What’s Your Trade Fair Marketing Strategy?
You wouldn’t invest in the stock market without a strategy for earning a return on your investment. And you shouldn’t participate in an exhibition or trade fair without a strategy for how to maximize the investment you’ll be making in exhibition stand equipment, staffing and travel.
1. Know Thy Target Buyer
Knowing exactly who the target buyer is for your product or service – the demographic and psychographic profiles – enables you to choose the right trade shows to attend and helps you determine the right promotions that will attract those buyers.
2. Know Thy USP
Your USP – Unique Selling Proposition – is a succinct explanation of why your product or service is superior to that of your competition. You need to know how to articulate your difference – in visual terms for your exhibition stand design and in marketing terms for your literature and promotional efforts.
3. Know Thy Customer’s Motivation to Buy
Knowing what makes a potential customer want to buy is critical to attracting the right traffic to your trade show booth. It enables you to craft just the right message to draw them in.
Your exhibition stand design is the execution of your trade show marketing strategy, and should be viewed as more than just a 3D advertisement. It is actually more like an office, staffed by employees whose job it is to engage prospects and entice them to becoming customers. You have only a few minutes to make a lasting impression that gives you a competitive advantage.
Follow-up Strategy
Following up with prospects you’ve met at a trade fair is much more than just sending an email or making a phone call. You should have a follow-up strategy in place as part of your overall trade show marketing strategy.
For example, consider assigning someone in the office who is not attending the trade fair to follow up on each lead daily. Email them the leads your show staff gathers throughout the day so they can follow up immediately, even during the show. This can convert some “warm leads” immediately into “hot prospects”.
Once the show is over, have a series of email auto responders ready to send to each lead at predetermined intervals to keep your product or service top of mind.
With a little planning and effort, you can control your trade show’s ROI. Visit our website or call us on 0844 800 1020 to get more ideas on obtaining the best possible return on your exhibition stand investment.
