Friday, July 15, 2011

Trade Show Marketing for Trade Show Success

How successful was your last trade show event?  We hope that it was incredibly successful and that you headed home with orders in hand.  Unfortunately, not all businesses are that lucky.  While trade shows can be a significant investment, participation should be a significant portion of your marketing plan.  Trade shows are great for allowing you to showcase your wares to a very targeted audience.  What better way to enhance the visibility of your products, meet prospective customers and maintain a presence in the market place?  But its not enough to do a show...you've got to do it right!  And doing it right means executing a well planned marketing strategy to draw traffic to your booth and maximize your investment.

Think of trade show marketing as a 3-step process:  Pre-show Marketing, At Market Initiatives and Post-show Follow Up.

Pre-Show Marketing 
To ensure success at your next show, start early!  Plan ahead and start engaging with existing and potential customers well before the show to let them know you'll be there and where they can find you.  A personalized phone call is always nice but incorporate other methods of communication as well.  Execute a direct mail or email marketing campaign to personally invite them to your booth.  Update your website with your show schedule.  Utilize social networks to get the word out.

At Market Initiatives
Don't slack on your marketing initiatives once you make it to she show.  Offer prospects and customers an incentive to visit your booth.  Accomplish this by generating excitement and a buzz around your booth with drawings and giveaways, interactive games, new product demonstrations and samples.  Take advantage of social media and advanced technology by tweeting live from the show.  Getting your message in front of show attendees on their smartphones or other mobile devices shows that you're not only in touch, but care about keeping them in the loop.  Don't forget about on-site advertising opportunities!  Find out where show management allows it and how to participate.  Also use your time at the show to capture detailed lead information for post-show follow up.

Post-Show Follow Up
Following up post-show might be the most important step.  After all that hard work, you want to make sure you close some deals, right?  Again, follow up with a personal phone call, send a thank you note or execute a post-show marketing campaign.  Read our post on how to Follow Up Post-Market with Email Marketing.

Need help planning show marketing or executing your marketing ideas?  PRISM Media Group can help!  Visit our website or give us a call at 469-645-2400.  We look forward to hearing from you!

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