AND MEASURING
You should have the ability to view results in real time online. Make it a point to look at results within 48 hours of sending each e-mail blast. Things to track:
DELIVERY — how many got through filters to in-boxes
BOUNCES — nonfunctioning e-mail addresses
OPENS AND CLICK-THROUGHS — how many opened the message and how many clicked on which links
RESULTS/CONVERSIONS — number of registrants resulting from click-through to registration site and later, how many purchased something or took advantage of offers extended
FORWARDS/CONNECTIONS — number who used your send-to-a-friend link or who added to Facebook page, etc.
OPT-OUTS — number who unsubscribed.

SPAM
• The Can Spam Act of 2003 requires opt-out notices on all commercial email, even if someone has subscribed or given you permission to send them communications.
• E-mail marketing services/softwareas- a-service providers (SaaS) generally have policies requiring their clients to comply with permission marketing practices, including prompt removal of any unsubscribing e-mail address and verifying permissions through previous contacts, past attendance, membership, etc.
• Avoid language in the subject line (“free,” “dear” or “guarantee,” for example) that can easily tag a message as spam.
• Include a contact name, e-mail and physical address at the bottom of every e-mail.

PRICING
Most e-mail marketing services offer graduated fee plans based on the number of e-mail addresses on your list and the number you send per month (10,000 addresses x two messages a month = 20,000). Numbers that fall between the increments in the plans are charged an extra rate. Volume discounts apply and plans can be negotiated. Tracking and reporting, demos/online training and customer service generally are included in the price. Most offer a wide variety of templates, allowing the customer to personalize messages and graphics, but videos, surveys and extra links may be up-charges. A customer activates an online account with a user name and password to upload lists and content and to view reports. You can start small for as little as $30 to $50 a month and increase as you develop a feel for the system and determine your campaign strategy. Upgrading is usually flexible, so you’re not locked in.

RESOURCES
■ On the Direct Marketing Association home page (www.the-dma.org) , go to the Resources box and click on Direct Marketing Vendor Search to find extensive lists of technology providers, e-marketing services and other vendors.
■ For information, statistics, research, etc., try www.marketingsherpa.com, www.emailstatcenter.com, www.clickz.com and www.emarketer.com.
■ SaaS providers are numerous. Some examples are www.cheetah.com, www.constantcontact.com, www.exacttarget. com, www.getresponse.com, www.maildogmanager.com.
■ Some companies, including Convention Data Services (www.cdsreg.com), offer integrated solutions including registration and lead retrieval as well as e-mail marketing.

MORE ON EXPOWEB.COM Find Web-only, exclusive content from this article on our Web site, including: • 10 Smart Strategies to Build Attendance, February 2010 • Sales & Marketing: Inside InfoComm’s Attendance Promotion Strategy, April 2009 • Tips for Sending Text-Based Communications, May 2009

MEET THE EXPERTS
• Susan Friedmann, The Trade Show Coach, (518) 523-1320, www.thetradeshowcoach.com
• Gary Hasbach, Mail Dog, (800) 444-5588, www.maildogmanager. com
• David Lawton, Convention Data Services, (508) 743-0155, www.cdsreg.com
• Charles Massey, Synaxis Meetings & Events, (323) 663-9851, www.synaxismeetings.com • Chris Price, Graphic Arts Show Company, (703) 264-7200, www.gasc.org
• Tamme Thompson, Salt Lake CVB, (801) 534-4900, www.visitsaltlake.com