Trade show season has arrived. Between travel, strategic campaigns, product launches, press meetings, business-dinners and extended hours on the show floor things are bound to get a little overwhelming. Planning for a tradeshow doesn’t just take a month or two of preparations, it can take anywhere from 6 months to year of careful planning to truly hit your marks. If you aren’t feeling completely prepared, don’t fret, it isn’t too late.
So how can you ensure that you are getting the most out of the season, and not just chasing your own tail?
Trade show marketing is a strategic process, and no simple task. Below are a few of our best tips to get you through this hectic season:
Set (Realistic) Goals
In the same way your marketing campaigns help your business achieve specific metrics, setting some realistic goals for yourself is the first step to honing your trade show strategy. Trade shows present opportunities to enhance brand awareness, increase email and/or blog subscribers, meet prospects in person, and generate quality leads. Any of these make for a solid, and realistic goal. Just make sure to decide on a metric to measure yourself by.
Engage Your Audience
Once you have a realistic and measurable goal, it’s time to figure out how to execute it. While putting together your strategy, make sure to keep a call-to-action (CTA) in mind. This can be a central image or phrase that is carried through all aspects of your strategy from signage and booths, to landing pages and literature.
Get your entire team together, from marketing to sales and even product development. Brainstorm and work collaboratively to create a clear and unique message that will last and engage your audience. Make sure this is fully nailed down before moving on.
Update Your Website
Now that you have your call-to-action messaging, your digital prescience should match the physical! Blogging about your trade show activities is one way to help, but to kick it up a notch we’d suggest a landing page. Create a dedicated landing page that echoes your trade show call-to-action, fill it with helpful information and free (interesting) reading materials like white papers and case studies.
Not only will this amplify your message, but it also gives you the opportunity to collect valuable information about your audience via lead generation forms.
