For every industry imaginable, there is a trade show somewhere in the US. Over 205 million people attend the 1.8 million conventions, conferences, trade shows and exhibitions that take place in the United States every year. Here are five areas to focus on that will help you stand out amongst the crowded show floor – before, during and after the event.
Working with a design firm will help you create the best design and configuration possible within your budget and timeframe. Elements can also coordinate the entire production process and show services, saving you and your staff both time and money.
- Create one clear message, or theme, that will draw people into your booth.
- Make sure that the message or theme is reflective of your brand. Your message should be short, targeted and relevant. Use creativity.
- Be unique and clear. Less is more – no one likes a cluttered booth!
- Think about your booth space three-dimensionally and what the overall booth experience will be. Pay attention to traffic flow and provide opportunities to browse and explore.
- Attendees are much more likely to spend time at your booth if they don’t feel as though your sales team is hovering. Design some easy points-of-entry and give them reasons to wander in. This is something a design team can help you with – we provide our clients 3D renderings of our designs and creative ideas to draw a crowd.
Swag is a must for any show. But don’t rush to simply print up some pens. Really think about your brand, your product and your market. For example, if you’re a law firm, a high-quality branded ‘signature’ pen makes perfect sense. But if you’re an artisan ice cream company? Not so much.
- When you’re making the investment in promotional products, be sure to select an item that is durable and useful so that attendees will actually want to keep and use it.
- The best giveaways are ones that will be noticed by other attendees. For example, we once created branded, bright orange freezer grocery bags emblazoned with our clients’ frozen food products’ logo. The freezer bag made sense for the brand. It was fun to spot attendees walking the show with their orange bags – and some were asked where they scored the cool keepsake.
- We can help you create something that is coveted, used, kept, remembered and will further your brand recognition.
Nearly all tradeshows have a tool that’s right at your fingertips – a smartphone app. These apps are helpful and, of course, easily portable.
- Be prepared: Build a show plan ahead of time – for example, use the app to create a list of competitors booths so you can check out what they’re doing – such as: where’s their booth? What are they handing out? How are they sampling products?
- Be efficient: Some apps even help you plan the most efficient walking path from booth to booth – a real time saver!
- Stay connected: Keep up with show news, get notifications on keynotes and educational sessions and follow the show’s hashtag on social media to connect virtually with other attendees.
Email marketing is a great – and trackable – way to reach your target prospects before, during and after the show. Develop a campaign that will create multiple touchpoints, provide valuable information and keep your brand top-of-mind.
- Before: Pre-show communications can provide a little taste of what to expect at your booth – for example, will you be announcing a new product or service? Are you up for an award? These campaigns should be targeted, measurable and will help you identify high potential prospects before you even arrive.
- During: Is your company hosting a special event, party or educational session? Send email reminders during the show – with all the activity surrounding a show, it’s helpful to give folks reminders.
- After: Have an email campaign written, designed and coded so that all you have to do when you get back to the office is enter contact information and hit send. Nurture leads in the weeks and months following the show by scheduling communications ahead of time. Thank attendees for stopping by your booth, offer a coupon, share a white paper or promote an upcoming event. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring lukewarm leads – develop different messages for different types of leads.
- Before, During & After: Developed a hashtag? Remind attendees to follow your company on social media as another way to stay connected before, during and after the show
We can’t stress this enough! Your results from tradeshows are only as good as your follow up plan – the most critical phase of the tradeshow process. Preparation is key – have a plan in place from the time you decide to exhibit at a show. Planning makes following up much easier when you return to the office and your normal work routine.
- Phone calls: The most obvious way to follow up with contacts you’ve made at the show is to pick up the phone and call. A recent study shows that “the absolute best times to cold call are between the hours of 8-9am and 4-5pm, with the lunchtime period of 1-2pm being the absolute worst.” Be sure to record call notes in a status report or in your CRM database.
- Snail mail: Tradeshow attendees can be overwhelmed with emails post-show follow up. Pair your email campaign with a well-designed print communication piece, such as a brochure, sell sheet or other helpful pieces to break through the clutter.
- Special delivery: Get past the gatekeepers by sending a FedEx package to high potential leads and follow up with a phone call. It is much easier to get a hard-to-reach person on the line if you have a specific reason for calling (“I’m calling to follow up on a FedEx package I sent to Ms. Carter last week.”)
- Keep in touch: Social media channels are a great way to keep connected with prospects. Connect on LinkedIn, follow on Twitter and like them on Facebook. That’s a good start, but be sure to not just watch them, but interact and start conversations on topics of mutual interest.
