Marketing To Your Trade Show Prospects
The old adage “get ‘em while they’re hot, perfectly sums up the essence of post trade show marketing. While you don’t want to pounce on your prospects, the minute they return from a trade show, you do want to contact them while the fire of enthusiasm kindled at the show is still burning.
. Employees of Winmax, a video marketing Company with an expertise in video marketing consulting, present valuable tips for company workers participating in a trade show
Lead follow-up activity; is a task that is, all too often considered as optional part of the trade show. In truth, it is an essential part of the marketing package because it’s the stage of advertising where prospects are turned into paying customers.
The following suggestions will help your company make the most of this valuable albeit all too often missed opportunity to cash in on the hard work of the trade show.
Assign One employee to Followup With event Leads
Be sure to assign one employee the primary task of collecting and following up lead contacts collected at the show. This employee can subsequently delegate some of the followup to fellow employees, even if they normally work in different capacities. Everyone should participate in the lead follow up process.
Create a Profile of the Businesses You Wish to Recruit as Customers.
Decide before hand what types of companies you are after in the show. As part of the profile you are creating, decide upon a desired time interval until first purchase. Determine what type of products you want your customers to be looking for. Decide what is the amount of money your desired customers will be spending on your products.
You can order your contacts into groups based on their level of interest — and prioritize your time so that most of the effort given to the trade show followup is focused on hot prospects. However, be sure to call each contact, at least once.
Set up a Time Line for Followup to the Show
Develop a schedule for event followup. Make your first contact within 1-2 weeks of the end of the show. During this time people still remember who you are, and the spark of interest that was kindled at the event, is still alive.
Be sure that someone on your staff is managing the followup, and keeping track of the progress being made with each contact. This is especially important if the person assigned to making contact was not one of the staff working at the show. And keep in mind, that the fresher the memory of the event in the minds of the prospects, the more likely they are to become paying customers.
What should You Include in Your Initial Mailing Contact?
Unless specifically requested, do not send a large package of literature that tells absolutely everything about your company. And avoid sending an obvious form letter (”Thank you for visiting us at the Sample Expo in Booth 6521 three months ago…”).
A simple, yet elegant way to make initial contact after the trade show is through a thank-you letter. An expression of appreciation to the prospect for visiting your booth and taking the time to view your products, is greatly appreciated, in our modern impersonal world.
If your booth staff were diligent, then they were able to gather specific information about the visitors, such that you can recall specifics about the conversations and answer in more detail any questions any prospect may have had about your products. This will create a perfect reason for a follow-up telephone call.
It is Appropriate to Send…
- your company calling card — this serves as a visual reminder of the company logo and provides the correct spelling of company names
- some information about your company - This can be general information you have prepared for the public
- If the contact asked a specific question, provide the answer in more detail than was permitted at the initial fast paced contact at the trade booth. – “My company can help your company ____ (process numbers more quickly, improve your shipping, speed up your testing procedures, etc.)”
- product samples, include a lists of company prices, testimonials from satisfied customers and any other information that will help speed the sales process
the specific answer to the question – “My company can help your company ____ (crunch numbers faster, ship with less hassle, increase accuracy in testing, etc.)”
- a professionally made trade show video card follow-up containing the above information is a great choice which enable your visitors to recollect the excitement of the trade show, and remember your booth.
Remember, trade show follow-up is a routine humdrum job, which is at times difficult, punctuated by the fulfilling moments of success. It is most important to remember that it is during the followup phase that prospects are converted to paying clients. And this is the essence of what you are trying to acomplish through your trade show marketing.
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