Creating a well-designed trade show marketing plan can significantly impact your return on investment, potentially increasing it by 10X. This can result in efficient use of time, money, and resources. Here are the critical elements of a successful trade show marketing plan:
Effective Trade Show Marketing Strategies Begin With Setting Clear And Measurable Goals
Define what you want to achieve from the trade show. Be specific with your goal. For example, are you aiming for qualified leads? If so, do some research. Know your average sale amount, cost per lead, and closing and customer retention rates. When recruiting employees, start by considering factors such as cost per lead and closing rates. Having key benchmarks to measure against ensures you can make informed decisions on which shows will deliver your best ROI.
Identify Your Target Audience (Tip: It's Not All Trade Show Attendees)
Identify the types of attendees who are most likely to be interested in your products or services. This will help you tailor your messaging and marketing efforts to the right people, existing customers and potential clients. Perhaps there is more than one segment. Can you define them? Do you have resources aimed at each? Some events are great for sales and recruitment, but if you have a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy, you may fall short with prospective customers and employees.
Choose The Events That Offer Your Best Marketing Opportunities
Ask yourself, "Will the event attract a high percentage of your ideal audience? If they won't be there, should you be there? If all that is wandering on the trade show floor are freebie seekers looking for the next shiny giveaway, but who have no interest in your products and services, should you waste the money because your competition is?
What Does Your Audience Hope To Achieve From This Event?
When you understand what they want to achieve, you can stand out by aligning your experience with their event goals. Consider where they are in the marketing funnel —awareness, consideration, or conversion — and tailor your marketing materials accordingly.
What Is The Best Way To Connect With Your Audience For Your Upcoming Trade Show (Pre, During, And Post-Event)?
Where do potential customers gather? Who influences their purchasing decisions? Who influences their decisions to attend trade shows? How do they share information through Facebook, LinkedIn, or internal communications?
How Much Do You Know About Your Competition?
Have you used their products or services? How well-branded are they? What technology do they use? Who are their key customers? What is their market share? Have you conducted any research on their company's marketing efforts? Do you know anything about their promotional materials or marketing tactics? Do they have a trade show strategy?
Can You Make A Compelling Case For Why Someone Should Choose You Instead Of Your Competition?
What is your key differentiation? Does it answer your potential customers' most pressing concern (why they are at the show in the first place)? Can you remove more friction points so they can take action?
Plan and create your marketing materials, including calls to action for your booth, on your swag, and in your brochures and catalogues.
Select the right giveaway items to attract the target audience to your booth. Make sure receiving it, or a prize, is conditional upon their taking an appropriate action that moves you closer to your marketing and sales goals. Many companies hand out swag without a plan, get no results and declare that "promotional products attract prospects to your booth, but they don't work." We can assure you that if you have a plan, it works, and very well.
The product should reinforce your message or brand. Never just print your logo. Print a call-to-action and implement a lead capture mechanism that advances new leads through your funnel, preferably using an automated process.
Can you give them a great reason to make your booth a destination?
Tip: A well-considered giveaway with a compelling message and a clear call-to-action, such as a promotional product, is an excellent tool for this purpose at your next event.
However, it must be meaningful, support your brand story, and have a measurable impact. But they should never be made from single-use materials. At the very least, they should be made from sustainable materials; better yet, they should be environmentally conscious or produced using sustainable methods. Best: planting local trees.
Create An Automated Marketing Funnel To Collect, Qualify, Segment, And Nurture Leads Until They Are Ready To Convert
What are you doing for lead generation? How will you capture leads? Do you have a landing page or app? Do you have someone in your organization who can assist you in creating a digital funnel with marketing automation? If not, you may want to consider a custom-branded event app, such as SimpleLead™, that can help.
Design Your Booth
Your booth should be visually appealing and designed to attract attendees. Consider the colours, graphics, lighting, and furniture to make your booth stand out. Consider using interactive displays or demonstrations to engage attendees. Ensure the exhibit design includes a clear Call to Action.
Develop a Pre-Show Promotional Plan
Use social media, email marketing, and other digital channels to promote your presence at the trade show and build anticipation among potential attendees and new prospects. Look for related posts and like or comment on them.
Train Your Staff on Your Trade Show Marketing Strategy
Your booth staff and sales representatives should be well-versed in your products, services, and brand messaging. They should also be friendly, approachable, and able to answer attendees' questions. Provide training and support to ensure your team is ready to represent your brand at the show. If possible, include them in the planning process.
Follow Up After The Show
After the trade show, have your sales reps follow up with recruitment leads, sales leads and contacts you made. Use this opportunity to further engage with potential customers and move them through the sales funnel. Developing a trade show marketing plan addressing these essential elements can maximize your ROI, time, and resources.
How Will You Apply What You Measured And What You Learned To Improve Your Success At Future Events?
Understanding which shows lead to the most revenue or other KPIs is essential. This may vary significantly from the show that attracted the most people to your booth, where most attendees loved your swag, or where you generated the most significant number of new sales or recruitment leads, because we all know that leads are not the same as customers.
We hope this helps make your next event or trade show more sustainable for your budget and our planet. If you need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out.