Pre-Show Marketing Strategies to Boost Your Booth Traffic
In this series of articles about preparing for trade shows and events, we at OpenVentures aim to highlight the importance of preparation. It’s not just about ensuring your stand is ready, but about setting the stage for significant ROI at the event. There’s so much more to trade shows and events than the stand itself, yet often this is where the marketing team’s focus lies. Companies invest heavily in these events but frequently do not see the ROI they expect, often because they haven’t put any metrics behind the event and hence feel disappointed with the outcomes. Having a full booth is good, but having it full with your target audience is great—and that takes work pre-event.
Firstly, review your website. Is your messaging up to date? Does the website portray your company as you want it to? As you start engaging with social media for the event, you’ll be driving more and more people to your site, so the messaging needs to be relevant. Use your website to provide all the details about your participation in the show. It’s also a good idea to create a landing page where prospects can book a meeting with your sales team.
Create a social media calendar for the event to generate buzz and awareness. What does your target audience want to hear about? Design your social media strategy around what you want them to know about your company in a way that they want to hear it. Use the platforms they are on. There are several tools on the market to help you understand what interests your target market and where they are present. Make sure you send the right message, through the right channel, at the right time, to the right person.
Craft compelling emails to inform your audience about your trade show attendance and what they can expect. Email remains a great way to communicate your story and news to your audience. However, craft compelling emails with good titles to achieve a higher open rate. Tell them you will be at the event and why they should visit your stand. Make sure your email looks good and don’t over-email your audience. Find a balance between communicating your news and bombarding them with emails.
If you have appealing videos, use them, especially on social media. Create many short, engaging videos as most platforms prefer shorter videos. Your audience will watch a 30-second video but may not engage with a 3-minute one. Ensure each video delivers a clear message about your company and/or product or service.
Reach out to contacts and associations that can help drive your audience to your stand. They often have a good understanding of their audience and hence your audience.
Reach out to all your media contacts and inform them you will be at the event and what’s new for your company at the event. Start writing press releases so that near or during the show you can release them to the media with all your newsworthy announcements.
Send personal invitations to key prospects. These invites can come from your sales team, but it’s even better if they come from your CEO. It makes the receiver feel important and they are more likely to accept the invitation. This can be done by creating a physical paper invitation or sending a small gift with an invite.
Create schedules for company attendees so that no one is standing around idle. Find a balance between having too few people available to speak with prospects at the stand and too many who are just hanging around.
In conclusion, thorough preparation is key to maximising your ROI at trade shows and events. By updating your website, leveraging social media, crafting compelling email campaigns, and engaging with key contacts and media, you can create significant buzz around your participation. Personalised invitations and well-planned schedules ensure your team is effective on the ground. Remember, the goal is not just to have a full booth, but to have it filled with your target audience. Invest in pre-show marketing, and you'll see the results in your event success. If you sow, you will reap! If you prepare, they will come to your stand!