What do you do with your lead list? at DVinfo.net

Miraj A. Berry · October 8th, 2008, 07:13 AM

We're debating our approach to couples on our lead lists from bridal shows. We've sent each one a personal email (no mass email) linking them to a short demo on our site. The more we thought about it, though, we didn't think that we wanted a 4X3 box on a monitor to really reflect our "product."

We then thought about sending our our package with brochure & full demo. Then what? Folo-up with email? Phone call?

We were just curious how those of you who participate in bridal shows go about extracting the most out of your lead lists!

Thanks!

Matt Bishop · October 8th, 2008, 08:40 AM

It's definitely hard to effectively use these lists and I think most people don't do anything with them because they aren't sure what to do. That in itself is a good reason to actually use them because I doubt the brides are getting 100 different emails just like yours after the show.

I've found a way to put ourselves in front of them without it sounding like we're selling them or trying to push something on them and it's worked quite well. I'm always changing up things, adding new products, uploading new videos etc., and once I have a good list, I'll simply send out an email that is an update or what's new. I can always come up with enough to say here's some new things we're offering and we're very excited about and then maybe another line " demos are update regularly , check here..... "

I'm really careful in making it sound inviting instead of a sales pitch to get them to our site, and I do get a lot of hits from those emails and I have booked weddings from doing this. To a lot of people, it will just be a reminder of who you are and repetition of your name so if they saw you at the show or see you later when they're looking , they recognize it.

You say that you don't really want your demo to be what reflects your product....but that is exactly what a demo is supposed to be. If they go to your site, Isn't that what most brides will see before they even call you to inquire? This should be a good representation of what you do so you can then get them in the door and show them everything else. I think sending out a brochure and demo would be a lot of work and throwing away extra money. Around here I know that 1/2 of those demos would just get thrown away because they don't want video or already have one. Also consider that you're getting this list from people that came to the show. If they stopped by, they probably already grabbed a brochure and maybe a demo if you give them out.

Just my thoughts !

Matt

Miraj A. Berry · October 8th, 2008, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Bishop

You say that you don't really want your demo to be what reflects your product....but that is exactly what a demo is supposed to be.

We totally get that our demo reflects our product. What I meant to say is that we don't want the brief, small box on our website to be the product that will make or break booking a bride. Instead, we'd rather they have a great quality, full-screen version of our demo with crisp images.

We'd rather couples see the absolute best version of our demo to see what they will be getting. We're not offering a 3X4 grainy box online to our clients, and we don't want them to think that's the quality of what they will get. Nor do we want that to be their first impression.

I know the obvious solution is to improve the quality of the demo on our site...but I was just curious if people direct the couples on their lead lists to their websites, first and foremost, or if the cal or mail a full demo first.

Ethan Cooper · October 8th, 2008, 09:36 AM

We send out a simple postcard to all the brides. We feel it brings our brand to the top of their mind and puts our website and contact information into their hands again a few weeks after the show. The card isn't flashy and doesn't offer any type of sales pitch or special promotional deal, it simply reminds the bride that we're out here.
Why a postcard and not an email? A postcard is a tangible good, it's more personal than an email and generally good feelings are associated with receiving a postcard. (maybe I'm over thinking this) It's been fairly effective for us.

Miraj A. Berry · October 8th, 2008, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ethan Cooper

Why a postcard and not an email? A postcard is a tangible good, it's more personal than an email and generally good feelings are associated with receiving a postcard. (maybe I'm over thinking this) It's been fairly effective for us.

No way, I completely hear ya. That sounds good and makes sense!

Tim Harjo · October 8th, 2008, 03:48 PM

Post cards... Emails.. they both sound great. However, don't short change yourself out of putting your demos online. If your Demos look grainy online, then perhaps you might need to change the format. Vimeo is a great place to upload videos. You can upload them in fantastic quality and it will convert to a great streaming piece. And.. Vimeo gives you a code so you can put the video right on your website.

October 8th, 2008, 07:13 AM	#1
Miraj A. Berry Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Norfolk, Virginia Posts: 63	What do you do with your lead list? We're debating our approach to couples on our lead lists from bridal shows. We've sent each one a personal email (no mass email) linking them to a short demo on our site. The more we thought about it, though, we didn't think that we wanted a 4X3 box on a monitor to really reflect our "product." We then thought about sending our our package with brochure & full demo. Then what? Folo-up with email? Phone call? We were just curious how those of you who participate in bridal shows go about extracting the most out of your lead lists! Thanks!

October 8th, 2008, 08:40 AM	#2
Matt Bishop Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: East Moline, IL Posts: 231	It's definitely hard to effectively use these lists and I think most people don't do anything with them because they aren't sure what to do. That in itself is a good reason to actually use them because I doubt the brides are getting 100 different emails just like yours after the show. I've found a way to put ourselves in front of them without it sounding like we're selling them or trying to push something on them and it's worked quite well. I'm always changing up things, adding new products, uploading new videos etc., and once I have a good list, I'll simply send out an email that is an update or what's new. I can always come up with enough to say here's some new things we're offering and we're very excited about and then maybe another line " demos are update regularly , check here..... " I'm really careful in making it sound inviting instead of a sales pitch to get them to our site, and I do get a lot of hits from those emails and I have booked weddings from doing this. To a lot of people, it will just be a reminder of who you are and repetition of your name so if they saw you at the show or see you later when they're looking , they recognize it. You say that you don't really want your demo to be what reflects your product....but that is exactly what a demo is supposed to be. If they go to your site, Isn't that what most brides will see before they even call you to inquire? This should be a good representation of what you do so you can then get them in the door and show them everything else. I think sending out a brochure and demo would be a lot of work and throwing away extra money. Around here I know that 1/2 of those demos would just get thrown away because they don't want video or already have one. Also consider that you're getting this list from people that came to the show. If they stopped by, they probably already grabbed a brochure and maybe a demo if you give them out. Just my thoughts ! Matt __________________ www.mediainnovations-online.com www.mediainnovationsblog.com

October 8th, 2008, 09:36 AM	#4
Ethan Cooper Trustee Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 1,400 Images: 5	We send out a simple postcard to all the brides. We feel it brings our brand to the top of their mind and puts our website and contact information into their hands again a few weeks after the show. The card isn't flashy and doesn't offer any type of sales pitch or special promotional deal, it simply reminds the bride that we're out here. Why a postcard and not an email? A postcard is a tangible good, it's more personal than an email and generally good feelings are associated with receiving a postcard. (maybe I'm over thinking this) It's been fairly effective for us. __________________ ∅ -Ethan Cooper

October 8th, 2008, 03:48 PM	#6
Tim Harjo Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sacramento, California Posts: 195	Post cards... Emails.. they both sound great. However, don't short change yourself out of putting your demos online. If your Demos look grainy online, then perhaps you might need to change the format. Vimeo is a great place to upload videos. You can upload them in fantastic quality and it will convert to a great streaming piece. And.. Vimeo gives you a code so you can put the video right on your website.