Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Should We Email A Letter Of Introduction To European Attendees Prior To Conference?

Posted by Anonymous on 5/13/2004 at 2:59 PM ET 250 Points
Who out there has experience with email marketing to European businesses?

We are a US-based company selling enterprise software to large-sized businesses. It is a new market and requires educating prospects on the problem as well as the solution.

One of our execs will speak at a professional conference in Europe about the concept. (Small conf., about 100 attendees. No exhibits.) We are a sponsor (but not the organizer) and will have a small table to show demos during coffee breaks.

At the conf. we are trying to take the position of "thought leaders" and trusted advisors on the issues (without hiding the fact that we're a software vendor).

The question is: Should we email a letter of introduction to the pre-registered attendees?

Pro: we would like to have "made an introduction" beforehand so that our exec can be somewhat familiar to them right away.

Cons: risk of offending, being branded as spammers, being seen as too commercial - and hurting the speaker's credibility before he even gets there.

Can we pull it off with a short, professional, executive-to-executive email basically saying "looking forward to meeting you at the conference?" My guys want to attach a pdf of our brochure, too- my inclination is that this may be too hard-sell.

What's your experience?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Pepper Blue on 5/13/2004 at 5:37 PM Accepted
    Hi Lisa,

    Do you know if during the registration process they agreed to be contacted by participating sponsors/presenters?

    This is actually very common (usually included at the bottom of the registration) and if in fact this was in the registration process then they have already opted-in to receive email updates from you (and others.)

    For example, just 10 minutes ago I registered for a Jupiter webinar and after filling in all my info, there was the opt-in notification on the bottom.

    So, no in this case it is not spam, it is actually a very good idea and if word-smithed properly you will actually come across as being more respectful of their time by giving them valuable up-front information.

    Also, there is always the chance that people registered will not be able to attend the seminar, and this way you still have an opportunity to stay in touch with them. After all, they were interested enough to register for the seminar in the first place.

    I agree with you and would not attach a pdf or any other file, instead provide a HTML link to the brochure which you can post on a landing page on your website.

    This will also allow you track the clickthrough on it which will give a metric to gauge interest - very valuable information.

    I would also suggest that in your email you post a brief privacy policy statement and consider providing a link to your full version privacy policy if is of any length.

    I hope that helps!
  • Posted by telemoxie on 5/14/2004 at 9:29 AM Member
    Is there any such thing as "executive to executive email"? Most of the "executive" types I call on have someone who screens their email. If you are calling on similar people, her are a couple ideas.

    Your biggest problem (other than possibly lack of time) is that you only have 100 attendees. You need to do something which will have the highest possible impact.

    The approach I have used below works well in the States, I have not tried in Europe, but if done respectfully it should work well.

    In order to enlist the help of the executive secretaries, I've used a three step process. 1) call their secretary, ask if you can leave a message that you are FAXing them information. 2) FAX something which seems helpful, timely and important, e.g. info on your schedule, your web site, when you will be available for meetings, etc. 3) Stamp the FAX with one of those FAXED red and blue stamps, and initial it. Mail the faxed document, and include a one page description of your offering. Mark the envelope, "Original documents enclosed" and "Air Mail" (this way they will open it).

    It's just a touch pushy, but if it's done with respect, it should get your info in the hands of the right people before the conference.

    Another approach would be to call for the executive's assistant, let them know you are calling from the States, and ask if you can send the executive an email care/of them. (They will always read email from their assistant). And, if you actually intend to sell any of these folks, having a good working relationship with the secretary to this executive could be quite helpful down the road.

    By the way, I'd be happy to make some calls to Europe for you.

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