Download 10 Ways To Make Your Trade Show Marketing More Effective

10 Ways To Make Your Trade Show Marketing More Effective
Trade Show & Event Marketing Plan, Promote & Profit
Business marketers spend more than $20 billion a year on trade show marketing.
But much of that money is simply wasted.
The way to get more value from your investment in trade shows is by careful planning, dedication to
measurement, and – above all – a strategic focus. Here are 10 tips for trade show succss.
1. Think beyond marketing. Trade shows combine elements of selling, lead generation, public
relations, research, brand awareness building, and account penetration. Successful marketers
wear many hats when putting together their trade show marketing plans.
2. Put your trade shows in the middle of your go-to market strategy. Each show must be part of
an integrated marketing plan. Don’t go to a show just because “it’s something we do every
year.” Make sure it’s part of a larger strategy to acquire and retain customers.
3. Targeting is everything. At a trade show, a fabulous booth is useless in front of the wrong
people. So, spend serious time on trade show selection. Then, plan your participation at the
show to attract the top potential buyers – and minimize the time you’ll spend with nonprosepects.
4. Plan your measurements in advance. Trade shows have developed a reputation for being
“difficult to measure.” But they are no more difficult than any other marketing activity. The
secret is in setting clear, specific objectives and planning the metrics that will prove the results.
5. Play to a trade show’s strengths. Trade shows tend to be inefficient venues for generating
awareness. They are an expensive way to build a mailing list. But they are excellent for starting
– and nurturing – face-to-face relationships with multitudes of customers and prospects.
6. Trade shows are the tip of a much larger iceberg. Some companies think that if they pull
together a booth and show up at a tradeshow, they are all set. But the show needs to be part of
an end-to-end marketing campaign. It’s pre-show and post-show communications that make
the event a true success
7.
Do your own promotions. You cannot simply rely on show management to drive all the
possible business opportunity to your booth. An investment in your own pre-show promotions
is the best money you’ll ever spend.
8. Capture and follow up on trade show contacts. Lead capture and management is a process. It
requires attention and diligence. If you don’t have a lead management process in place at your
company, stop now. Go build one before your invest another dollar in trade show marketing.
9. It’s all about people. Not only targeting the right audience to meet with you at the show, but
also selecting, training, and motivating the right staff members to interact with them when they
come.
10. Focus on the business goals. Managing a trade show can be extremely complicated, with
myriad details and logistical challenges. But don’t forget why you’re there – it’s to engage with
customers and prospects and generate business results.
Ruth P. Stevens consults on customer acquisition and retention marketing and teaches marketing to
grad students at Columbia Business School. She is the author of Trade Show and Event Marketing and
The DMA Lead Generation Handbook.
Reach her at [email protected]