Social media is a communication channel, and a great tool for you to use in executing your marketing plan; especially at your next trade show.

Trade shows are used for the face-to-face marketing, networking, and selling and ultimately aim to build and/or solidify relationships.  What about before and after the show?  Along with traditional marketing techniques, begin thinking of how to incorporate social media tools to augment your tried and true pre-show promotion and post-show follow-up strategies.  These can work regardless if your company is B2C or B2B.  Trade show booth staffers may be using these tools everyday to network with customers, so let’s tap into social media to continue that conversation.

The wisdom of the 4 B’s

The 4 B’s is a practice that can be used by anyone and applies to all types of social media.  Mike Yoder, a dear friend and founder of the method, swears by it – and I humbly agree!  Here are some ideas to link the “Be’s” with the tools:

Be Interesting (Before the show)

What sets your company apart from the competition?  What’s your show theme or the critical brand message you’re trying to introduce?  How can you engage clients to get the message and want to connect with you?

Try participating in BoothTag at your next trade show and/or provide a QR code that links to a landing page of a contest instead of your website.  Take this idea, and spread your message before the show, using both traditional methods (email and snail mail) and non-traditional (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc).  Keep it simple, interesting, and have a little fun with it, but…

Be Relevant (at the show)

Not everyone buys into gamification and contests in a trade show exhibit, because it doesn’t always bring qualified leads.  However, when done correctly, you can create a contest that is relevant to your brand, theme and other trade show initiatives, which will result in attendee sign-ups that become qualified leads.

For example, say you’re a software integration firm at a trade show offering attendees a free assessment of their systems software, but since this is a common industry practice many people may not be enticed by this offer. However, create a compelling message and offer a free assessment via a fun contest, coupled with a favorable chance to win an iPad, and voila!! …you’ve now lowered engagement barriers, spawned brand/message recognition and paved the way to more qualified leads.

Keep in mind that a perfect “give-away” promotion is tied to a business need and a personal interest, and done through a positive, memorable experience.

Be Helpful (during and after the show)

This point reminds me of a TEDx presentation by Angela Maiers called, “You Matter.” The message here is that there is a power and a genius in act of caring for others.  Demonstrate that you get this and you aren’t just processing people through your booth.  Use your social media tools to thank them for spending time with you and to keep the spark you started at the show going long after it.

A person overlooked, a need unacknowledged, or a promise simply forgotten are all missed opportunities that could potentially create a negative impression on your brand and on you as a person. The Internet through social media has created a networked mobile society, a culture of immediacy, and an expectation of expedited follow up.  Fortunately, social media tools also provide the opportunity for you to respond accordingly and to continue the dialog with your new contacts over networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Be Yourself (always)

Self-explanatory, but let’s go over a couple main points. The beauty of social media is that it is a more informal communications medium where you can be yourself, just as you might at a cocktail party. It is not a promotional platform or dynamic infomercial.  It is about listening, sharing and caring.  Channel your inner-self and empathize with your clients and followers and you may be surprised how influential and powerful you really are.

Again, social media is a communication channel and a tool for marketing.  However, as with all communication channels, your success is wholly dependent on the quality of the dialog and the skillful use of the tools available.

In addition to using social media, enhance your trade show strategy by reading the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper.  This 32-page book reaveals the most effective strategies and tactics exhibitors are using to boost their results and stretch their budgets.  Click here to request your free copy. 

When Skyline recently exhibited at EXHIBITOR2012, we gave mini-seminars in our trade show booth to attendees at the show.  By far the most popular topic was “12 Tips About Social Media for Trade Shows.”

The idea was to communicate in just 10 minutes, 12 actionable tactics exhibitors could use on the most popular social media networks to get more people into their trade show displays.  Not a lot of strategy; just quick, usable ideas.

I covered just the most popular networks:  Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and blogs.  Here we go:

Twitter:

1. Tweet Reasons To Visit Your Booth:  A lot of markers are reluctant to use Twitter because they simply don’t know what messages to send.  But with nearly 500 million accounts and about 9% of the U.S. population on Twitter every day, it’s worth using!  So here’s a great start: Tweet reasons to visit your booth that you are already sharing via email, direct mail, ads, and the phone.  Tell attendees all the great things you will be offering in your booth, such as show specials, giveaways, contests, new products, special offers, and the like.  Those are messages attendees will want to hear, and will get them interested in visiting you in your booth.  You can send a few messages a week for the month or two leading up to the show.
2. Pre-Schedule Tweets:  Now that you’ve got a lot to say, you don’t want to be tied to your desk or have to remember to go back to Twitter once a day or two to send out those messages.  Fortunately, you don’t have to remember.  There are free, web-based programs such as Hootsuite.com or Tweetdeck.com that allow you to to pre-schedule your tweets, even down to the five minutes you want.  For our Exhibitor 2012 event, we pre-scheduled 46 tweets starting almost 2 months before the show.  Just remember to adjust for the time difference between your location (where you set up the account) and the local time at the show.
3. Learn the Hashtag (#) for Your Shows:  One of the reasons people are reluctant to use Twitter is that Twitter has its own seemingly secret code.  One of the most important codes is the hashtag.  That’s when a person on Twitter includes a pound sign or hash symbol “#” directly in front of a word.  That turns that word into a hyperlink that lets a viewer click and see all the recent messages with that same hashtag.  So by including the hashtag of the event you are exhibiting at (for us it was #exhibitor2012) you are more likely to be seen by potential attendees.  Find the hashtag by going to your shows’ website, or by asking them directly.

Facebook:

4. Not Just Personal, Also for Business:  For many people, Facebook is their personal place for social media.  They want to use it to keep in touch with high school and college friends, not to interact with businesses.  However, Facebook is now so big that businesses – even B2B businesses — can no longer resist using it.  Facebook has 800 million users, which would make it the 3^rd largest country by population.  Facebook daily traffic and activity today is equivalent to all the volume of the entire internet in 2004.  So businesses are setting up pages for their businesses.  For example, General Electric has nearly a quarter of a million friends for their Facebook page!  You don’t have to promote your company from your personal account.  Just set up a business page and start engaging with your clients on a more personal level – no writing like a press release!
5. Post Photos and Videos from Your Trade Shows:  And what can you post on your business Facebook page?  As a trade show exhibitor, you can post photos and videos from your booth.  Show what new things you introduced.  Share with your company’s friends who couldn’t go to the show the action they missed out on.  It’s really easy to do with a smart phone!  Just test it out before the show – take a picture of your company’s building to try it out.  Even better: give your attendees a reason to have their picture taken in your booth, with a fun banner stand backdrop or a celebrity, and make it easy for them to share that picture on their own Facebook account.
6. Announce News from the Show for Friends that Couldn’t Come:  Did you announce a new strategic alliance with a partner?  Introduce a new product?  Whatever news you shared at the show in your booth, you can also post to your friends on Facebook.

YouTube

7. Include Company & Show Name In Video Title:  Guess what – YouTube is actually the second-most popular search engine in the world!  And people don’t just search on Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, they also search on just about anything, including the name of the show they will exhibit at.  So include in video title the show name, plus your company name – and maybe even your booth number.
8. Great for Pre-Show and Post-Show Promotions:  YouTube is a great place to get your story across with all the power of video and without the cost of running an ad on a network.  For pre-show promotions, load up the video with all the great reasons to visit your trade show booth (see point #1 about Twitter).  You can also record and produce a video showing all the action you had in your booth – new products, demonstrations, happy client interviews – and post that to YouTube soon after the show.  Then email links to people, or embed the video on your website or blog, or get found by searchers by including the show name and great keywords in the video title.
9. YouTube Videos Not as Formal:  In days gone by, almost all corporate videos required a high-end production crew and a very button-down presentation format.  Now, because of the changing expectations of social media, it’s much more about a human connection than a big production.  So you don’t need to break the bank to make a video, and you don’t need everyone wearing suits, either.  Just relax and speak from the heart on why attendees will benefit by visiting your booth.

Blogs

10. Blog About Your Exhibiting – Find Out Who or Start One:  If you think you are not interacting with social media, you may be surprised to find out that you have been without knowing it – via blogs.  About half the websites on the Internet are created with blogging software.  Blogs are so much easier to set up than traditional websites, and virtually free.  Find who blogs for your company, and give them info about your events – they will want to publish great content like your event news.  Or start your own blog about what your company is doing at events.  Your blog can serve as a home base for each show’s promotional activity.  It can also boost your SEO results by how you set up its blog, which keywords you use, and the links you build.
11. Industry Bloggers = New Press, Public Relations:  If you could find a copy of your main industry trade magazine from 15 years ago, you’d be surprised by how much thicker it was back then.  Magazine ads were the main way to reach your industry audience, until the Internet and Google made online marketing more effective and took revenue away from magazines.  That also reduced the number of journalists magazines could afford to employ.  But the Internet revolution made blogs possible at a low, low cost, so bloggers have stepped in to replace magazine writers.  You can find these bloggers by going to http://www.google.com/blogsearch and searching on the names of the trade shows you exhibit at.  These are the people you want to build relationships, much like your (remaining) industry press.
12. Blog Post Show: Recap Trends, New Products:  Reach out to your new found blogger friends before the show, and give them the information they need so they write about you after the show.  Get them an interview with your company CEO or though leaders, to share your views about industry trends.  Set up an appointment to demonstrate your new products introduced at the show, so they may include it in their recap about new products on their blog.

So there you have it – 12 tips you can use today to leverage the amazing reach of social media to drive more people to your trade show booth.

What social media tactics have you found that work well for your trade show marketing?  Let us know in the comments box below.

To learn more about how social media and many other factors are helping the marketers of today, read the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper.  Click here to get your free copy of the 32-page book that reveals exhibitors’ most effective strategies in 7 key ares of trade show marketing. 

Are you a trade show exhibitor?  Or a trade show marketer?

It’s understandable that as an exhibitor you get caught up in logistics, because no matter what, you have to get your booth from point A to point B (and to point C, D, E, and so on).  But those required logistics can sometimes crowd out the even more important marketing aspect of trade shows.

So let’s take a few minutes to set logistics aside (don’t worry, they’ll still be there when you get back) and focus on how you can be a better marketer who just happens to use trade shows.

Target Your Best Personas

Personas are portraits you create to better understand your best clients as prospects.  A good persona includes age, gender, income, ethnicity, and even emotional aspects such as personality, likes & dislikes, their mentality, and key motivators.  A persona gives your team a more tangible, living target to aim for when you create your marketing materials.   You can create and target several personas.  For example, a car company may have car buyer personas that are driven by status, or economy, or hauling family, or sustainability.  When you understand your buyer personas, you can tailor all marketing aspects to better appeal to them.

Write A Creative Brief

A creative brief is a like a mini-marketing plan for your trade show.  It takes some time to pull together, but it saves you time in the end.   Include in your creative brief your goals for the show, your positioning, your strengths and weaknesses compared to competitors, what you want to have happen in the booth and after the show, how you plan to promote your presence at the show, and even your show budget.  Once you have it, you can share it with your booth staffers and the vendors you are hiring for the show, such as your exhibit house or your promotions vendor.

Select The Right Shows

Rather than choose which shows to exhibit at based on cost per square foot or number of total attendees, your marketing mind should instead hone in on the number of attendees that fit your target market, or the return on investment you’ve received at previous years’ shows.  You look at which vertical market shows exist where you have the greatest potential, even if the overall show attendance pales compared to your main industry shows.  And you regularly reexamine your show schedule based on marketing potential and performance.

Design Your Exhibit As A Marketing Tool

Your trade show displays are not just pieces of furniture – they are marketing tools that both communicate a message and support your booth staff.  Make sure your trade show exhibit lives up to its full marketing potential.  Does it clearly communicate a compelling reason for your buyers to stop and visit you?  Does it boldly say (with both images and text) what products and services you offer, and how you are better?  And if you are exhibiting at a variety of shows (based on personas in different job titles or industries), can you change your graphics to more directly appeal to your various personas?

Create Promotions That Appeal To Your Personas

Trade show promotions can get more people into your booth.  Be sure to pick your promotions with a critical and inspired marketing eye, to ensure you excite your best buyer personas, and avoid attracting non-buyers to your trade show booth.   This is the fun part of trade show marketing – when your promotions are so on-target that you build stronger relationships with your buyers because they recognize that you truly understand them.  You do that with compelling offers they crave, and with a look and feel that matches your buyer’s personality.

Follow Up Leads More Than Just Fast

The logistical part of trade show lead follow up means getting the leads into the computer and out to the sales force quickly, and getting your packets in the mail within a few days.   That’s awesome, and essential.  But with a marketing perspective you can go much further.  Make sure you and your booth staff qualified the leads before your send them on their way, so your sales force knows which leads to pursue first.  And don’t just send out a generic follow up packet – tailor your marketing materials specifically to what each attendee asked for.  You’ll create more sales with your trade show leads that way.

So by all means, be an expert at getting your show paperwork in on time to get the early discount.  Know how to set up your banner stands in under a minute flat.  Just remember that you are at trade shows to build your company image, generate sales leads, and build stronger client relationships.  Achieving those admirable marketing objectives requires you to sharpen your marketing skills.

With everything that goes into trade show exhibiting, it can be hard to balance it all.  Read the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper for the best tips about the most effective strategies and tactics exhibitors are using today to boost their results and stretch their budgets.  Click here to request your free copy. 

I am part of a small Marketing Department at UGL Services with limited resources so we take every opportunity to repurpose content that we have already developed and tailor it for distribution through other marketing vehicles.  In 2008 my team created an advertising campaign targeted to facility managers of corporations with the message that we understand how overwhelming building maintenance can be and we suggest outsourcing these responsibilities to UGL Services.

The Ad

The first ad in the campaign shows a facility manager lying awake in bed with a skyscraper tucked in next to him with the headline “You have a facility.  Now it’s time for a life.”  It is a literal depiction of a stressed out facility manager experiencing insomnia because he cannot get his mind off of work or the price tag on new upgrades needed in the buildings he manages.

In 2011 we exhibited at a conference managed by the International Facility Management Association (IFMA).  When attendees registered for the conference online they were asked a survey question “What job-related issues keep you up at night?”  IFMA took all of the responses and came up with topics for roundtable discussions conducted during the event.  My team decided to sponsor the roundtable sessions as it was a vehicle for us to leverage the ad that was created in 2008.  As part of the sponsorship we were able to put a full page ad in the show directory and posters were hung in the roundtable location.

The Trade Show

We decided to bring the ad to life and add an element of surprise at our trade show booth.  I hired an actor to play the sleep-deprived facility manager dressed in his pajamas and chained to a building.  All of the attendees were dressed in business attire so our actor really grabbed their attention and became a successful conversation starter.  We gave away prescription bottles with jelly beans inside and a label with the text that said “For fast-acting relief and a better night’s sleep” and our logo underneath it.  Posters in our booth featured the ad once again and supersized text that read “Tired of taking your work home with you?  We’ve got the remedy.”  Our actor handed out business-sized cards with the dates and times of the roundtable discussions to encourage participation and promote the problem-solving ideas that attendees would learn about.

The Response…

Overall it was a very successful promotion and a few attendees commented on how they related to the actor chained to the building.  Many facility managers said that they try not to take work home with them but it is difficult to put down their Blackberrys especially when they are getting ready to turn in for the night.  My response to them was “Have you considered outsourcing your facility services?”

For may ways to draw great leads into your trade show booth, read the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper.  This book will tell you what other exhibit marketers say the best tips and tricks are for successful exhibiting.  Click here to request your free copy. 

Thanks to Jocelyn Sacco for writing this guest blog post, sharing her experience as a trade show exhibitor.  We welcome similar blog posts from Skyline clients who want to share with their peers new and inventive ways they’ve achieved greater trade show success. Click here to tell us your story!

I know… you are sick and tired of Tebow.  Yet, over 2 weeks after his last game of the year in which his team was never in the game, Tim Tebow is still one of the top trending searches on Google.

There are several things we can learn about marketing our brand and message from watching Tebow and the way he presents himself.

1. Tim Tebow is real.  He is an open book, sometimes too open.  But the fact that we know exactly where he is coming from and we can compare that to his actions, force us to pay attention.  It is that “reality tv drama” effect that is so captivating.
2. Tim Tebow is sincere.  His walk backs up his talk.  Whether we agree or disagree with him, there is no doubting his sincerity in his words and actions.
3. Tim Tebow is passionate.  He is driven and focused with incredible discipline.  He rarely appears off message and never sends out a conflicting image or message.
4. Tim Tebow is demonstrative.  He has cemented images in our mind that embrace his message.  His faith is his foundation and the platform from which he does everything.  Say Tebow and you immediately think of “Tebowing” – the pose – which encapsulates his message.
5. Tim Tebow is continuously telling his story.  From “Tebowing” to the black eye paint with Bible verses, he is always on message and repeating his story.  Football is a tool for him.  There is a bigger agenda and goal and he uses everything at his disposal to tell his story.  Repeatedly.

So how do your marketing programs stack up?

Are they real and sincere?  Can people feel the passion from your representatives throughout the organization?  How do you demonstrate your message?  What images pop into your client’s mind when thinking of your company?  How consistent is the look & feel of your image? And how does your look and feel tie to the messages you are sending out in your marketing and your trade show displays?

Tim Tebow is a model of consistency, determination, and focus on the image and message with an genuine understanding of the total picture.  How would our results be impacted if we implemented our programs with the same drive and focus?

Photo credit to http://www.flickr.com/photos/denverjeffrey/5040576290/  

To integrate Tebow’s branding style with your trade show exhibiting plan, read the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper. This report tells you the most effective strategies and tactics exhibitors are using today in their trade show marketing efforts.  Click here to request your free copy.

If you are new to the trade show scene you may be experiencing some sticker shock, but the good news is that you don’t really need to break the bank in order to grow your business through successful trade show presentations. Here are seven tips to help you get the most from a limited marketing budget.

1.  Why buy when you can rent?  For many companies, and for many different reasons, exhibit rental is an attractive choice. Click here to learn more about the benefits of trade show exhibit rental.

2.  Use Light Weight Exhibit Materials.  Freight & drayage charge by the pound and you can save a significant percentage in shipping if your booth setup is made from light weight materials.

3.  Free Gifts?  These items can be a budget buster.  Does every attendee really need to receive something? (Think adult ‘trick-or-treaters’)  Whatever it is, make certain the gift relates to your business in some way so the customers will think of your business whenever they use the item.  Better yet, create an ‘exchange’ where attendees provide information by answering qualifying questions in order to receive the handout.  Or, offer this item as a follow-up, sent by FedEx to only the most qualified attendees.

4.  Save on Transportation Costs.  Operational costs – shipping, drayage, install and dismantle (I&D) – are often over-looked or under-estimated by new exhibitors. It’s not unlike new homeowners forgetting about personal property taxes and mortgage and homeowners’ insurances.  Lightweight, easy-to-assemble exhibits can add up to big transportation savings… so can these transportation tips:

• Know the weight of the shipment so you can verify the bill.
• Instead of shipping several small boxes, consolidate in one large box or shrink-wrap on one pallet.
• Make one shipment to the convention center.  Inbound shipments are charged a minimum rate (usually 100 lbs) regardless of actual weight.
• Specify your carrier for outbound shipments from the hall. If you don’t the drayage contractor can divert your shipment to another carrier resulting in much higher transportation costs.
• When scheduling labor avoid paying weekend and overtime I&D costs.
• Don’t scrimp on shipping containers.  It’s expensive to redo graphics if they get damaged during shipping.

5.  Offer Relaxation to Attendees.  Walking on concrete for hours can wear out the hardiest attendee.  Create a ‘relaxation station’ in your trade show booth offering bottled water and padded furniture (but keep the booth staffers from lounging too long!).  The smell of warm cookies and hot coffee will certainly attract attention.  This is cheaper than free gifts and could be a lot more effective, if tied directly to your brand message.

6.  Less is Better.  Keep your graphics short and simple – the billboard concept. Detail the benefits to the customer in discussions with your booth staffers.  This allows you to re-use graphics from show to show, rather than printing specific messages, which will add up.

7.  Cooperate with a Complimentary Business.  Before signing up for booth space check with another local business your size which offers products complementary to yours and see if they would like to share a booth space.  This might allow you access to a better location in the show at a reduced cost; and you both may gain leads as add-ons to one another’s products.

There are even more ways to stretch your trade show budget shared in the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper. To pick up your free copy full of great tips and tricks, click here. 

Do you believe your company can get more bang for its trade show marketing dollars if you employed a different strategy?  If so, the next step is to convince your boss that you need a new approach.  But be warned; no one is going to be at all interested in hearing that there is a problem with the status quo unless you are able to present an alternative.  Here are some steps you can take to make certain you find the best strategy for your next show.

Analyze Your Choice of Shows 

One major factor of an effective marketing strategy is choosing the best trade shows that attract your target audience.  What kind of trade shows has your company attended in the past?  Do you market in industry-specific shows, general shows or a combination of both?  Gather the statistical data from the events you have attended and see which shows have been most effective in garnering new business.  Part of your strategy may include recommendations regarding increasing or changing your venues.

Scope out the Competition

The next step is to find out what your competition is doing.  The goal is not to imitate, but to determine what the current presentation trends are and which ones draw the largest crowds.  Spend some time visiting the trade show booths that command the most interest and analyze their strategies.  Do they use interactive media?  What kind of lighting is employed?  Is there a video feed?  How are their graphics arranged and displayed?  Do they have demonstrations or is product available for the customers to handle?  Are these booths run by a single vendor or are they a co-op between complimentary businesses?  Take notes and look for any factors these booths have in common.

Apply the Data 

After you have gathered your information apply the concepts and techniques you have observed to your particular company and products.  Try to employ strategies that will reach your visitors through sight, sound and touch if possible.  Map a layout of your proposed trade show display and make drafts of any new handouts, graphics, or other marketing materials.

Prepare a Budget & Project Payoff

Every company has limits on marketing funds, and your new strategy will not make it off the boss’s desk if it cannot be accomplished within the budget constraints with higher results.  Find out how much money is available and then determine how to project results.  Take all of this data and put it into a business proposal format.  Present the new strategy along with the reasons why they changes will improve the visibility and effectiveness of your trade show exhibits.  This information, combined with a workable budget, should be all of the persuasion you need!

A new strategy is one way to revamp your trade show marketing.  For more tips and ideas on how to boost your results and stretch your budgets pick up the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper.  To request your free copy, click here.

Do you want attendees to remember your exhibit long after the event is over?  If so, key into something educators have discovered; the more senses you engage in your booth experience the more people will remember your message.  People are classified as visual, audio or kinesthetic learners and all three types will be at your trade show.  Here are some ways to turn your trade show exhibits into an experience for everyone who visits:

Pre-show promotions are one of your best methods to get people to visit your trade show booth.  And you need that help, because the average attendee only visits about 20 booths – while the average trade show has about 400 exhibitors!

Pre-show promotions are direct marketing for trade shows.  You use direct mail, email and telemarketing to invite trade show attendees.  And while you have other pre-show promotional methods (ads, social media, room drops), exhibitors have told us in surveys that these three are their favorites.

It’s an old saw for direct marketers that the success of your direct marketing relies first on the list, second on the offer, and third on the creative.  Since list building is the most important (and probably the least discussed!) we’re going to cover it in this blog post.

To build a great list for your pre-show promotions, get names from one or more of these 5 sources:

1. The Show Organizer: This is your best list source, as they know who is actually coming! Get both the list of this year’s pre-registered attendees and last year’s actual attendees, and merge them together.  Order only the part of the list that matches your prospects, filtering the list by industry, job title, company size, and whatever other choices the show producer gives you that help you target your audience.  Filtering the list is more important if you only want to reach a small portion of the attendees.  Most importantly, don’t order the names of your competitors.

If the show organizer doesn’t give you the ability to segment the list before your buy it, consider getting the whole list and then manually deleting at least your probable competitors.  If it’s for direct mail and you have an expensive mailer, take even more time to weed out the wrong recipients.

Append email to your list if the names of the attendees were given to you without emails.  You may have that person’s contact name already in your company database, but knowing they’ll be at the show you are exhibiting at makes them even more valuable.  Even take the time to visit their company website and figure out what the email pattern is for your targets – is it first.last@company.com or is it flast@company.com?

Do this especially for the very valuable list from the show organizer, but you can also do these steps after you’ve gathered names from all your list sources (show organizer, company marketing database, sales, and other sources).

Some show organizers will not allow you to directly receive their attendee list for your promotions, but will send your promotions for you.  In that case you send them your email and they forward it to their attendees, or you send your mail piece to a mail house, and they mail it for you.

Timing on when you get the pre-registered list is tricky.  Get it too early, and you won’t get the names of the people who will register closer to the event (and that proportion is higher than it was a few years ago).  Get it too late and you risk your mail package arriving after the attendee has left for the show.  (And don’t mail your pre-show promotions standard/bulk rate – send them first class so they get to attendees before the show!)

2.  Your Previous Leads From That Show: Many people attend the same show year after year.  So go back to your own leads database and pull the previous leads you collected from the show over the last three years.  Those same people may be further along the sales cycle and you will have more success with them because they already know you, having visited your trade show exhibit.

3.  Your Marketing Database: Your marketing department may have also built a database of likely prospects, too.  So ask your marketing department (if that’s not you!) to get you a list of clients and prospects that live in the show’s geographic region or who are in the show’s vertical market.

4.  Your Sales People. Your sales people probably know more about the best prospects than your marketing database reveals.  So tell your sales people you are exhibiting at the ABC show, and ask them to set up meetings with their existing clients and best prospects that will be at the show.  Those can be some of the most productive meetings you’ll get from the entire show!

5.  Other List Sources: If you can’t get lists from the show organizer and your company database is anemic, you can also buy names of potential attendees via a list broker.  Ask to get names of people who fit your target market: Industry, company size, job title, and location.  They’ll get the names from the top industry publications, associations, and list compilers.  You may even get names from the media company or association that owns the show!

Combine the lists into one file, and take out any obvious duplicates, so you don’t mail them the same invitation multiple times, which is annoying and expensive.  Check the list for completeness: Put the whole list into Excel and sort the list by various fields, such as state or city or email address.  Find the names that are not complete, look them up on Google, and fill in the missing data.  If you don’t have the time and experience to merge/purge the list, work with a mail house who can.

One last point – almost certainly you have received these names from the show organizer or the list broker for one-time use, the trade show.  If you are going to send multiple waves of pre-show promotions, get permission up front, and pay for that.  But don’t add any rental names you did not already have into your company database.

It can take some finesse to build a strong pre-show promotions list.  But it’s worth it!  You’ll have a much better chance of attendees receiving your great offer and creative promotion, and then visiting your tradeshow display.

How else have you built a great list for your pre-show promotions?  Let us know in the comment box below.

Learn more about pre-show promotions and other key trade show marketing best practices with the What’s Working In Exhibiting white paper, yours free by clicking here.

If you’re really serious about improving your pre- and at-show promotions, there is no better source than the 65-page book, Creating Effective Trade Show Promotions.  Get your copy by clicking here.

I love great demos.  Especially those that accurately tell the brand’s story in a fun, interactive, innovative way.

I ran across a great example of this a couple years back at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.  The demo was staged in a small (10×20) display booth space, tucked away among several larger, more impressive (and expensive) exhibits.  Yet, it was constantly full of people, and quickly became a big part of the “buzz” around the Exhibit Hall.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s a look at the “Dissolve-A-Way Derby”.

Participants lined up and shot huge water guns at plastic storage tubs on a wall about 5 feet away.  Exactly like the old carnival game where you shoot water guns at the clown’s mouth to be the first to pop the balloon.  The Dissolve-A-Way Derby’s objective: completely obliterate a small label affixed to the storage bin.

Why a small label on a storage bin?  (Here’s the brilliant part.)  The company makes an adhesive and paper that will easily dissolve in water, like when washing the bin in a dishwasher.  This is a remarkable breakthrough for restaurant owner/operators who must label their product stored in bins like these to assure freshness and proper product usage and rotation.  However, as you use the bin over and over, most adhesives will build up an ugly residue, a mixture of adhesive, paper, and grime which takes time and effort to remove, stealing valuable productivity away from other tasks.

This message was delivered exactly and memorably to these participants who had fun at the same time.  They also connected the company’s message to the fun they used to have as kids at the carnival.

What is the key to coming up with demo this good?  I think it starts with a thorough understanding of your product/service and the benefit it delivers.

Another reason this particular demo was so effective: a good number of the trade show attendees were either influencers or buyers of their product.  Theirs was not a “find the needle in the haystack” kind of situation.

The next time you see a carnival-type game being deployed in a trade show exhibit, see if the brand message is woven as cleverly and completely as it was done here.  Chances are, it will merely be a game for its own sake, attracting mainly sales people from adjoining exhibits.

If you can make your demos as dynamic as the Dissolve-A-Way Derby, you can soak your competition, and soak up some buzz from the Exhibit Hall as well.

Learn other powerful at-show promotional tactics with your free copy of the Creating Effective Trade Show Promotions book, a 76-page guide that takes you through the entire process from setting goals to execution to measuring results.  Click here to get your free copy.