You have prepared for the trade show, and the big day has arrived.
What happens now?
Optimizing traffic and capturing leads are two essential goals you want to achieve on trade show day. You have a short time to grab the attention of the attendees, so you want to attract and engage with them effectively and help them to have an "experience" at your booth.
Step Nine: Attract and Engage
To engage with others, you must first attract attendees to your booth. You want to show your unique strengths and create memorable exhibits that repeatedly bring your brand to mind. You want to utilize actionable ways to stand out and draw attendees to your booth.
Utilize these actions in your booth to help attract potential leads:
Implement various elements in your booth
Interactive media
In-booth presentation
Product demos
Game or contest
Prize wheel
Guided booth tours
Charging stations
Refreshment lounge
Show a variety of videos in your booth
Testimonials
Information about your product/service
Company Overview
Promotions
Provide educational sessions
Schedule educational sessions for attendees to come and learn more about your brand/product
Leave attendees with at least three new pieces of information they didn't have before attending the show
Prepare and inform booth staff throughout the show
Go over the schedule at the beginning of each day
Give staff ample opportunities for breaks throughout the show
Provide food and snacks to keep the staff hydrated and energized
Hold end-of-the-day meetings with staff to talk about the day and go over any questions or concerns
Give away freebies
Draw people into your booth so you can engage with them further about your products and services
Give attendees something they will use and something that will help them remember your brand
Distribute freebies that make an impression
Give away unique and exciting prizes that people want
Include a business card with the freebies so they know how to contact you in the future
Utilize social media throughout the trade show
Take photos throughout the show and post them on your social media sites, using hashtags that are trending in your market
Take pictures of yourself with supporters and fans for future social media use
Determine if there will be media at the trade show so you can get into a well-read industry publication
Share photos and videos of what is happening in your booth and behind the scenes
Engage with your attendees and vendors' social content, asking or answering questions to keep social media communication flowing
Once attendees enter your booth, you need to establish a relationship. Engaging with attendees is vital to making connections, resulting in business leads. Consider the following as you determine the best way to connect with trade show attendees:
Have conversations with people in your industry and those interested in your brand
Form relationships with industry leaders to gain words of wisdom
Find opportunities to get time with your current and potential customers
Check out the competition to collect any tips on how they set up their booth and what they are promoting
Be attentive to everything happening throughout the trade show
Stand up and look approachable, people will be more likely to approach you
Give eye contact and smile at attendees walking in and around your booth
Shake hands and be ready and willing to meet new people, which will help them be attracted to meeting you
Be friendly and eager to talk to attendees
Be prepared to make sales with potential customers
Request feedback from attendees
Set up stations where attendees can leave their thoughts
Craft questions that will gather the information you need
Provide a way for attendees to leave their contact information
As you attract and engage with trade show attendees, consider how you will collect those leads
The top three ways to capture leads at a trade show are:
Lead capture apps
Badge scanners provided by organizers
Business card scanning
The technique you decide to use for collecting leads needs to be:
Convenient
Clear
Accurate
Speedy
Easily connected to your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system
Step Ten: Post-show Evaluation and Follow-up
The trade show has ended, and you must implement your follow-up plan. One of the first things you want to do is have a post-show debriefing with your team. Ensure you get input from everyone on your team because each has something helpful to contribute. Discuss what worked, what didn't work, and how you can improve at your next trade show.
Once you have debriefed with your team you need to organize and prioritize the leads you collected. Consider these elements as you organize:
Create specific parameters for what makes a good lead for your company
Rank leads by readiness: hot, warm, and cold
Categorize by industry, location, and business size
Here are several options for communicating with your leads after the trade show is over:
Email
Phone call
Social media
In-person meeting
Emails are one of the most effective ways to connect with your leads and are vital to a successful follow-up plan. Consider these suggestions as you prepare your email marketing campaign:
Use nurturing communication in your first email with the lead instead of focusing on your business.
Utilize target ads focused on a specific audience
Email drip campaigns give you time to nurture leads. These automated campaigns allow you to stay connected to your leads while building the relationship. Consider this example as you create your follow-up email marketing campaign:
Email One:
Send quickly after the trade show ends
Thank the lead for visiting your booth
Send a photo or video to remind them of the experience
Give them a gift or special discount
Email Two:
Scheduled one to two days after sending email one
Include a clear Call to Action
Don't sell anything to the leads
Continue to provide relevant, quality content
Consider what type of challenges they are facing and how your company can solve them
Email Three:
Provide quality content with a clear call to action
Send weekly or monthly to keep your company top of mind
You can incorporate other types of communication with leads in conjunction with your email marketing campaign. Consider these creative suggestions:
Send a video message
Create a quiz or survey
Share a testimonial
Send a handwritten note
Host a virtual event
Start a conversation through a social media site
If you have been considering getting involved in a trade show but are still deciding because it feels too big of a task, MLC Expert Consulting is here to help you through the process. We can also help you with your follow-up campaign. Call us today at 843.819.0102 or contact us on our website to discuss further. Don’t forget to read part two of the trade show companion piece with extra tips for the event and follow-up process.
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