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After the Show What Will You Have to Show for It

Guest post by: Ed Delia

Article Overview: Brand Communications Beyond the Booth™ Taking a booth at a trade show is as much a risk as it is an opportunity.

After the Show What Will You Have to Show for It

There you are, face to face with your valued customers and your best prospects.

You didn’t have to get past a gatekeeper. You didn’t have to get them to open your mail, or read your ad, or accept your e-mail. They came to you.

The question is, what frame of mind were they in when they approached your booth? What impression did they have of your company before the face-to-face encounter, and what were they thinking as they walked away?

Maybe the most important question of all is this one. Did you do your company more harm than good by being there?

There is Nothing Worse Than a Missed Opportunity

The way we see it, you can do your company more harm than good by being a no-show at an important trade show. Taking that booth space should never be a risk. It is a rare opportunity in this e-centric world to make eye contact with the decision makers who decide the fate of your company, and your job, on a daily basis. And it’s not so hard to make the most of it.

Even if you don’t have someone dedicated to your trade show presence, or even a director of sales and marketing, you can still enhance your brand’s image significantly by what you do and say before, during, and after the show.

Make Sure You’re Comfortable in Your Own Skin

The first step is to make certain that you are comfortable with your brand image, and make certain that image represents what sets you apart within your industry and service area.

That may mean clearly identifying, once and for all, the core value proposition of your company – then making some changes in your overall communications package to be consistent with the brand identity that expresses that unique point of difference.

The next step is to set certain goals. Ask yourself, what do you want out of this show? Then list the things you have to do in order to make that happen. Here’s a pre, during and post outline of possibilities that can help the planning process.

Before-the-Show: Increase Opportunities Before the Event even Begins

Pre-show print advertising
Pre-show press release
Pre-show mailings and invitations
E-blasts to customers and prospects
A special banner on your Web site about your presence at the show
A separate landing page on your Web site to arrange and schedule meetings
At-the-Show: Maximize Your Brand Presence

Visual displays consistent with your brand identity
Show literature that makes you look and sound like a category leader
Giveaways and premiums that support your unique selling proposition
Show media evaluation/recommendations
Hosting your customers and prospects for cocktails or entertainment
Photography to take full advantage of your presence at the show
After-the-Show: Important Follow-Throughs That Turn a Face-to-Face Encounter into a Future Sale

Triaging leads and identifying those that warrant immediate follow-up
Generating follow-up direct mail and e-mails
Posting show floor pictures on your Web site
Conducting a post-show strategy session to decide how to act on what you learned and how to make the most of newly identified opportunities as soon as possible
Beyond-the-Booth™ by Delia

Alright, we know what you’re thinking. "That’s easy for you to say, that’s what you do for a living."

Actually, what we do best is develop brand strategies for our clients that put them in leadership positions within their industries. But, it’s true. Even our best clients often wait until the last minute. And more often than not, we set strategy aside and focus on actionable items that enable our clients to have something more to show for the show, than a maxed-out corporate credit card.

What’s more, we’re not the only firm that can help you, even at the last minute. It’s just that we have developed a system for going about it – a process, if you will. It’s a tiered program we call our “Beyond-the-Booth” package. And we’ll be happy to tell you more about it if you’d like.

But, whatever you do, at least take our advice. Don’t panic. And don’t miss that rare opportunity to meet and greet the make-or-break decision makers within your industry…face-to-face.

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Article Tags: booth space, brand identity, brand image, centric world, communications package, core value, daily basis, decision makers, e mail, encounter, eye contact, fate, frame of mind, gatekeeper, own skin, possibilities, prospects, rare opportunity, sales and marketing, value proposition



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