Eight steps that lead to trade show success
Trade shows are one of the most common ways B2B companies showcase their products and services to potential customers and industry leaders. According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, trade shows account for nearly 40% of a B2B company’s marketing budget.
Without proper planning, however, a trade show initiative could actually do more harm than good for your reputation and bottom-line.
Here are some considerations to keep in mind if you want to turn your 2017 trade show into a roaring success:
Research: start by researching the trade shows in your industry. Where do most of your customers go to learn about the latest industry breakthroughs? Should you go to the largest, most expensive trade show or aim for something more modest? The answers will help you find the best fit for your budget, risk tolerance and growth ambitions.
Project Manager: a project manager with enough power and accountability to get the job done is a must. This is usually a VP or Director-level person, often in (product) marketing. A project manager must have the endorsement of the C-suite to sheppard the necessary resources from all over the company including R&D, operations, marketing, etc.
Budget: create a trade show budget based on a variety of factors including booth design and build-out, staffing, travel & lodging, entertainment, marketing collateral. Do your best to stay within the budget while also building in an acceptable margin of error to account for unexpected costs.
Booth: don’t go too cheap on the booth or you will risk looking like a 3rd rate player in the industry. When designing a booth, be sure you create one you can use again and is also modular enough to allow for easy design updates.
Staffing: staff your booth with outgoing, high-energy employees who are familiar with the company’s products and services. Make sure at least one member of the executive team is available for high-level conversations and media interviews.
Media Outreach: trade shows are crawling with journalists and bloggers. If you are launching a product, try to book appointments with media to speak to your executive spokesperson. You can also issue a press release in advance and request an ‘embargo,’ which is a promise to not publish the news until the first day of the trade show. [Don’t forget to train your spokesperson in how to talk to the media or you may end up with mixed results if he or she can’t properly articulate your product’s benefits.]
Social Matters: social media plays a big part in trade shows optics. Twitter is one of the best ways to share on-the-floor observations and engage directly with customers and prospects. LinkedIn can help you connect with prospects and influencers while LinkedIn Pulse can drive brand awareness among attendees and those following remotely. Appoint one person to manage social media to make sure it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. Don’t forget to use the right hashtag(s) for the show.
Follow-up: finally, don’t forget to follow up with all of your new contacts. Enter them into your CRM according to where they fall into the sales funnel. The hotter the lead, the more direct and immediate the approach should be by the sales team. Otherwise, set up your new contacts for a drip marketing campaign that should include a mix of webinars, free white papers, product updates and special offers.
Contact the Denver office of Austin-based Manzer Communications if you’d like to discuss ways to increase the effectiveness of your 2017 trade shows.