REALITY
CHECK
The Glossy Printed Brochures and
Flyers
When promoting conferences, seminars and
similar events, many associations are still clinging to
the expensive printed piece as their primary, and
sometimes only, vehicle.
At the same time, attendance is
challenged by perceptions that registration fees are too
high and programs are not meeting needs. As well, costs
and revenues are impacted by recent external factors
that are reducing member travel to events.
Not only do the printed flyers increase
marketing costs substantially, they also significantly
increase time required to reach the prospective
audience.
Organizations should consider technological approaches
to marketing such events, such as e-mail and the
web. Is your organization testing these methods to
see how effective they are, or do you still depend
primarily on
the traditional brochure?
However, if marketing the event
electronically, use the medium the way it is intended to
be used. Do not create a digital reproduction of a
typical brochure and post it on the web site in Adobe
Acrobat format. It doesn't work! Create a
web-based presentation of the conference marketing
content and program that is marketing savvy and
user-friendly.
If you are only focused on the glossy brochure, and not
experimenting with technology-based options, then you
need a reality check!
Sometimes association and non-profit
staff, volunteers and other stakeholders lose touch with
the bigger picture because they are so caught up in what
is happening in the trenches. Our intent in offering the
Reality Check feature is to get these individuals
to step back and re-think their existing views.
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