The tradeshow is over, so what's next? The answer is simple – FOLLOW-UP! Executing follow-up is probably where many businesses fail to leverage their limited resources and secure a positive return on investment.
After the event, you begin to build your nurture marketing for each prospect to create "Top of Mind Awareness" (TOMA© www.toma.com). In today's hectic business world, research suggests that you need to touch your prospect 13 times. Your follow-up efforts from phone calls to mailing literature are the second "touch." Each 21 to 30 days, you again need to touch your prospect with a postcard, fax, email, newsletter or article. Your consistency during this process is what wins the race and turns those high cost trade show dollars into real sales.
Keeping track of all sales from each trade show allows you to better determine what to budget for next year. Sometimes this data takes over a year to generate especially if your sales cycle is 6 months or longer. Reserving your space for the same conference for a second time may be based on an overall impression from the first event, but by the third time, you should know if the conference or tradeshow is a worthwhile investment.
The following tips may help you plan your next tradeshow endeavor.
Individual Tips – Before Event
Establish goals
Determine what you wish to learn from exhibitors
Identify what exhibitors need to know about your business
Create consistent tag line, elevator speech (10 seconds)
Create after event post-event mailing piece e.g. thank you
Establish system for collecting business cards
Create an easy read professional name tag
Locate booths that meet your goals
Use map, if available, to determine how you will efficiently walk the show
Individual Tips – During Event
Bring energized SMILE
Seek to engage others using Active Listening Skills
Remembers lots of business cards
Bring name tag
Travel light, leave coat, etc. in car
Bring Palm and have planner easily accessible
Dress professional with comfortable shoes
Have map of event, highlighted with booths of interest
Bring highlighter and pen
Individual Tips – After Event
Evaluate goals at end of show
Reserve next day for follow-up
Block off next year's date if this is a MUST SHOW
Booth Tips – Before Event
Create a draw to your booth
Review check list for any giveaways, handouts
Order fresh flower, candy etc for event
Check booth for any damage or to update
Review roles of those staffing the booth
Practice "10 second" speeches
Booth Tips – During Event
Note booths with creativity and high traffic
Supply candy or "take aways"
Utilize fresh flowers help to attract visitors
Limit time visiting with friends or existing business contacts
Avoid sitting
Keep booth open until event closes!
Booth Tips – After Event
Have enough people to quickly disassemble your booth
Notice and communicate any damage to the booth
Secure disc from "Electronic Swiper" or "Electronic Scanner"
Register for next year's event
Business Marketing Beyond the Booth - To learn more about this author, visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website.
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