Are you looking to make the most of every exhibition you attend?
Many businesses invest thousands at trade shows but fail to generate any real leads. Let’s face it. Success or failure at any exhibition is determined long before the doors open and long after they close.
This happens because too many businesses focus solely on activities that happen during the show itself.
Here’s the truth: In order to generate leads and close sales from an exhibition your strategy has to start weeks before the event and continue long after it ends.
Fortunately, any sized business can learn how to turn a single exhibition into a lead-generating machine by following the steps covered below.
You’ll Learn:
- How businesses waste money at exhibitions
- Build a pre-show marketing campaign that drives targeted traffic
- How interactive exhibition displays improve lead quality
- Post-show follow-up strategies to turn leads into customers
- Put your plan into action with a free checklist
Let’s Get Started…
How Most Businesses Waste Their Event Budget
Did you know that…
80% of trade show leads never get follow-up?
Businesses spend thousands making a connection at events, only to watch those qualified leads go to waste.
But what happens when you attend an exhibition with no pre-show marketing, an underwhelming stand design and absolutely no follow-up strategy?
This:
Your exhibition budget goes to waste.
Successful exhibitors know that putting together a strategy that covers events start before the exhibition and continues well after it ends.
Build Your Pre-Show Strategy That Gets You Noticed
Prior to any exhibition your goal should be to make sure your stand sees high levels of traffic throughout the event.
You do this by implementing a strong pre-show marketing strategy. Your focus should be on getting your ideal prospects excited about your presence at the exhibition before day one even happens.
Here’s how…
Your first step is to secure the exhibition’s attendee list. From there, you can build your campaign around who’s already planning on attending the event.
- Email outreach – Personalise invitations to your top target prospects and let them know why they should visit your stand.
- Social media – Announce your attendance and give followers a preview of what they can learn and see at your stand.
- Book appointments – Schedule meetings before the event so your team always has a reason to walk away from your stand.
Successful businesses don’t wait for attendees to find them. They create a buzz around their presence months before the exhibition even takes place. It starts with pre-show marketing.
Of course, putting together a solid pre-show strategy isn’t just about marketing. It’s also making sure your stand design is ready to wow thousands of visitors.
By working with experienced Birmingham exhibition stand builders you can create unique interactive exhibition displays that will grab attendees’ attention from day one.
Which leads to the next phase of your exhibition strategy…
Interactive Exhibition Displays That Drive Qualified Leads
Interactive exhibition displays are the secret sauce to running a successful exhibition stand.
Why? Trade show attendees visit dozens of different stands at every exhibition they attend. Most of these stands fade into one big blur of forgettable information.
However, stands that implement something unique and interactive stand out from the crowd. No literally… they STAND out from the crowd.
Interactive exhibition displays give attendees a reason to stop, interact with your brand and stay awhile.
From touchscreen product demos and spec sheets to live presentations and immersive experiences your exhibition displays can be tailored to your specific goals.
In fact, 48% of exhibitors ranked eye-catching stands as the number one way to attract attendees.
Hard to argue with that.
But again, interactive exhibition displays do more than just look impressive. They serve as a tool to help your team:
- Capture leads faster – Interactive displays naturally encourage prospects to give you their contact information.
- Quickly qualify prospects – Product demonstrations and Q&As allow your team to qualify leads on the spot.
- Make a memorable impact – Visitors will remember your brand if you gave them something memorable to interact with.
Simply put, the more your stand engages attendees, the more qualified conversations your team will have. More conversations = More leads in your follow-up pipeline.
Capture Amazing Leads With A Clever Post Show Follow-Up Strategy
And this is the part where many businesses completely FAIL.
Your exhibition ends. Everyone packs up and heads home. Team members file those juicy leads into a spreadsheet and let them sit for… weeks?!
By the time someone bothers to follow up, your quality prospect is already shopping around for your competition.
Here’s a hard fact…
You have 48 hours to follow up with leads before a large percentage of buyers will begin evaluating other vendors. 51% of buyers choose to do business with the company who responds first with relevant information.
A strong post-show follow-up strategy looks like this:
- Lead Segmentation – Separate out your best leads from the rest of the crowd. Some prospects are ready to buy today, while others need more nurturing.
- Personalise your message – Recall the conversation you had with them at the stand. Reference the product they were interested in learning more about. People can spot generic emails from a mile away. Make sure your follow-up is personalised.
- Touch them multiple times – Follow up via email, but also pick up the phone. Connect with them on LinkedIn. Use retargeting ads to stay top of mind.
- Create urgency – Tell them your team is busy with follow-ups but you’ll get them on the calendar as soon as possible. Also, set deadlines for your team. Leads should receive some type of contact within 48 hours of your event.
When executed correctly, your post-show follow-up strategy will transform event leads into paying customers.
Final Thoughts…
When planning your next exhibition your goals shouldn’t end when the doors open and close.
Exceptional leads are gathered before the event thanks to a strong pre-show marketing campaign. High-quality conversations are sparked by implementing creative and interactive exhibition displays. And those conversations are closed by following up quickly and effectively.
Implementing a three-phase strategy before, during and after your exhibition will transform the way you attend events.
To recap…
- Create a “pre-show” marketing campaign to drive qualified traffic to your stand
- Invest in interactive exhibition displays to engage and qualify visitors
- Follow up quickly with qualified leads to improve your conversion rate
There you have it. Implement these three simple phases before your next exhibition and you’ll be on your way to maximising event ROI.
You can continue to send resumes to every job opening hoping something sticks…
Or create a predefined plan that covers your business before, during and after every exhibition.
The choice is yours.