A Cheap and Effective Way to Exhibit at Trade ShowsJoin forces with others to make a better, cheaper, trade show exhibit. (Shel Horowitz's Frugal Marketing Tip, July, 1998) Sorry to be a bit late this month; I was out of town, exhibiting at a trade show. and I'll use my experience to highlight a point: co-operative marketing can be a winner for everyone. I wanted my books at the American Library Association national conference. Small Press tables were $650, and my two books would be a pretty stark table. So I found 17 other publishers with compatible titles, willing to pay me a fee to exhibit. I gave a significant discount if they would help staff the table. Results: * I got to be paid to attend the show (though also had to put in a bunch of time) * Other publishers got exposure at a reasonable cost of $65 or $110 per title * There was enough of a critical mass to generate significant library interest—far more than any one of us could have done on our own * With the other staffers, I had plenty of time to walk the show floor and make contacts specific to my own agenda Over and over again, I find that joining together with one's "competitors" leads to better visibility, higher impact, and a spirit of cooperation. Think about how you can co-market with others in your own business. Thank you reading this back issue of Shel Horowitz's Monthly Frugal Marketing Tips, published every month since May, 1997; please click here to view the complete archives, grouped by subject. Shel is an internationally known copywriter and marketing consultant, author of Grassroots Marketing Getting Noticed in a Noisy World, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First and several other books, and creator of the Frugal Marketing web site. Please click here to contact Shel.
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