As we find ourselves in the dog days of summer, during which tradeshows are at a lull and many of our industry colleagues are on holiday, it’s a good time to reflect on the best way to make a splash at events.
Here at 514 Media, tradeshows are our lifeblood; they’re unrivalled opportunities for promotion, engagement, and discovery both for us as an agency and most importantly, our clients. One of the key concepts is lead generation, which is most effective in-person (especially in the UK market – what can we say? We’re social creatures here).
Today, we’ll be going over a few basic – but important – guidelines to keep in mind regarding lead generation, as well as how we can assist as an agency.
The power of pre-show planning
So your business has an exhibit at a tradeshow. That’s excellent! But… does anybody know you’ll be there?
This is where social media comes in. Announcing your presence at the tradeshow is a simple but effective way to build awareness weeks or even months before the show. This also provides any interested parties a chance to connect with you before the tradeshow has even begun. Tradeshows aren’t just about raising awareness of the brand. They also serve as opportunities to build rapport and organize plans with existing clients as well as for meeting new prospects. Make sure to schedule those appointments early and build a plan well before the event of who you plan on meeting and what meetups you plan to attend. This kind of forethought is what makes a company stand out as organized and professional.
The booth
Ever heard of the three-second rule? No, it’s not the one about dropped food! Instead, our three-second rule is a principle that should determine how your booth is built on the tradeshow floor.
Decoration, signage, and what’s on display should be quick and easy to recognize at a glance, so that passersby can determine whether you’re what they’re looking for. This is why we refer to this principle as the ‘three-second rule’, because if the visitor can’t figure you out in those precious moments, they’ll move on. Other considerations for your booth are;
- Is the structure and layout of your booth open and inviting, or walled off and secretive?
- Consider LED lightboxes and animated or moving displays for your booth. They draw interest and are likely to catch the eye.
- Resist the temptation to sit! If nobody is actively present and ‘available’ at your booth, potential leads may move on.
- Do your stylistic choices for the booth hit a professional note while remaining true to your brand’s palette.
- Engage passersby with smiles and positive attitudes. Nobody will come to a booth where everyone is on their phone or looking miserable.
- Offering raffles or prizes can be a method to draw people to the booth. However, their details should be requested during signup. This will weed out visitors that don’t plan on following up with you and just want a chance to win something.
On the numerical side of things, 72% of successful exhibitors set specific targets for lead acquisition before the event even begins, which is where SMART objectives can come in. Aiming for ‘more traffic’ isn’t enough. There are many options available for lead capture tools that can accurately collect data without interfering with your conversations.
Following up
According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, 87% of trade show leads are never effectively followed up on. Not only is this a big loss in potential revenue and future business, but it’s also just a waste of exhibition budget. This is where active engagement trumps passive engagement.
Ever promised a friend that you’ll get coffee sometime, but then it never ends up happening? That’s because passive and nonspecific engagement gets you nowhere. It’s just as true in the professional world. Life is busy, and so is business – it’s just not enough to promise a potential client or business partner that you’ll follow up.
Instead, offer a business card and make a concrete suggestion of when you might approach them. 48 hours is often considered a golden window for a follow-up, as you’ll be fresh in the prospect’s mind. Even if they get back to you without a concrete lead, checking in on them proves that you’re serious, and gives you a better idea of where they are in the decision-making process.
We’ve touched on the basics of lead generation today, but there’s plenty to dissect and organize. That’s where a PR agency like 514 Media can come in; we’re experienced in arranging lead generation both before, during, and after a show, and show up for our clients every step of the way.
Interested in learning more about how we can help? Get in touch with us today.