Yup, I love marketing. And tradeshows. And loud rock ‘n’ roll. And I take inspiration from rock ‘n’ roll (and all sorts of other music – reggae, new age, grunge, punk, thrash, jazz, folk, etc…) so I thought it about high time to post a list of tradeshow marketing inspirations from my rock ‘n’ roll catalog.
Let’s see if you can find some of the same guidance by cranking up these tunes:
- “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd. If you don’t market properly who the heck is going to show up at your booth? You don’t want to be standing in the booth humming this song while your competitors are cleaning up.
- “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” by The Beatles. Transparency is one of the major currencies available for companies today. This means blogging about your company, answering all questions honestly, and not trying to hide things. It may have worked to cover up a flaw in your product 20 years ago, but in today’s connected world you’re better off dealing with it.
- “Heart Full of Soul” by the Yardbirds. When greeting people at your tradeshow booth give a genuine smile, a warm handshake and offer an engaging question. Your ‘heart full of soul’ will come through loud and clear and make you an attractive company to do business with.
- “Treat Me Right” by Elvis. Do you treat your visitors right?
- “Wanna be Startin’ Something” by Michael Jackson. Okay, technically it’s more pop and dance music than rock, but if it’s loud it sounds great. And your potential business partners appreciate the attitude of this song. If you wanna be startin’ something with a new client show them your willingness to step up to the plate. Warmly greeting people at a tradeshow booth shows that willingness.
- “I’m Free” by The Who. What a great way to entice visitors to your booth – by offering something of value for free. If it’s the right giveaway it introduces your company to visitors and invites them to stay in contact with you with the possibility of doing business in the future.
- “Takin’ Care of Business” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Yes, you’re in a far-away big city. Yes you can stay out late and party. But the bottom line at a tradeshow is: you’re there to take care of business. Do the business first and then save time for fun.
- “Rock Steady” by Bad Company. By exhibiting at the important shows year after year you’ll establish your presence and grow a business that people will love and respect. So keep rockin’ steady.
- “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M. While everyone else is cutting back on marketing budgets, trimming personnel and cutting corners, they’re leaving a lot of money on the table. A savvy marketer can use the opportunity of a recession to grab a wee bit more market share. When the recovery comes, and it will, you’ll be in a better position to become a market leader.
- “Got My Mind Set On You” by George Harrison. Nothing like persistence to get what you want. This cover tune by George Harrison hit Number One in January of 1988 demonstrates that if you want it bad enough, you can get it. This applies to more than tradeshow marketing of course – but it’s a great way to approach your next tradeshow appearance. Just follow these lyrics:
Its gonna take time
A whole lot of precious time
Its gonna take patience and time, ummm
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it,
To do it right child
Next time you’re planning your marketing strategy, sit back, crank up the tunes and let the inspiration flow. And of course, come up with a few of your own (add ’em to my list if you like!)
