How to Maximize Online Tradeshow Marketing for Results
Gone are the days when you could just show up at a tradeshow and assume you’ll have good attendance at your exhibit booth by relying on the show producers to get attendees through the front door. And even when the attendance is good, are those tradeshow visitors your target customers, the people who are ripe to invest in your products and services?
Today’s successful tradeshow exhibitors have one thing in common: They rely on tradeshow marketing to see a return on their investment (ROI) and a profit. With an execution strategy in place, success is guaranteed for selling directly to consumers as much as it is for B2B organizations.
In fact, Content Marketing Institute reports that 75% of survey respondents deem in-person events effective for B2B marketing—More effective than case studies (66%), webinars and webcasts (66%), and white papers (63%). The reason behind this positive response lies in the opportunity for interactive two-way, in-person communication that only tradeshow exhibitors enjoy.
What will you get out of exhibiting at a tradeshow? This depends upon how much you prepare, execute, and follow-up with your marketing strategy for the event. What are the elements of successful tradeshow marketing? Take to the internet to reach your target audience, no matter where they roam.
Here at Moore Than SEO, we believe in starting with a game plan for every stage of your tradeshow engagement.
This is what your business can expect to accomplish with a proven tradeshow marketing strategy in place:
Effective lead generation
Visitors to tradeshows are serious about making connections. When you exhibit at a specific tradeshow where your products and services are the spotlight of available offerings, your company shines in the presence of those in attendance. Compelling marketing practices increase the numbers of meaningful lead generations.
Effective ROI
Tradeshow success is easily measured by the total number of impressions, contacts made, leads generated, and sales closed. Few other marketing activities display such a clear return on your investment. When we establish quantifiable tradeshow success measurements, you can fine-tune your strategy for present and future tradeshows.
To reach your audience, concentrate on social media marketing before, during, and after the show.
Start with our 10 tips for increasing online awareness of your brand and increase meaningful traffic to your exhibit booth!
1. Highlight the event on your website.
Include a press release on your Website Blog and in your Upcoming Events section. Get press releases out by tradeshow deadlines to maximize free publicity. Start by reviewing our useful online resources: our primer for launching a successful blog, how to write a better press release, and our non-writer’s guide to creating a digital identity.
2. Update your social media account cover artwork to promote your exhibit at upcoming shows.
Stick to the acceptable dimensions for each of your social network profiles while keeping your message consistent. Learn how targeted graphic design enhances brand recognition for business promotion at tradeshows and beyond.
3. Connect with show social media pages and spread the word to your online audience.
Be sure to post about your tradeshow appearance frequently – even onto a tradeshow’s Facebook event page if given the opportunity. Get the event’s official hashtag and social media account handles. What’s a hashtag and how do you use it efficiently for marketing purposes? Find out by downloading our free #Hashtag Guide.
4. Update all of your company’s communication materials to highlight important upcoming tradeshow exhibits & events.
Place a small note at the bottom of invoices, add “Save the Date” to internal email signatures, and include links to website pages that include show details. Be consistent across all of your company’s communications by adding the show information to company newsletters, voicemail greetings, on-hold messages, company bulletin boards, and anywhere that visitors to your website and your place of business could see your exhibitor info. Spread a wide net and integrate your digital tradeshow promotions across all platforms.
5. Entice VIP customers to attend.
Offering free tickets (when you receive these from shows) by snail mail & email. Include additional incentives that are only available at your exhibit booth for a limited, targeted audience. Rolling out the red carpet treatment serves to enhance your reputation and solidify your branding. Success lies with how you communicate your promotions through savvy content development.
6. Connect with partner companies on social media and bolster each other’s promotional clout.
Share the love and highlight each other’s services and products, emphasizing how you fit into the mix. Work together to attract media interest—A unified marketing approach gets noticed by your social media followers AND those who follow your partner company’s pages.
7. Don’t drop the ball on social media marketing during the show.
Take time prior to the show to write posts you can schedule every hour to 2 hours during the event to spotlight new products/solutions and unique reasons that prospects should visit your booth. Schedule posts ahead of time, as part of your social media marketing strategy, while using official hashtags and tagging tradeshow social media accounts. Discover how to create social media content that engages.
8. Capture valuable behind the scenes footage during the show.
Take photos of your booth staff in action and zero in on images of products on display. Videos are hot for online marketing—Tease viewers with demos of products in use, interview key players in your booth to reveal insider tips, capture live footage of show walkarounds, interview partner companies, and offer a behind-the-scenes look at interesting facets of the show.
9. Follow up after the show with leads and prospects from both your internal marketing department and outside sales representatives.
Use select photo and video footage in communications and thank prospects for visiting your booth and the show. Make sure to include a call-to-action in all post-tradeshow communications.
10. Analyze social media engagement, website traffic, booth attendance, opportunities gained & other factors to understand what worked best & what didn’t.
Quantify your ROI. Share the results with your team. Archive marketing materials for potential use in the future as throwback posts and promotions leading up to the next time you exhibit at a tradeshow. Recycle successful promotional strategies to your advantage.
Promoting your appearance as a star exhibitor takes advanced footwork. Here at Moore Than SEO, we work with you and your marketing department to map out a customized tradeshow marketing strategy that includes social media content development. Sure, you could prep for tradeshow promotions on your own, but we recognize that you have better things to do leading up to the event. Contact us as your external tradeshow marketing team. Give us a call at 559-978-4096.
Read additional marketing info:
How to Keep Your Brand Alive in Social Media News Feeds
How to Write a Better Press Release
How Well Do You Market to Your Targeted Prospects
What is a SWOT Assessment and Why is it Important?
Non-Writers Guide To Creating A Digital Identity