Like the thrilling battles we see during the NFL playoffs, the trade show floor can be a competitive arena for Amusement Industry vendors. You’ve invested significant resources into securing your spot, setting up an impressive booth, and preparing your team – but are you prepared to maximize your ROI?
For many vendors, the struggle is real. Despite the time, effort, and money poured into these events, they often leave with less-than-stellar results. Due to inadequate trade show marketing strategies, they fail to drive enough foot traffic to their booths, miss capturing compelling visuals that position them effectively, and let potential leads slip through their fingers post-show.
But, just like in football, having the right playbook can make all the difference. Here’s your trade show marketing playbook to help you score big at your next event:
Pre-Show Plays: Drive Traffic to Your Booth
Just as a football team wouldn’t show up on game day without a strategy, you shouldn’t either. Start your efforts well before the event to ensure a successful trade show experience.
Leverage Multiple Channels: Use social media, email campaigns, your website, print advertising, and even paid search to create buzz around your trade show participation. Highlight what visitors can expect at your booth, any exclusive offers or previews, and why they should visit.
Apply for Speaking Engagements: Trade show organizers always search for fresh, compelling topics that add value to their audience’s experience. The fact that we’re in a small market presents an excellent opportunity for exhibitors to step up and take the mic.
Speaking at a trade show can have multiple benefits as part of an effective trade show strategy. First, it helps establish your credibility in the industry. When you speak on a topic relevant to your business, you position yourself and your company as thought leaders. Second, speaking engagements are a fantastic way to drive foot traffic to your booth. Attendees who find your talk insightful are likely to seek you out afterward for further discussion, providing you with a direct opportunity to engage potential customers and make valuable connections.
Game Day: Capture Compelling Content
On the first day of the trade show, it’s time to execute your plays flawlessly. The initial play isn’t just about static photos of your booth like other vendors do – it’s about capturing dynamic content that tells a story.
Video Storytelling: Record videos of your booth, product demonstrations, and visitor interactions. The footage will provide a dynamic perspective of your brand and can be repurposed for various marketing channels after the show.
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Customer Testimonials: Take advantage of having your customers in one location. Capture testimonials from satisfied clients – these make for powerful social proof to share with prospective customers.
Post-Show Activities: Follow-Up and Nurture Leads
The final whistle has blown, but the game isn’t over. Your post-show activities can significantly impact your ROI.
Recap Video: Compile your trade show footage into a recap video. This experience is a great way to keep your brand fresh in attendees’ minds and reach those who couldn’t attend the event.
Effective Follow-Ups: Don’t let those hard-earned leads go cold. Reach out to them promptly, ideally within a week of the event. Personalize your follow-ups with the leads further in the buying process with video emails to stand out in the piles of boring text emails from your competitors.
Measure Your Performance
Just like a football coach reviews game footage to analyze performance, you should also measure the effectiveness of your trade show strategies.
Analytics: Set up systems to track metrics such as pre-show reach, QR code scans from print ads, leads generated, lead-to-opportunity, and opportunity-to-close conversion rates from your list. This data will provide invaluable insights into what worked and what didn’t, helping you improve your game plan for future events.
Trade shows are expensive but can offer an equally substantial return with the right playbook. The last thing you want to do is go in with high expectations and get blown out in the Wildcard round (How ‘Bout Them Cowboys?). So lace up your cleats, put on your game face, and get ready to dominate your next Amusement Industry trade show!
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