Are you at the right venue?

I recently attended the Workers Compensation Disability Conference in Chicago. There were over 200 exhibitors vying for the attention of the attendees. I tried to visit every booth to view new products and look for article ideas for my monthly column in Workers' Comp Bottom Line. Do you know what I noticed? Some exhibitors were at the wrong trade show.

That's right. They had spent thousands of dollars to buy space, transport and house personnel, furnish marketing material and burn valuable marketing time. The results? Some probably are back in their offices this week, wondering why their phones aren't ringing.

There are many vendors developing products that are ripe for an insurance industry eager, no desperate, to cut costs. But your marketing consultants may not be the best vehicle to ensure you're reaching the right portion of the industry with your message because they don't have a hands-on knowledge of the industry.

You've heard the phrase "targeted marketing." Targeting your prospects ensures your advertising dollars are reaching the audience that needs or will consider your product. The insurance industry is complex, and the consultant or ad agency you use must understand the industry to help you penetrate this complex market.

Here's one example. One young vendor was there with what appeared to be a great program that adjusters can use to dictate their reports and receive them back in just a few hours. With the amount of outsourcing carriers are now doing, this product makes sense. Unfortunately, this venue, where many attendees were Federal employees and adjusters not empowered to make purchasing decisions, probably wasn't a great show for this product. There's several other venues I recommended to this provider that would reap much stronger results.

Your advertising agency should be more than a vehicle to produce copy; it should provide a tailored marketing program that will help your product penetrate a highly competitive and increasingly technical marketplace.

Today, every advertising dollar counts. For a free consultation on your product, call me at 573 638-3738.