If You Build It, Will They Come?
Tony here, with Thompson Kerr. As we approach the halfway point of 2017, most companies are starting to think about 2018, so now is the time to plan your trade show strategy and tactics. If you only make one change to your exhibit marketing program for next year, I encourage you to institute, or add to, a pre-show promotion strategy - even if it's for one show only.
The numbers speak for themselves:
70%+ of attendees come with an agenda
of exhibitors to see
30 - average number of exhibitors an
attendee can visit before fatigue
sets in
50% of attendees' agendas are filled
before they hit the show floor
Isn't your trade show investment too valuable to be left to chance? The odds aren't in your favor!
Isn't pre-show promotion expensive and time-consuming? It doesn't have to be. You don't have time to visit with every attendee, so your goal for pre-show promotion is to target a number ( maybe 50-100) of those attendees that you DO want to see, and give them a reason to find you.
The hard part is finding those target prospects. Here are a few practical suggestions:
If you can't get this year's pre-registered attendee list, ask if last year's list is available. Or, there may be sponsorships available for the show that do include access to "the list".
Next is your company's client and prospect database.You probably know the prospects/companies that you are trying to mine. A quick phone call asking if they will be attending the show will help to build your show list, as well as give salespeople a reason to contact your database.
Most B2B shows are put on by an association. If you are a member of the association, that list should be available to you.
LinkedIn is a good tool for finding prospects in companies. Facebook would be a good place to send out a notice that you will be at the show and offer an incentive for those seeing the post to respond to.
Check over the list of speakers and sponsors for the show. Who are their target audience who might be there?
If your show offers a specialized trade show communication portal like mapyourshow.com or zerista.com, there are opportunities for your company to interact with attendees who have signed up for the service.
Does the show have a hashtag? Start following it and interacting with it.
Like to try this approach but don't have the time or manpower? Let Thompson Kerr Displays help!
Tony here, with Thompson Kerr. As we approach the halfway point of 2017, most companies are starting to think about 2018, so now is the time to plan your trade show strategy and tactics. If you only make one change to your exhibit marketing program for next year, I encourage you to institute, or add to, a pre-show promotion strategy - even if it's for one show only.
The numbers speak for themselves:
70%+ of attendees come with an agenda
of exhibitors to see
30 - average number of exhibitors an
attendee can visit before fatigue
sets in
50% of attendees' agendas are filled
before they hit the show floor
Isn't your trade show investment too valuable to be left to chance? The odds aren't in your favor!
Isn't pre-show promotion expensive and time-consuming? It doesn't have to be. You don't have time to visit with every attendee, so your goal for pre-show promotion is to target a number ( maybe 50-100) of those attendees that you DO want to see, and give them a reason to find you.
The hard part is finding those target prospects. Here are a few practical suggestions:
If you can't get this year's pre-registered attendee list, ask if last year's list is available. Or, there may be sponsorships available for the show that do include access to "the list".
Next is your company's client and prospect database.You probably know the prospects/companies that you are trying to mine. A quick phone call asking if they will be attending the show will help to build your show list, as well as give salespeople a reason to contact your database.
Most B2B shows are put on by an association. If you are a member of the association, that list should be available to you.
LinkedIn is a good tool for finding prospects in companies. Facebook would be a good place to send out a notice that you will be at the show and offer an incentive for those seeing the post to respond to.
Check over the list of speakers and sponsors for the show. Who are their target audience who might be there?
If your show offers a specialized trade show communication portal like mapyourshow.com or zerista.com, there are opportunities for your company to interact with attendees who have signed up for the service.
Does the show have a hashtag? Start following it and interacting with it.
Like to try this approach but don't have the time or manpower? Let Thompson Kerr Displays help!
