As companies plan for their 2023 trade shows schedule, much of the success of each show rests on the shoulders of your marketing team.
Companies spend tens of thousands of dollars exhibiting at trade conferences but often squander the opportunity because they do not have a solid game plan in place.
Getting the most out of your trade show investment takes proper planning and execution.
Trade show marketing can be broken down into 3 components:
Pre-show
When it comes to trade shows, many exhibitors make the mistake of employing the “Field of Dreams” strategy…”if you build it, they will come.”
Unfortunately, the real world doesn’t work that way. As an exhibitor, you are in competition with the countless other exhibitors who are vying for the attention of the attendees in a limited amount of time.
This is especially challenging when the conference is held in a tourist area like Las Vegas.
The goal of any trade show is to get attendees to visit your booth and ideally schedule a meeting.
Instead of waiting for passerby to engage with you, the best way to ensure your meeting calendar is full is to schedule as many meetings as possible beforehand.
You can use email campaigns, social media, or even postcards to generate interest.
Make sure your trade show incentive is compelling. Cheap give aways are not going to do much more than attract the type of people that want freebies.
Offer something of value that addresses a pain point, and make sure the offer is exclusive for that trade show.
During show
While the show is going on, you obviously want to focus all your attention on clients. That said, it’s a good opportunity to boost your social media by posting photos and following the show’s hashtags.
Pictures from your exhibit and other pictures from conferences usually get high engagement. If you have a special trade show promotion, you can promote that as well.
Of course, do not forget to scan attendee badges!
Post show
There is a dangerous cycle that can happen to trade show exhibitors. They collect stacks of leads and have several engaging conversations with prospects during the show, but after the trade show buzz wares off, they get back into their routine and many of their leads die on the vine.
Having a good follow up strategy for how you will handle leads and prospects should be set in place before the show.
Creating lead campaigns using email, text, or a combination of the two can ensure that you are maximizing the efficiency and getting the most out of your leads.
If you had an exclusive offer for trade show attendees, that could make a good countdown campaign (ex. “ABS Conference attendees, you only have 10 days left to claim your exclusive offer”).
BONUS TIP
Include a picture of your trade show team in front of your booth in your emails. This can jog someone’s memory and increase your likelihood of getting a response.
Need help getting started?
At Gnosis, we specialize in helping your medical or life science company plan and implement effective digital marketing strategies.
In addition, we can help you implement a marketing strategy for your next trade show.
Contact us today to receive a customized proposal, 858-925-3119, or email mike@gnosis.team
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