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In this issue:
• Marketing Article: How to Increase Attendence on Your Next Conference Call
• Marketing Article: Promotional Products are Everywhere

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How to Increase Attendence on Your Next Conference Call
by Amy Linley © 2008

You've done everything to get ready, you've got a great message, and you've gotten the word out and are ready to roll. Now the waiting game starts, how many people will actually attend your conference call?

Consultants and professionals can earn quite a nice living off of paid conference call events using teleconferencing in today's global marketplace. Your business acumen can be put to work to earn you money by using the phone to impart your knowledge to others who are willing to sign up, pay your fee, and then attend your conference call.

Some consultants will charge up to $199 or more for attendance to a weekly, monthly or quarterly conference call. On the other hand, some professionals prefer to provide the conference call free, knowing that they will get new clients or qualified prospects from their presentations. Whether you go paid or free, you've got a lot at stake when you have invested time, expenses, and your intellectual capital on creating your conference call. Now comes the hard part, getting people to attend.

If your attendees have paid a fee, your attendance will typically be higher as participants have invested in you and most likely have noted the date and time on their calendar. For free conference calls attendance however can be an issue that may need your proactive attention.

Here are our top ten tips on how you can increase attendance at your next conference call:

1. Send an email reminder to all registered participants one day before the planned teleconference call.

2. Make sure to do a press release announcing your event up to one week before your scheduled teleconference call. Or better yet, do a press release announcement 30 days out and then another 7 days out.

3. Promote your teleconference call heavily on your website, in your blog, and in your monthly e-newsletter. Use image icons in addition to search engine spiderable text to draw the reader's eye to the information.

4. Add a line below your email signature for all correspondence with your upcoming conference call information and a brief sentence of what the call is about and how to sign up.

5. Send an email reminder out one hour before the conference call on the day of the call.

6. Create an alternative date for those who may have inadvertently missed the call or had a last minute scheduling conflict. Post this on your website after your call has happened.

7. After the conference call, send all participants a link to the recorded call so that they can get the information and exposure to your information even if they could not attend. This may help with future conference call registrations.

8. Post a link in your website or blog to your recorded teleconference call archive location to pick up even more activity even after the fact. Doing this also allows prospective attendees to get a sample of what your conference call will be like and may improve your future registration and attendance rates.

9. If you have voice mail or an online hold message, make sure to include your upcoming conference call information (date, time, and how to register) in your recorded message.

10. Send special invitations to colleagues, past and present clients and ask them to forward your teleconference invitation to others who may be interested in your information. A personal referral from a colleague will carry more weight than just about any other type of advertising; use your own network to help get the word out.

You may even want to try charging a token fee and then send a coupon to defer the cost or provide a credit in full on future services. Typically where a conference call attendee pays to attend, even a modest amount, attendance will be higher than at a free teleconference call. If attendance has been a problem at your teleconference calls, now's the time to try some of our smart tips to see if you can jump start attendance at your next teleconference call.

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Amy Linley gives practical and usable advice regarding communication and meetings at AccuConference - http://www.accuconference.com .

Find out more about our conference call, web conferencing and video conferencing services from AccuConference - http://www.accuconference.com/conferencecalls .

Get the word out!

Our press release writing and distribution services generate buzz about your business at a much lower cost than other advertising methods. If you have an upcoming product launch, new partnership or contract, public event, or other news-worthy announcements to make, we can spread the word in the media on the local, regional, or national level.

Find out more about our services at http://www.marketingsource.com/pressreleases or call 800-575-5369.

Promotional Products are Everywhere
by Tom Boylson © 2007

Walk into any office or lobby and chances are you will find an imprinted coffee mug, pen, notepad, or desk accessory. All of these items have been distributed in the hopes that the company who left them will be remembered. After all, any sales rep worth their salt will tell you to “be memorable” in a professional way when calling on customers or new prospects. One way to do this is to leave an interesting promotional item behind. A brochure or flyer is fine, but easier to throw away than something more tangible.

The promotional products industry is made up of suppliers and distributors. The supplier manufacturers or imports the item and generally offers imprinting of your logo, tagline or slogan. There are about 4000 suppliers/manufacturers or promotional products. Distributors are the sales representatives of the industry, and there are nearly 20,000 of these companies in the U.S. Generally, those wishing to purchase promotional items must go through a promotional products distributor and not through a manufacturer or supplier directly.

Most companies purchase and use promotional products. The sheer volume of choices can be overwhelming. Your distributor sales rep can help to sort through all of the details, and furnish you with research. There are over 700,000 items available for imprint. What are they buying? A recent study conducted by The Counselor magazine, a promotional products industry trade journal, says shirts are the largest seller, by far. Polo's, t-shirts, and button-downs are all available for imprint. I personally have four or five polo's I was given at golf outings and trade shows. Check your closet. I'll bet you have at least one logo shirt. The next big seller is writing instruments followed by desk/office accessories. Glassware and ceramics, including mugs, and hats round out the top five.

The top selling promotional products make up for most of the purchases, but some companies are effectively using unique items in their marketing campaigns. One example of a creative promotional item is the black coffee mug with a write on erasable chalkboard finish. This mug can be drawn on, erased just like any chalk board and used again. This is a clever item and a fantastic promotion!

The most important thing to remember when deciding which promotional product to purchase and use is the product itself is less important than how it will be used. This is a very important concept. Something as simple as a pencil can be extremely effective when used in a meaningful way. Promotional products are used to achieve objectives. You needn't look any further than Staples and their Easy Button to find a highly successful promotional concept.

Another good idea to keep in mind is the good, better, best concept. Pens, for example, range from about 30¢ for a basic stic or click pen to $20 or more for a Cross Classic Century pen, and all the way up to hundreds of dollars for the finest Mont Blanc or Waterman pen. All can be had with your logo. Higher priced items are often available in smaller quantities while less expensive items may need to be purchased in minimum quantities of 300 or more.

You can save a lot of time, money and effort by asking yourself a few questions up front about how the item will be used. What message am I trying to convey? How does the product tie in to our marketing campaign?
What demographic will be targeted? Then, think about the details of the product. Ask yourself questions such as: What type of item do I want and how many do I need? What is my budget? When do I need the item in-hand? Do I have high quality digital artwork or do I need assistance? (Note on artwork: There is a dizzying array or details surrounding the preparation of artwork. If you are unsure, consult your promotional distributor. They can help with all of the details and requirements of the manufacturers and suppliers.) Ask these questions and you'll end up with a successful promotion.

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Tom Boylson is the owner of Cincinnati-based Printing Alliance, which offers creative ideas for promotional products and ad specialties as well as print brokering and management services. To learn more, visit www.printingalliance.com . You may also contact Tom directly at 513-673-9270 or tom@printingalliance.com .