Trade Show Marketing is Easy. Follow These Steps to Success

Correctly targeting your prospects, building a booth designed to appeal to their needs and boosting awareness of your appearance at the show all help you bring in visitors at your next event.

Start as early as possible and you’ll have the time you need to not only set up a great space, but to promote it to your followers and prospects and ensure that they take the time to stop by.

6 Steps to Trade Show Marketing Success

Start with Research

Who buys your product, and what benefit are they most interested in? What are the ideal end users of your product or service looking for and how can you relay your benefits to them?

Start with a good picture or persona of the person you want to appeal from and use this information to drive your marketing to the correct targets.

Is the show you are considering worth your time? How many people attend – and how many of those people are in your target demographic?

Your choice of shows will determine how you market your product, so make sure that the trade show venues and opportunities you choose offer the numbers you need to succeed.

Set Measurable Goals

You may make some tradeshow sales, but your participation will pay off more with leads for your sales team. Set goals for contacts, qualified leads and prospects who enter your sales funnel to you can get an idea of what you’ll need to bring along for the show.

Pre Show Marketing

Begin a few months out and highlight your show appearances on your website and in advertising materials. Use the show hashtag on your social media channels to spread awareness of your attendance.

In the weeks before the show, consider one or more of the following trade show marketing ideas:
• Contacting existing customers to meet at the show in person
• A social media push encouraging followers to engage with you online and at the show
• Offering a promo or prize for those who visit your booth
• Offering a perk for new or existing customers who order at the show.
• Targeted email campaign to subscribers about the show, with a call to action to visit

On Site Promotion
Marketing doesn’t stop when the show begins; live stream or update your social media channels regularly while you are at the show, offering incentives to those who visit.

Stream from the show and cover the proceedings for those who are not able to attend in person; consider allowing viewers to virtually log in and receive information from your team.

Build the Right Booth
All the buzz you’re generating won’t help if you don’t have an appealing place for visitors to land when they arrive at the show. Your exhibit should clearly represent your brand and offer a welcoming spot for attendees; they should also have a reason to stop by, whether it was a promotion, chance to meet with their rep in person or a special, show only bonus.

Staff your trade show booth with a mix of your sales team and some of your more outgoing employees; not every person a visitor speaks with should be trying to sell something. If a prospect does want to make a purchase, they can be easily passed over to the correct account representative on site.

Follow Up
Dedicate the week after the show to following up; those hot leads you just acquired serve you best in the days immediately following the show.

You’ve made a great first impression, so don’t wait to close the deal. For B2B businesses with a long sales process, immediate follow-up gets prospects into your funnel and into the later stages of the process before they can be distracted by a competitor or the next show.

You’ll also need to compare your results with your goals to determine what changes if any you need to make for your next show.

The marketing process for each show you attend should take months, not weeks or days. Starting early gives you the time you need to tailor your approach to each specific show and to obtain the promotional materials and the booth you need to succeed.