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Using social media in the trade show industry is a great way to update prospects, who cannot attend shows, on what you have to offer. Social media can be used to interact with individuals by posting photos, or even chatting back and forth. Prospects are able to stay involved and see what your company has going on. Social media marketing can be very beneficial to companies if you know how to use them correctly. Many individuals may not have the time or money to personally come to events or a show, which makes social media is a great solution.

Facebook is a fairly new phenomenon that has over 100 million users who spend hours each day searching profiles, groups, and applications. Facebook is fast growing and shows no signs of slowing down. Users spend a lot of personal time messing around on Facebook, and somewhere within these users are business contacts. Yes…professionals mess around on Facebook too. This gives you the opportunity to connect with them on a personal level, by getting to know what their interests are. Another perk to using Facebook is that your profile is not only searchable within the Facebook network, but also within search engines, such as Google. Popping up on a Google search increases your profiles accessibility. If your company stays active on their account others will be able to see your recent activity and then click to view it. Facebook has live news feeds that appear on every user’s account, if you are “friends” with that user they will be able to see every move you make and then click on it to see what you have updated. You can post photos of your booth, or links to other sites on your Facebook page and they will pop up on a live news feed for other to see. Another advantage to this network is that you are actually able to buy advertising space that is placed on the side of each user’s Facebook page. These advertisements are targeted specifically to those individuals who may be interested in your trade show ad. This is a huge advantage because people willingly put their interests, activites, job description, etc. out for everyone to view, and advertisements are specifically targeted according to this information. So, if someone works in the trade show industry, or expresses their interest in the industry, your advertisement will pop up on their page.

Twitter is a way to “follow” fellow tweetee’s. Twitter does seem a bit stalkeresque since you do keep up with where, when, and what other people are doing. But, your company can actually benefit from this stalker method of social media, especially in the trade show industry. Individuals may not have the time or patience to go and look up a calendar or list of events, so twitter is a quick and easy solution because you are feeding them your list of events rather than them searching for it. You can instantaneously update any changes that have been made pertaining to your show. Your company can also invite people to link to your ongoing news. Regular tweeting (posting updates) leading up to an event creates a call to action. Updating how you are preparing for you trade show, where you are, how soon it is, all these factors add up to get people hyped about the show. You can share updates on the turnout of your event afterwards and begin sharing when your next event will be. If you stay active and update on all events you become approachable. This conveys to the prospect that you are willing and open for any questions and/or discussions they might have. Posting updates means you want to communicate important information about what you’re doing at your trade show and where you will be so that others can join you. Twitter puts a positive spin on your approachability.

Linkedin has over 12 million users and is networking geared towards business. So you don’t have to feel like you are raining on the social networking parade. This is what people go to Linkedin for, is to stay informed about your contacts and industry, and to find the people/knowledge you need to achieve business goals. On Linkedin you can invite anyone and everyone relevant to the trade show industry, then their connections are able to see you and hopefully connect, creating a ripple effect. Updating your profile page with new content is easy if you link it to new blog postings (tools are available for integrating these together automatically), allowing your profile page to include recent information from any other form of social media to help it stay fresh. Also when new people search their contact network for contacts in these areas your information and contact details will be at the forefront. Don’t miss an opportunity to brand your company logo. Upload your company logo, address, phone number, and tag line as one large image. Uploading this information will make you look more credible and professional to all of your contacts, and their contacts.
Another social media aimed at professionals is Plaxo. This network enables you to keep up with all of your business contacts in an organized and timely fashion. It is somewhat of an address book, you can keep a large number of contact information without losing them in the mix. If you are at a trade show you may be a large number of leads that you need to follow up on, and Plaxo is a great way to store that information. Plaxco also allows for unique personal information, such as birthdays. Plaxo will notify you of a contact’s birthday which can be a useful tool for keeping in touch. Plaxco is great for updating your own information so that others can keep in touch as well. If you change phone numbers, or relocate this information is automatically updated on all of your contact list’s information.
Promoting any of these profiles at your trade show encourages attendees to go out and visit your sites. You can set up a space in your trade show booth where individuals can go online and check out what your profile has going on and they can figure out what kind of work you have been doing previous to the show and what you plan on doing in the future. Some networks, such as Plaxco, can even be available for those visiting your booth to enter their contact information in if they are interested in your company.

Social media today allows everyone to have a personal relationship with your company. Social media also enables every single individual to have a face to face relationship whether they are at the event or looking online, they still get the interaction they want. All social media are a link between face to face interaction and technology.

When you participate in a trade show, many types of people with different objectives will attend your booth.  One of the most challenging aspects of running an exhibit and making sales afterwards involves the qualification of prospects.  Measuring the likelihood that a random lead will result in a purchase is important because your sales team does not have an infinite amount of time to do their job.  Your sales people have a limited amount of time to follow up on leads and wasting their day on a dead-end lead will squander your company’s money…. http://www.applerock.com/ReadyDesk/ReadyDesk/ar_viewarticle.asp?CID=&KID=19

Planning ahead is just as important for trade show attendees as it is for the exhibitor. Attendees have to make sure they are getting the most value out of attending. Planning ahead can eliminate the risk of mass confusion. Make the most out of time spent at a trade show.

 Before you attend the show you need to know what new product lines you are most interested in and what you’d like to purchase. Knowing your company’s finances is vital to staying within budget. Take advantage of all discounts and special offers at the tradeshow while you can.

 Visit all booths that offer the products you are looking for and then compare vendors. It is important to get as much information about each vendor while visiting their booth, otherwise there will be no comparing. Setting an appointment with a vendor is a smart way to seek out information for comparison; it gives you their undivided attention. If it is possible, ask vendors to send you information rather than carrying it around the show. Usually, if you carry it around it ends up lost or in the trash. It may also benefit your company to bring along any employees who could learn from the experience.

Be prepared and bring a flash drive with all artwork if you plan on purchasing any custom work. That way you can show the vendor what they will be working with.

Most importantly network, network, network. Don’t be shy, one key function of the trade show industry is to interact with one another face to face. Bring plenty of business cards to hand out at the show as well.

When you are preparing for your next trade show, one of the most vital decisions that need to be made is whether you will rent or buy your exhibit.  Obviously, if you do one show a year, you will want to rent and if you do ten shows a year, you will want to buy.  But what about all of you who are in between these two figures?  If you attend between two and five events a year, you will need to weigh the pros and cons of renting trade show exhibits in order to make a financially sound decision. Click to continue reading…http://applerock.com/ReadyDesk/ReadyDesk/ar_viewarticle.asp?CID=&KID=21

Apple Rock Advertising and Promotions, Inc., dba Apple Rock Displays is one of the fastest growing display companies in the country. Apple Rock began its operations as an in-house agency for Carolina Country RV. Early in 1988, Jim Russell incorporated an in-house agency and named it JR Promotions. Early in 1989, Eric Burg and Maxie Rowell were made partners of JR Promotions and the name was changed to Russell, Burg and Rowell, Inc. The agency began working on trade shows and handling outside clients. Russell, Burg and Rowell had the distinction of pioneering the first exclusive RV shows statewide in North Carolina. Contd……http://www.applerock.com/about.asp

•Always have a plan on how you want to follow up on leads after your trade show. You need to decide exactly how to you want to follow up, whether it is via email, phone, or direct mail.

•Take notes on leads. A special something about a certain individual may help you when following-up on them. Taking notes about them allows you to respond to their specific needs.

•Follow up immediately before they lose interest or take interest in another company.

•Don’t send mass e-mails, or letters. You need to personalize your follow-up method to provide them with as much useful information as you can.

•Learn from your follow-ups. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about what they did and didn’t like. What could you have done more effectively? How could you have done this? What would have been more engaging? Any feedback is good feedback.

•Organize your leads in accordance to importance. You don’t want more than you can handle, so organizing allows for you to make sure you at lease get to the high importance leads within 24 hours. The leads that are of higher importance may include those individuals who spent a lot of time in your booth, or a lot of time asking questions.

•When following-up you want to reiterate the fact that you are not just trying to get them to buy your product. Try to let them know you want them to “learn more” or “get to know your company better”.

Raise your visibility in the market. Send out a hand-written note or effective sales letter as a personable way to let potential attendee’s know you want them at your event. Making a personalized letter, or hand-written letter, conveys exclusivity. These types of direct mailers single out the consumer and let them know that you personally want them to join you at your event. If you don’t have the time to sit down and hand write all invitations, you could always create a generic letter and personalize their name.

It is imperative that you do not send out bulk mail because they tend to be ineffective and a waste of paper. To solve this problem you need to define your goals and then set your target audience. People who are targeted are those who would be interested in coming to your event, hearing about your event, or may be interested in a special offer. Then you make the outside nice and pretty. Put your company logo or message on the outside; decide what kind of envelopes to use, how to stuff your material, and what material will be placed inside the envelope. Then you need to creatively develop the message you want to get across to the consumer, so you can stand out from any other direct mailers your audience may have already received. You can get creative and slip in a card that can be presented at your event for a special offer. This special offer can be a prize, or an entry into winning a prize, anything enticing the consumer to join you at your event.

We all have asked ourselves before, “How can I improve my profits, revenues, market share, and new business?” Wasn’t the rise of the internet supposed to improve and revolutionize all of our businesses?  Markets are created and changed in a blink of eye and you better have strong relationships to weather the winds of change.

Event Marketing is any event held indoors or out that creates face-to-face personal contact.  Face-to-face interactions allow you the opportunity to engage, educate, and persuade the passive consumer. This event can be a professional sport like a PGA Tournament, local sponsorship, city fair, or even a high school football game. Event Marketing is the opportunity to put your best asset, your people, in front of your most desirable goal – new customers.

The most popular Event Marketing opportunity, in any community, can be your local Chamber of Commerce business show. This showcase can be the Super Bowl for businesses to shine and make a real impression. You can launch new services and products, you can introduce new employees, and you can also show everyone in the local community that your business is the one to turn to for your services or products.

There is a proven formula to Event Marketing that will provide you success and build your business. The formula, of course, has a Top Ten Rules list:

1)      Pick an Event that has proven attendance. Select a show that has been in existence for 5 years or more.  The first year, walk the show and talk to vendors at the show before you attend. If you cannot physically attend the show, ask the show promoter for references on exhibitors, and media sponsors.  (Select the right Event)

2)      Once you have selected a proven Venue to exhibit, choose the right location.  Just like the saying in real estate is true… Location Is Everything. Select high traffic areas, at the entrance, near concessions, bathrooms, or major sponsor booths. (Research the Event)

3)      Make sure you know why you are going to this event. The number one reason to go to a show is Brand Positioning and to gather leads. (Have a Reason for Going)

4)      Make sure your company has a commitment to this event for a minimum of two to 5 years. A show will take a few years to make an impression on customers.  Do not be in a hurry to get fast pay back. Too many businesses pull out after a year and they lose their investment. (Commitment) 

5)      Set realistic goals over the time period committed to the show. For example, we will collect 100 leads and make 20 appointments from those leads. We will handout 500 brochures and demonstrate the product to 250 new prospects. We establish 10 new accounts over the next 12    

      months.  (Set Goals)

6)      Only send people who want to work the show.  Make sure these people are truly excited and well trained to represent the company. (Training)

7)      Dress your people in a coordinated way. For example, all attendees wear the same shirts or all wear business attire.  Your people are your image. (Dress Professionally)

8)      Every lead collected at the show gets a follow up call, letter, and email.  These leads and related sales may be tracked by your Accounting Department.  Conducting a sales analysis on these clients will prove the Return On Investment (ROI) on that show. Analyzing total sales for all clients who were obtained from the show, from the date of the show and forward, will contribute to the revenue generated from your company’s exposure at the show.  (Follow Up)

9)      Purchase the size booth that is functionally right for you, and determine the proper staffing level for the booth. Do not purchase a booth space that is too big for you. (Right-Size Your Booth)

10)  Create an environment that captures the core of your company image, and culture. Project the right image and position your company’s exhibit so that your people feel proud to be in the exhibit.  (Create the Right Corporate Environment)

If you follow the above Top Ten Rules list for Event Marketing, you will not fail. However, if you cannot do the above, your Return On Investment (ROI) and results will suffer. As an Event Marketing Professional, our advice is simple. If you cannot do the above well, and you feel like your just go through the motion of showing up for an event, don’t do it. 

Event Marketing is growing at incredible rate. I encourage everyone to go out and meet your clients face-to-face. This is the quickest way to lower your cost of lead gathering and allows you to see many of your customers in one day.  Our advice to you is to revisit how you are doing it today, and put some new energy into your approach.