Trade shows are exciting on multiple levels! First, they are usually located in a fun location (we’re jealous of our clients attending upcoming events in Las Vegas and New Orleans!) Second, they provide a great opportunity to network with individuals in your industry and reach your target audience directly. Need advice on how to improve your ROI on trade shows? We have compiled a list of marketing techniques to put into practice before, during and after the show. READ MORE!
Pre-show:
- Share to the world that you are attending this event. Post the news on your website and social media accounts. Pitch a press release to the media, announcing your involvement and what attendees should expect to find at your booth. Share information about the event out in an e-newsletter sent to all your contacts. Get the word out about your booth and evoke excitement around it!
- Advertise show-exclusive specials to entice your audience to stop by your booth. Such promotions can help you meet your trade show goals – whatever they may be! Through a trade-show exclusive promotion, you can establish qualified leads, generate sales revenue and facilitate awareness. It will incentivize attendees to take action on your product – to learn more about it and ultimately purchase your product! For example, Iowa-based SMK Sprayers decided their goal was to target distributors at the upcoming Las Vegas trade show, World Of Concrete. In order to sell more to distributors they already have as well as to gain new distributors, they are offering a 15% discount to those who purchase directly at their trade show booth.
- Be certain to plan well-ahead and order promotional products to hand out at the show! For more info about how to get a great ROI on those profitable little trinkets, contact MaryAnne at Primary Source!
Showtime:
- Craft your message and make it count. More often than not, a percentage of your trade show audience will have never heard of your brand or product. Trade shows provide a creative way to differentiate your company from competitors (which may also be participating in that particular trade show). What makes you different? Capitalize on your unique selling point in a visual way – by letting attendees experience your products and services first hand. Bring your message to life by creating a bright and interactive booth. Give your audience a reason to stop at your booth, whether it is to play a game that has to do with your product or the chance to win a TV!
- Focus on building relationships. As much as you may like your shiny display to speak for itself, the average attendee will not remember every aspect of your booth after the show. The number one thing attendees will remember about your company’s exhibit is not the exhibit itself, rather the staff. By manning your booth with dynamic staff members who encompass your company’s culture and connect with you target audience is key. The glitz and excitement of a trade show often wears off for attendees within a week. Listen to those you talk to, ask them questions about their life and business to find common interests, not just to make a sale. Trade shows are a great opportunity to learn more about your target audience, and find more ways to connect with them.
Post-show:
- Share content generated during the trade show. Share videos, pictures, testimonials and exciting news that happened at the trade show on your website and social media right after the event. Treat your website and social media accounts as a medium to encompass the trade show experience to viewers who could not attend. What should you include? Share pictures of attendees testing out your product, followed by a 30 second video clip of your salespeople having a conversation with the individual about how they liked the product and how they foresaw themselves using it. Announce the winner of a prize that was raffled off at the event. Try to capture the same excitement felt at the show!
- Follow up with the leads you’ve gained with additional content. Attendees have given you their contact information (whether they wanted more information on your product or just wanted to win the prize)… use it! Follow up by thanking them for taking time out of the busy event to stop by your booth. Send them surveys asking them what they thought of your booth to learn what to improve upon – offer a discount to those who take time to fill out the survey. Add them to your database of contacts to send e-newsletters to, and personally follow up with individuals that expressed questions about your products at the show.
With these tips, you will not only be able to generate awareness at the trade show, but create hype beforehand about the event, foster sales during the show, and cultivate relationships with your target audience that will last long after the show is done. Be sure to keep track of the events success, to make adjustments for next year.
