4 Steps To Creating Pre-Show Buzz

Here are four simple steps you can take right now to build interest in your upcoming trade show.

Mail a postcard to pre-registered attendees
Add booth information to all email signatures
Talk up the show during client interactions
Phone your top 10 customers with special invitation to see a demo at your booth

See, I told you it was easy.

How to Develop a Winning Tradeshow Marketing Plan

Ok, I'm going to cut right to the chase here.

 

Your tradeshow marketing plan will have 3 parts:

 

Pre Show

At the show

After the Show

 

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to accomplish the following:

 

Deliver the message to the target audience

 

Make your show presence memorable, measurable and under budget

 

Build your brand.

 

Let's begin with pre-show contact. Did you know that 75% of booth visits are planned in advance yet 75% of exhibitors do not participate in pre-show contact? That's money left on the table, folks! Consider the following statistics: attendees spend 6-8 hours on the floor. They average 16-25 exhibitor visits. This is where you start to become memorable.

 

You can raise awareness of your upcoming show in a variety of ways. Some popular techniques include direct mail, room drops, website ads, email invitations, fax invitations, public relations, advertising, pre-show staff communications, and telemarketing.

 

If you want your staff to be busy engaging prospects and clients instead of twiddling their thumbs, offer your visitors an incentive to stop by your booth. Traffic will increase when a gift is promised at the booth. Traffic will increase when a <i>companion</i> gift is given at the booth. Include your company contact information on the gifts. 80% of exhibitors do not and this is a huge mistake!

 

Your goals with the pre-show contact are similar to those of your complete marketing plan. You want to target your audience, deliver the message, invite them to your booth and build your brand.

 

My next post will discuss booth layout and how to discourage freebie seekers.

Develop New Customers in Four Easy Steps!

When developing a new customer you must do four things:

Get their ATTENTION!
Dramatize the biggest benefit of your products and services.

Keep their INTEREST!
Explain your product and service in short simple sentences.

Create DESIRE!
Focus on the benefits rather than features.
Use pictures or interesting descriptions.
Do not take this third step lightly. Your ability to sell to your prospects hinges on how well you create a burning desire for your products or services. In fact, you must master the art of cultivating a seedling desire. A simple definition of "seedling desire" is when your client has a slight interest in your products or services. When you learn how to make your client associate you with that primary driver emotion that leads to buying mode, you will have mastered this technique. Remember that desire is the root of all sales.

Provide a COMPELLING REASON for why they should buy from you.
Sell them before your competitor does.
ASK FOR THEIR BUSINESS!