A different kind of education, courtesy of trade shows
I worked on the marketing campaign and execution for a company’s presence at a large trade show earlier this year, and in the process had to learn a lot about trade show marketing in a hurry.
Differentiation is huge for trade show exhibitors, and yet what I read over and over was that the lion’s share of companies was guilty of a few crimes:
1. Setting up their booth the same way they’ve “always done it”
2. Looking at competitors and telling the marketing team to “do a booth like that one”
3. Create a booth without looking at the research about trade show psychology
This last one was amazing to see in action. One cardinal rule is not to have seating in the main booth area, because no attendee wants to sit down and be trapped. Yet when I went to this recent trade show, I saw chairs and couches galore, and – surprise, surprise – the seats were always empty (and so were the booths).
So if differentiation is such a big deal, how do you get there? Well, the number one idea I found in my trade show research was to go to trade shows entirely unrelated to your industry.
If you’re a biomedical person, check out a grocery industry show. They’re bound to be doing things in a completely different way from what you’re used to. Can you find some ideas there, or at a comic convention, even at a home and garden event?
And how does this apply to resumes, your career, and your job search? Quite simply, if you want to stand out in your field, consider part of your continuing career education to include how executives and managers make themselves stand out in other industries. It’s “form, not formula” when it comes to resumes. There may be certain dos and don’ts to follow, but there’s a lot of room for creating a unique identity as well.
The same goes for your day-to-day work. If you market bar-coding machines, find out how other professionals in your field market chewing gum. If you do manage the accounting for a consumer products company, find out what insurance companies are doing with their accounting systems.
Bring new, unusual, progressive influences into your company, and not only can you help the business, you can help yourself – now, and in the midst of your next job search.
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