Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Assuming you've crafted a compelling reason why people should attend your workshop, it would be wise to to an (intake) questionnaire to find out what your attendees needs are, the problems they face, and their willingness to change their IT options. Your followup would involve showing, on a one-by-one basis, how your solve their needs safely and economically.

continue giving:
- in 24 hrs, email each to thank for attending, with a personal note
- in 48 hrs, email each a sample of what you can do for them (sample = something - advice, tip, etc - they can use immediately but not fully solve a problem, or at least an article they might be interested in)
- in 72 hrs, call each and make sure they have (1) received your emails, (2) read them, (3) understood them (and if not, resend, read now, explain) and ask for a meeting for more (only then and there you start selling)

Good luck, my friend :-)

Following up with a real printed postcard can be fun, personal, memorable, and set you apart from the email spam crowd.

With www.postcardsanywhere.com you can send personalized postcards through the web app or iPhone app. From the iPhone app you can add video to a postcard! If you don't know their address, you can request their address via email and the card gets sent automatically.

Be sure to take some pictures at the event!

Good Luck!

Lumpy mail! I like the description and it certainly works as far as impact is concerned. However, gaining engagement after getting impact is a little harder and to avoid having something which is lost to the waste-bin after first-feel (!) takes a bit more thought.

My suggestion would be to use one of these Z-folding cards or Zig-Zag cards as they are now known. https://www.curveballprintmedia.com/Zig-Zag-Mag_Card.html This link is for one of my personal favourites, the Zig-Zag magnetic card.

You can glue it to a mailer and the advantages are that once to user peels it off to have a look, it opens up into an A4 sheet of detailed information, possibly containing information about your widget, its benefits and other company details as appropriate.

The real benefits are to be found in its tactile nature – it is difficult not to play with the thing- you open it, read it and snap it shut – it’s very satisfying. Because it folds back into a credit-card sized piece, it is easy to keep safely in a wallet or stuck to a filing cabinet. If the information it contains is of any use or interest to the recipient, it tends to be retained and then re-used, providing reinforcement of your message over and over again, without further mailings – you can’t get that from a postcard or a flyer.

My own experience of this medium is that it enhances response rates over conventional printed products by in excess of 100% and perhaps more importantly, continues to be effective as a marketing tool for months after it is initially sent out.

Steve Alker
Xspirt