Today, technology has completely transformed trade shows and allowed them to grow and stay important in the ever-changing world. Nowadays, they are all about being interactive. They use cool stuff like virtual reality to engage people and let them have new and exciting experiences.
But what makes a trade show successful? The success of any trade show is measured by Return on investment (ROI). It is like a way to figure out if a trade show was a good deal for a company. It helps us see if the money spent on the trade show was worth it by comparing how much money the trade show made for the company and how much it cost to be a part of it. But how do you earn big from these marketing displays?
Here are a few strategies for trade show success.
Things to do before the trade show
1.Create Excitement Ahead of Time
One of the best strategies for trade shows success is to make your exhibition booth better and maximize ROI by getting people excited before the event. To do this, plan a campaign that spreads the word through different channels. Get people involved before the trade show begins.
Let attendees vote on what free items they'd like to see at your booth.
Send out emails that mention a surprise waiting for visitors at your booth.
Use social media to your advantage. Share details about your event in your social media posts, mention the trade show organizers, and use relevant hashtags.
2. Add interactive elements to entertain your audience
If you want to boost attendance at your trade show booth, a great strategy is to provide an engaging experience. Instead of just waiting for people to visit, offer a fun and interesting activity they can participate in. For instance, you could organize a scavenger hunt inside the trade show area. Another option is to have a classic game, like a branded version of Jenga, that people can enjoy when they drop by your booth. Export games that are fun and interactive to indulge and grab the attention of your audience.
3.Install a photo booth
A really effective way of maximizing ROI and getting people engaged, identifying potential customers, and gathering data for future marketing is to use a photo booth. This works well because folks enjoy getting in front of the camera and taking photos to remember the trade show and the people they've met. Another bonus is that you'll end up with pictures and contact information of the individuals who visit your booth. You can even ask if it's okay to post the photos they take on social media, which can boost your brand's online presence.
Things to do during the trade show
Grab Leads on the Spot
It's really important to collect and handle potential customer information on the actual event day. This is one of the best strategies for trade shows success. Give your salespeople and experts at the trade show the tools to quickly gather and organize this info while they're on the floor. This way, they can check-in attendees, see scheduled meetings, take notes, assess potential customers, and share electronic materials right away. You can instantly collect potential customer information using three methods:
scanning business cards
scanning QR codes or barcodes
manually entering data into an app
Marketers can easily use their smartphones to scan badges or business cards and promptly send this information to their sales teams, all in a matter of minutes.
Things to do post the trade show
One common error entrepreneurs often make when going to trade shows is that they gather lots of business cards and create potential business opportunities for maximizing ROI, but then they forget to act on them. Here's what you can do to avoid this mistake:
Choose someone from your team to put all those contact details into a database
Get in touch with these contacts the way they prefer (like through social media, email, or phone) within three days
Keep an eye on how things are going with these potential leads so you can learn from them and improve how you grow your business in the future.
In conclusion, strategies for trade shows success require your proactive follow-up on leads and providing engaging experiences. Capturing leads instantly and engaging with prospects beforehand can significantly boost trade show ROI. Don't forget to learn and improve from each event.
Comments