My company is a member of several local chambers of commerce and there seems to be a chamber sponsored networking event every day. Since time and money are limited resources we have to be selective in the events to participate in. As a B-to-B business, we find that the chamber’s annual tradeshows to be the best investment in that they have high attendance and lots of business owners. Exhibiting in a trade show is an excellent opportunity for our company to gain exposure and connect with decision makers to generate new business.
Through trial and error we’ve learned that a successful trade show takes lots and lots of preparation. Using ACT! helps us in organizing our trade show activities and marketing the event to our Customers and Prospects. We make sure to engage our contacts before, during and after any event.
Before the Show – Generate the BUZZ
A trade show is a great way to introduce a new product or service, or to demonstrate how existing products or services will benefit an attendee’s business. Invitations are sent to our contacts encouraging them to attend the event, we always provide show-only promotions as a thank you. We create a custom Drip Marketing campaign to provide information about the show using our ACT! program and incorporate a variety of communication methods.
-> Create Custom Letter, Postcard and/or E-mail Templates and personalize the invitations and announcements
-> Send ACT E-marketing and track the interest level (opens & clicks) of the recipients with the built in reporting feature
-> Make Phone Calls either from a list from ACT! or a Call List created from an ACT E-Marketing and personally invite our contacts to the show
-> Social Media Updates post announcements on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or other channels
During the Show - Build Your Database
We draw attendees to our booth by having a live demonstration of ACT! software in action. Our WOW factor is showing that ACT! is more than just a place to keep your contacts, it can help you understand your business and solve business problems. I love to have engaging conversations and share information, I will make it a point to jot down a short comment on what idea, problem or question was the topic of conversation so I can respond to any opportunities. Knowing that everyone likes to win a prize we incorporate a business card drawing for free software and no-one walks away empty handed as we provide free 30 day trials and other helpful materials as reminders of our business, products and services.
After the Show – FOLLOW-UP
We always feel great after a show; meet lots of people, have dynamic conversations and receive all of that positive feedback. However, the show isn’t a success unless we dedicate time to immediately follow-up. First we take all of those business cards gathered at the show and use ScanIT to import the contacts into our database – what a time saver! Next is generating the BUZZ after the show by placing phone calls and sending Letter, Postcard and/or Emails to those who attended and those who couldn’t attend the show. Based on interest level we place the contact in one of our post-show drip marketing campaigns to send reminders of how we can help their business. Follow-up is a must and an ongoing process for relationship building.
So go showcase your business at your chamber’s next trade show, get involved in your local community. If you’re new to trade show marketing, as ACT! Marketing Experts and Swiftpage Gold Drip Marketing Certified Consultant we can help you with generating your BUZZ. If you can’t exhibit then attend, we would love you to come to our next tradeshow - stop by and say hello. You may even catch us sending twitter updates while at the show!
