By Chase
As I write this column, I am putting the finishing touches on my trip to Toronto for the Buildings Show. Travel arrangements have been made, while train tickets and hotel confirmation have been secured for the first full-scale show since COVID-19 arrived almost three years ago.
Last year there was an in-person show, but most companies and visitors stayed home under the still-challenging pandemic restrictions. So it will be good this year to return to the complete show experience.
Historically this show has allowed us to connect with existing customers and previous clients. New client sales are harder to trace based on the lead development time. Since the show is held at the end of the year, marketing budgets are usually already in place for the next year so the key is to track these new clients throughout the following year and develop the relationship. Many opportunities still exist for special marketing projects and new contracts will be secured for the following year.
With the arrival of our daily newspaper in 2019, we are now more flexible than ever to meet the needs of our clients since we can turn around an article and ad campaign within days instead having to waiting for the monthly magazine deadlines. In most cases, we can promote events ahead of time in the daily newspaper and follow up at the end of the month with a targeted feature article.
With the end of the year approaching, I am happy to roll out the special $995 new client promo once again. The special includes an 800-word feature profile (written by our editorial team) or a submitted guest column, a quarter-page ad in the monthly magazine and web banners across our Ontario network. Bonuses included this year will be editorial coverage featured in the daily newspaper and newsletter banner ads for 30 days.
As always keep me posted on your special community-related events to celebrate the Holidays. Send me details ahead of time to chase@ontarioconstructionreport.com and we can run a news brief. If you have any questions about this or other marketing initiatives, you can reach out and expect a response within 24 hours.
Chase is the director of Marketing and Client Relations for the Construction News and Report Group as well as the associate publisher for the Ontario Construction Report and the daily digital newspaper, Ottawa Construction News, as well as several US markets in Chicago, Washington DC, Florida, New York, North Carolina, and California. You can reach him at (905) 341-8686 by email chase@ontarioconstructionreport.com.