How to Beef up Your Trade Show Results
We talk a lot about your goals for the trade show, using terms like lead generation and ROI and engagement. Sometimes, you have goals set but aren’t quite sure how to get there. Today, we’re going to talk about that.
Previously, Anita has discussed return on objectives over return on investment. Setting solid trade show goals makes it easier to see where the return lies. Figuring out how to achieve those goals should be can be a little daunting. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Developing Speaking Opportunities-Many trade shows are attached to conferences, which may give you the 
opportunity to be a speaker. As a speaker at a conference or industry event, you are able to cultivate the image of you as an expert. This can often lead to an increase in your client base, because clients are eager to work with someone that they perceive as an expert.
Using Social Media to Build Brand Awareness-Have you ever read through the tweets that include the hashtag #CES2015? There are millions of them, and more than a few of them are from businesses that weren’t at CES. They just took advantage of a very popular hashtag to get their message out there. While we don’t put that out there as a solid marketing plan, taking advantage of an active hashtag for a show you are exhibiting at is sure to bring you some new contacts. Tweeting out a message that includes your booth number with the hashtag makes it easier for attendees to find you, and helps build brand awareness-especially for those who can’t be at the trade show in person!
Developing Dynamic Marketing Materials -Let’s face it; your booth and all of the supporting stuff that you take with you to a trade show is all designed for one thing: to provide you with a crisp, professional corporate image. You’ve spent a good bit of money to project that image, so you can use the trade show to get more bang for your buck with a professional photographer or videographer catching your team in action or your product demo, and use that for future marketing material. Using video to show your product doing its thing while an interested audience looks on is invaluable. Adding a touch screen and 3-dimensional virtual reality video can bring your prized product into the spotlight while educating your potential buyers. Using the product demo that you’ve caught on video as part of that education saves your sales staff time, and gets your leads interacting with your brand.
Of course, there are the usual goals-a specific amount of qualified leads, a database of phone numbers or newsletter
subscriptions, and, of course, sales. But there are a number of trade show objectives that can help you build your business in ways that aren’t traditional. Looking outside the box makes sure that you get the most bang for your trade show marketing buck!
