LET THE NATIONAL STATIONERY SHOW HELP
MAKE YOUR COMPANY A MEDIA STAR!

Publicity plays a critical role in exposing your products to a receptive audience of retailers and consumers hungry for information on the freshest products and trends.  Exhibiting in the National Stationery Show provides you with exposure to the cream of the crop of national media who depend on it as their primary resource for all things stationery.  Every year, editors from some 200 consumer outlets and all of the industry trade publications attend and cover the trends and innovations found on the Show floor. This face-to-face exposure has lead to hundreds of lead-generating publicity product placements for companies large and small—both pre-show, during the show, and for many months following the show.

Here are just some of the publications that covered last year’s show:

Consumer Publications

• Better Homes & Gardens
• Bridal Guide Magazine
• Brides
• CBS Television
• CNN
• Cookie
• Cosmogirl!
• Country Home
• Country Living
• Domino
• Elegant Bride
• Elle Magazine
• Everyday With Rachael Ray
• Family Circle
• Good Housekeeping
• GQ Magazine
• InStyle
• iVillage
• Lucky Magazine
• Martha Stewart Weddings
• Modern Bride
• Oprah “O” Magazine
• Parents Magazine
• Real Simple
• Redbook
• The Knot
• The New York Times
• The Wall Street Journal
• Town & Country
• Woman's Day
  

Industry Trade Publications

• Gifts & Decorative Accessories
• Giftware News
• Greetings Etc.
• Stationery Trends
• Gift Shop
• Party & Paper Retailer
• Museums and More
• Souvenir, Gifts & Novelties
• Scrapbook Retailer

The expert staff at GLM offers a variety of complimentary PR and marketing services to help you prepare for a successful show. From pre-show media relations and promotion ideas, to visual merchandising and display, press outreach, selling tips and more, we’ll help you get the most out of your investment in the market.  The marketing manual launches in January; we’ll alert exhibitors when it’s live.

It’s common to wonder, in this highly competitive environment and tough time economically, how do some companies thrive while others struggle? Now, more than ever, publicity plays a critical role in helping a company differentiate itself and its product line from the competition.  Publicity can help stimulate sales, attract new customers, and build stronger and positive "branding" in the minds of retailers.

Publicity is unlike advertising, where you pay for a secured placement in a particular publication.  Publicity promotes a company's news or products at no charge from the publication.  While not guaranteed, when a manufacturer provides editors with relevant, appropriate and timely information consistently,  it is highly likely that they will use at least some of this information.  Publications are hungry to receive information to report on.  Topics including new products, sales rep changes, personnel appointments, new catalog availability, and charitable donations or other community or cause-related activities are great examples of what to communicate. The clearest, most effective way to deliver your news is with a press release, a formalized document which offers a concise summary of information. Here are some tips on how to prepare professional press releases sure to be appreciated by the media:

FORMAT: Press releases are always typed, in either double-spaced or 1.5 space format. At the top of the page, it is vital that you list the name and telephone number of the official company contact person. Also at the top of the page should appear the words FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (this lets the editors know your information may be used right away). Next comes a summary headline – for example: XYZ Company Debuts New Hand-Made Mother's Day Card Collection – which is usually bold-faced and/or underlined. The professional press release also starts with a date line (your company's city/state, and date: LOS ANGELES, CA March 1, 2009).

The first paragraph in the press release needs to clearly state the most important information to be detailed in the release – such as what products or collections you are introducing, who has been appointed to a new position in your organization, etc. Putting the classic "who, what, where, when, and why" information early in the press release helps capture the attention of the editor and serves as a brief summary of your news.

The remaining should give specific details of your news. Your product information should include the name of the new product or collection, colors, sizes, descriptions, and the suggested retail price. You can also include a brief paragraph about the company's history and additional product lines you offer.

The press release concludes with the company name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and the company website address, if available. Press releases should aim to be under two pages in length, with multiple pages stapled, not paper-clipped, together.


LANGUAGE: Make the product come alive! Descriptive words such as "hand-made," "vibrantly colored," "highly detailed," "contemporary," "delicate," etc. paint a picture, and make your release fun to read.  Words like "wonderful," "terrific," "totally innovative," or "the best" are opinions and should not be used unless in the context of a quote – such as "we believe our unique product will be right-on-target for the 'tween market." When in doubt, keep your language simple and straightforward or as Jack Webb on "Dragnet" used to say: "Just the facts ma'am!"

Click here to see several samples of product press releases


TIMING: Publications usually work two to three months in advance, which means that they are gathering information for their March or April issues in January. While a manufacturer may send news to publications at any time, the key to insuring your product information will be given top priority is to send information which corresponds to the publications’ editorial calendar. You can obtain a magazine's annual editorial calendar by calling its office or through the publication’s website.  These calendars specify the topics the publication will cover each month – such as personal care, candles, birthday greeting cards, invitations, National Stationery Show happenings, Mother's Day, Halloween  and so forth. Tailoring your release topics according to the calendar increases the likelihood your information being included.

Press releases should either be mailed along with a catalog and samples to the editor, or emailed with high-resolution (300 dpi) photography A final tip: If you plan to send digital photography by e-mail or disk, be sure to check with each publication for specifics on the required format (EPS, tiff, jpeg formats, FTP sites etc).


UPCOMING NSS PUBLICITY OPPORTUNITIES:

Starting in late January 2009, the stationery industry’s important trade publications will be looking for information on new products set to debut at the May 2009 National Stationery Show.  Don’t miss this great opportunity to give retailers a “sneak preview” of your latest items, to create interest and sales leads before market.  Click here for a list of top industry trade publications to which you may submit product information and photography:

As with everything else, practice makes perfect when it comes to refining your press release techniques. With persistence and patience, you will have increased opportunities to create a profitable and productive publicity profile!

Debra Gold, president of Gold & Company (www.goldsco.com), is one of the industry’s leading experts on strategic marketing and public relations for stationery/gift manufacturers.

EXPERTS AGREE: AGGRESSIVE MARKETING AND TARGETED TRADE SHOWS PLAY A CRUCIAL PART IN HELPING COMPANIES WEATHER THE ECONOMIC STORM

Experts from every segment of business point to dynamic marketing and participation at trade shows as a decisive way companies large and small can move upward in a down trending economic climate.

Recent findings on the benefits of using trade shows reported in a groundbreaking new study, Measurement of Engagement in B2B Trade Show Exhibits, conducted by Exhibit Surveys Inc. and Gallup & Robinson (G&R) for the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF), include:

• Attendees are apt to be more receptive to marketing messages and images associated with the event than they are to those presented via other methods.
• Experiential marketing often goes beyond short-term effects to generate a longer term brand value.
• It is clear that the initial stages of event engagement have extraordinary power.
• Brand experience, brand consideration and likelihood to recommend are all valid outcomes of event engagement.
• There is considerable overlap between ratings of brand experience, emotional brand connection, aspirational brand "fit," and likelihood to recommend.
• Trade shows have both direct and indirect benefits, generating interest and awareness, as well as incremental sales and profits.
• Trade shows contribute in important and unique ways to both customer retention and customer acquisition.
• Trade shows have a unique viral effect. They influence the attendees, large numbers of whom also influence their peers. Like pass-along audiences for magazines and out-of home audience in TV, event reach calculations should go beyond just direct attendance.
• At a time when people are selective about the messages they receive and the brand relationships they invite, the unique opportunity that events provide to engage customers and prospects interested in learning more about the product or brand should be aggressively embraced.
• Purchase intent — a customer's stated interest in buying a product — is an average 34 points higher among attendees who actively interact with a brand at business-to-business (b-to-b) shows compared with those unaware of the brand.

ON LINE PRODUCT GALLERY AND LEAD GENERATOR

Showcase your products on the National Stationery website, reach tens of thousands of buyers and generate qualified sales leads for months leading up to the show! The Online Catalog Gallery enables you to display your key sales materials and provides a built-in lead generator, so that you can promptly follow up with every interested buyer. Once buyers log on to the website, they can easily access the Gallery with one click of the mouse, preparing them to do business with you before, during and after the 2009 National Stationery Show.

Click here to sign up today and gain maximum exposure for your company!

TAKE ACTION TODAY!

To Exhibit in the National Stationery Show, click here.
To register to attend as a buyer, click here.

And, for travel and housing support, visit www.myglmtravel.com