This document provides strategies for maximizing return on investment from trade shows. It recommends setting clear goals and objectives and measuring performance against them. Key activities include selective pre-show attraction of qualified leads, using a 4-step selling process at the show, collecting lead data, and following up promptly post-show. Integrating social media before, during and after the show is also emphasized to help spread brand awareness and generate additional leads. Measurement of key metrics like cost per lead and return on objectives allows evaluating the effectiveness of show participation.
5. Steps To Maximize Return
• Setting Goals & Objectives
• Measurement
• Pre-show activities including Selective Attraction
• 4-step selling process
• At-show activities
• Follow up
• Integrating Social Media
• Thinking outside the booth
6. Set Goals & Objectives
• Goals: broad & cannot be measured
• Objectives: narrow & measurable (think tactics)
• Examples of goals?
• Coordinating objectives?
• Use these for post-show measurement
Note: build show goals around corporate marketing plan to
help accomplish overall marketing goals.
7. Measure:
RO Investment
Total Show Expenses
Total Sales Volume
Note: consider all show elements - booth space, exhibit,
staff, entertainment, freight, etc. - when tallying expenses
8. Measure:
RO Objective
• Revisit clearly defined objectives set pre-show:
were they met?
• Examples of ROO measurement
11. Measure:
Key Contact Value
Total Show Expenses
Number of Key Contacts Made
(relative to comparative cost of sales calls/visits)
12. Align Goals & Objectives
• Spread the word
• Discuss overall goals & objectives with booth
staffers
• Set expectations
•Review before show open
Note: consider a formal training for your booth staff
13. Pre-show
• Show specific email campaigns
• Branded micro-sites
• Direct mail
• Selective Attraction
• Social Media (more on that later)
14. Selective Attraction
• Qualifying and filtering visitors through pre-show
or at-show activities
• Examples of selective attraction activities
• How does this change the at-show conversation?
Note: if giving away premium items for qualified prospects,
give some to your staff...they’ll appreciate it
16. 4-step Trade Show
Selling Process
• Engage
• Qualify
• Present
• Close
17. Qualify
• 1st or 2nd qualification process = Filter
• Determines follow up activities
• Ask qualifying questions on the show floor
• Use lead qualification software or lead forms
22. Outside The Booth
• Have booth staff pre-schedule meetings:
breakfast, dinner, coffee etc.
• Prepare info for pre-qualified prospects
• Obtain competitive information
23. 80% of all show leads never
receive post-event follow-up
- Center for Exhibition Industry Research
24. Post-show Follow Up
• Develop a plan pre-show
• Office response team = same day or rapid
follow-up
• Create a follow-up timeline
• Target follow-up response
Note: hold meetings with show staff immediately upon
return from event while fresh on everyone’s mind
25. Measure
• Measure based on objectives pre-show
• Measure year over year
Note: keep all data from past shows. It will help you
benchmark success from show to show
26. Additional Reasons To
Measure
• Should you attend the show next year?
• Should you increase or decrease your presence?
- Exhibit Size
- Booth Staff
- Sponsorships
- At show events
• Increase or decrease additional marketing efforts
27. Social Media &
Digital PR
1) Social Networking Sites
2) People are now the media
• Equivalent to major media outlets
• Target Influencers - Digital PR
29. Integrating Social Media
Pre-show
• Set up or locate a twitter hashtag for your event
• Hashtag: A pound sign followed by a couple key
words that help organize information (#CES)
These are a few of the core ways to maximize your trade show ROI. We’ll go over each of them in further detail. \n\n
Sample goals:\n1) increase # of qualified leads\n2) obtain new distributors, partners\n3) increase revenue\n4) improve customer relations\n5) gather info on competition\n\nSample Objectives\n1) Obtain 30 qualified leads\n2) Meet with 5 potential distributors at the show\n3) Produce $100,000 of revenue at show\n4) Coordinate a dinner reception for existing partners - 30 in attendance\n5) Each booth staffer writes written eval of competition’s booth\n\nOther: # new leads\n# on-site sales\n#post-show appointments\n#of meetings with existing customers\n#of one-on-one demonstrations\n\n
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Goals & objectives are not meant to be kept in a folder or in the board room. \nShare them with your booth staff.\nSet measurable objectives for each staffer and hold them accountable - maybe even do a contest\n\n
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Consider that it’s rare that the majority of attendees at a show are your target prospect\nWhat can be done pre-show to selectively target key prospects to come to the booth\nPreshow - Stephen Arnold example\nAt-show - Blockbuster example\n\npreshow email with call to action\npreshow phone calls - incentives to set at-show meetings\npreshow postcard with call to action\n\n\nThe conversation then starts later in the sales cycle. \n\n* Email signatures, website, e-communications etc.\n\n
Azteca example\n
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If selective attraction is at work, prospects could be pre-qualified. They should have a tangible to help you know this.\n\n
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* Basic badge or card reader\nDrawback is you may not have the ability to filter or rank leads\n* smart phones and tablets mean mobility and more robust software for qualification - like branching logic\n* attendees decide what literature they want. No human error - or staff laziness in neglecting to send - creates custom experience. \n* games, quizzes, videos and more - rich engaging techniques keep visitors in the booth longer. More of a journey than a qualifying conversation.\n* contact-less information exchange - chip based - hold the chip and the software gathers info, or already knows you. Can alert you to VIPs\n* memorability, exhibit design, booth staffers etc.\n\n\n
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based on qualification: email, sales rep, letter, info, quote\nyou may want a tiered response\n