Social media platforms have a huge amount of information on them that can be used to initiate sales opportunities at trade shows, says Manny Mandrusiak, managing creative consultant and 4 Bravo Marketing contributing editor. He says it’s all about taking the time to leverage social media to do three things while at the show:
1. Increase a company’s corporate footprint.
2. Drive traffic to a company booth (generate leads).
3. Network with potential business partners.
Here are some social media tips he says will serve you well at the show:
Join the tradeshow provider’s social media groups: “Shows like the Rockwell Automation Fair and the Honeywell User Group set up Twitter and Facebook pages for their events,” Mandrusiak notes. “This is a great place to start collecting followers to your sites, and provide yet another conduit for communicating with trade show attendees.”
Post pictures often: “Post pictures of the booth, people at the booth, products, maybe a contest at the booth,” Mandrusiak suggests.
Trade shows are a fantastic time to unveil new products or features: There are typically tons of reporters around, but more importantly there is an opportunity for instant customer feedback, says Mandrusiak. “Most digital cameras can record video and some even have the ability to post that video right to Facebook and Twitter,” he adds. “People love companies that look for feedback, as it demonstrates to customers that they are valued.”
Publicize that you are on Twitter and Facebook right at the booth: “Most people that attend tradeshows will make a post to their favorite social network platform anyway; why not sign them up for yours right there and then?” Mandrusiak poses.
Take the time to get pictures posted from your partners and potential partners: “The trick to winning with social media at the trade show is by constantly pushing out relevant content,” Mandrusiak asserts. “Tagging the reps from a partner company in a Facebook photo post means that they will receive a notification about the picture. They will either make a comment, or share the photo through their network.”
Post to your blog at night when the trade show is done for the day: “Writing a blog post during a show simply means that you are taking time away from networking and selling,” Mandrusiak cautions. “If you have done your job correctly with Facebook and Twitter, then your blog post will take no more than 20 minutes once you finally hit your hotel room. The trick here is that you now have back links to photos, posts, and tweets that will drive traffic to your blog.”
Plan for a couple of interviews with key people at the show: Get a few minutes of video from some key people in your industry talking about the show and most of all your company, says Mandrusiak. Ask only one or two questions per person, he suggests.
Follow up with everyone who joins your networks: “Take a look at the companies that they follow,” says Mandrusiak. “See what publications they subscribe to, and send them a direct message. The direct message would be a thank you for following your company, and then ask them a question for feedback, or send them a link for a free download or demo.”
Take your new followers from being lukewarm leads to hot leads by getting them back in front of your product: “Schedule a webcast that fully demonstrates all the features of your product and position it as a Twitter and Facebook follower exclusive webcast only,” says Mandrusiak. “They will flock to it and give your salespeople the opportunity to demonstrate their product to an audience who wants to see it.”
Keep things consistent at every show that you attend: “By making the show an experience by engaging customers, they will seek you out at future shows,” Mandrusiak predicts. “There are always the few booths that you remember after a show. Not always are they the biggest and flashiest, but they are the ones where people had a great experience. Be that experience every time.”
Source: AutomatedBuildings.com
