Exhibiting at a trade show should only be the start of the marketing strategy. It is essential to keep up the momentum and continue marketing to the leads generated from the exhibition to make the trade show worthwhile.
When planning the trade show exhibition, make sure you do not neglect to consider how the marketing strategy will continue AFTER the trade show. You need to plan how to gather prospective leads during the show. A trade show exhibition is not successful marketing, if you do not have a way of generating contact details for the prospective clients you meet.
Even if the company’s exhibition at the show attracts lots of attention with brilliant banner signs, an interactive product demonstration and interesting pop up displays within your custom made exhibition stand, it will mean absolutely nothing, if there is no follow up with those potential customers.
Do not waste the effort in designing an attractive exhibition stand by throwing away the opportunity to genuinely keep the customers enthused about the product you are selling.
If you want to make the most of your trade show exhibition, follow these rules to continue the impact of marketing the company at the trade show.
1 – Collect the contact details at the trade show
Plan for the best way to collect the contact details while at the trade show. Do not rely on people calling your business from the business cards or brochures handed out at the exhibition stand. A big glass bowl to collect business cards is one way to collect contact details. Some trade shows now have individual passes as the tickets which register the contact details when scanned.
2 – Call two days after the trade show
Make the initial follow up call two days after the trade show. This capitalises on the event, as individuals will remember meeting your staff at the exhibition stand. You may want to mention some feature of the exhibition stand design to encourage memory placement in the minds of the customers.
3 – Follow up with a brochure or catalogue one week after the trade show
Send a brochure or catalogue to the prospective leads generated from the trade show, especially those who were interested during the phone call. In these days of technological advancements, sending an email with a brochure attached as a PDF document is a cheap and easy way to follow up the momentum from the trade show.
4 – Call one month after the trade show
Most businesses take advantage of the trade show by following up with the generated leads within one week of exhibition. However, many customers need more time to make a decision on the product and if you neglect to maintain the marketing momentum at this time, you may not convert the leads into sales.
5 – Make further contact six months after the trade show
Continue the marketing effort with at least one further contact effort to all the leads generated six months after the trade show exhibition. This brings the company back into the minds of the potential customers and can change the lead to a sale. You can even invite the customer back to the next trade show your company is exhibiting at within the next few months.
Keeping up the momentum with the prospective leads generated from the trade show will help to ensure that your trade show exhibition is an overwhelming marketing success for your company.
Tags: event marketing
