Customers

Leads

ProspectsTurn YourTrade Show Exhibit Into ALead Generating Machine

Marketing Humans Love.

It takes proper planning and a solid foundation to turn your trade show exhibit into a

Lead generating machine

It’s more than just the

Trade ShowExhibit

Customers

Leads

Prospects

This ebook covers 6 steps for building a solid foundation of

proper planning to turn your trade show exhibit into a

Lead Generating Machine

Budgeting For A Trade Show

Set Up A Tiered Gift Program

Pre-Promotion

Brand Image In 3 Seconds

Attitude & Etiquette

Lead Generation

It takes proper planning to turn your trade show exhibit into a

Lead generating machine

Putting together a

Budget

Budget Considerations

Printed Collateral

Company Branded Apparel

Staff Name Tags

Trade Show Giveaways

Exhibit Display & Graphics

Shipping of Exhibit Materials

Travel & Meal Expense for Staff

Space Rental

Onsite Services

Hospitality

Pre-Show Marketing & Direct Mail

Follow Up Marketing & Direct Mail

Download A Budget Template

Add value to your company by showing gratitude for attendee’s interest

Motivate attendees to learn more

Set up a tiered

Gift Program

Set a goal for the number and types of

prospects you want to contact. For

example, if you are a financial company

targeting the health-care industry, you may

want to attract 40 leads – 10 of which are

CFOs or other hospital executives.

Set realistic goals.

Set Goals

Determine what each tiered lead is worth to your company.

Consider your sales funnel. It may look like this:

Top tier, showing some interest

Mid tier, research/education

Bottom tier, qualified and ready to buy

What’s It Worth To You?

What are you prepared to invest for each tiered lead?

Event attendees are 52% more likely to stop by your

exhibit if you have appealing

promotional items to give them.

Source: Incomm Center for Trade Show Research and Sales Training

FACT

Set a budgetChoose tiered gift items within your budget.

The items you select should appeal to your

target audience and help you achieve your

objectives for the trade show.

Download Ideas

For Your Next Trade Show

Shout It From The Mountain TopShouting the details about your gifts from the mountain top may, or

may not, be the best way to deliver information. Create an effective

way to publicize the gift or reward best suited to your audience.

Include the information in your pre-

show mailer to qualify prospects and

promise a gift when they return it to

your booth during the trade show.

Base the gift on participation in a

booth activity, such as a game,

demonstration or meeting with a sales

representative from your company.

Ideas

Set up a method to measure the gift programs results and

tweak the program for the next trade show accordingly.

If your gift program doesn’t help

achieve your objectives, then you

are just giving away free stuff at

the company’s expense.

Measure Measure Measure

Can you convey a consistent brand image

In the first three seconds?

Brand

IMAGE

3 Seconds…

Can you capture someone’s

attention in that short amount of

time with your trade show exhibit?

That may be the difference between

a lifetime customer and a lost lead.

What Message Are You Sending?

What do you want to convey about your company?

New Products/Services

Competitive Advantage

Brand Image

Think billboard, not bulletin board when creating the

design for your signage. It’s better to go for impact.

Keep it simple and consistent. Remember, less is more!

83% of exhibitors agreed that

“Building, expanding brand awareness”

is a high priority marketing-related

objective for trade shows.

Source: CEIR Changing Environment Study

FACT

Capture Attention With

Promotional Items

Use promotional giveaways that draw attention and entice visitors

to your booth. Consider different gifts for visitors and leads.

Memorability Recognition Communicate

Motivate Promote

Selecting Hot

Trade Show GiveawaysDeveloping a hot giveaway takes thought and creativity.

Consider what your target audience wants:

1. What will help them do their job better

2. Make their life easier

3. Cool industry specific gadgets

4. What they can’t get elsewhere

5. Product/service related

6. Educational products

Your exhibit should convey your

company’s personality. It should

create an emotional reaction with

your leads and customers.

Humans buy for emotional reasons.

The shapes, materials,

surface treatments, colors,

images and even the

typography you select help

convey your company’s

brand image.

A company that wants a high

tech aviation look should

have a completely different

exhibit than an exhibit for a

wedding cake bakery.

One Size Does NOT Fit All

It’s time to have the talk with your staffers

before the trade show

Attitude And

Etiquette

Hello! My Name Is…

Wear your badge on the right hand

side of your shirt or jacket. When

worn on the right hand side,

whomever is shaking your hand can

clearly see your name.

If you do not know the answer to a

question, say so. Take advantage of

the situation and use it as an excuse

to follow up after the show with the

correct answer when you locate it.

Riddle Me This…

Make only those commitments that you and others

can keep.

Visitors remember staffer commitments…

especially those that are not kept.

Say What You Mean &

Mean What You Say

GO TEAM!

Exhibiting is a team event.

Other staffers are counting

on you and you on them.

Visit with prospects only.

A crowd of staffers does not

attract a crowd of leads.

Keep Your Eye On The Prize

67% of all trade show

attendees represent a

new prospect and

potential customer for

exhibiting companies.

Source: Exhibit Surveys, Inc.

FACT

Smile

90% of the time, if you

smile, someone will

smile back at you.

The exhibit is your office away from the

office. As visitors see your environment, they

see your company and make a judgment of

whether they want to do business with you.

Office Sweet Office

Start letting your prospects, leads and customers know about your exhibit

before the trade show

PRE

Promotion

Pre-Promote On Your Website

Advertise that you will be attending the trade show

on your company’s home page so all your visitors

will see.

It may be a good idea to consider adding an

“Upcoming Events” page to your website as well.

Pre-Promote With Social Media

Utilize your company’s social media pages to distribute

information leading up to the trade show. Plan a

schedule of status updates with different verbiage to

generate excitement. Be sure to include pictures.

Pre-Promote With Blogs

Remember to keep your personas in when selecting topics.

Target your blog topics relative to

the products/services you will be

highlighting at the trade show.

Pre-Promote With Direct Mail

Send direct mail to your customers, leads and prospects by utilizing

your database and/or purchasing a list of company addresses that

match your targeted criteria.

You can send a variety of pieces, including:

Postcards

Letters

Trifolds

Packages

Pre-Promote With Traditional Advertising

Balance your inbound marketing

with traditional advertising by utilizing

your existing media schedules. You

will need to tweak the scripts by

adding a tag or scroll to let your

customers and prospects know you

will be exhibiting at the trade show.

Your investment in the trade show should have a defined

Purpose

Lead

Generation

Train your staff how to

capture information in

the interview process.

What information should

they be seeking that

would be beneficial for

lead conversion.

Practice Makes Perfect

7 out of 10 attendees plan to buy

one or more products

at a trade show.

Source: CEIR

FACT

Good…Better…Best

Discipline your staff to categorize the leads

A, B or C as they are generated. Review

these each night of the trade show for

completeness and make any additional

notes that will be helpful to the sales staff.

Before You Leave The Trade Show

When the show ends, how does

your lead system get fulfilled, who

is responsible for the transmittal

letter, the lead management

reporting?

When and to whom does the sales force report their results?

The biggest mistake we see

companies make is failure to

follow up with their leads

appropriately AFTER the show!

After The Show

Lead Follow Up

Timing Is Everything

Time your follow up so it arrives the week after the

trade show when your leads are getting back to their

offices so they have time to clear their desks of work

that were generated the day(s) they were at the show.

This will give you a better chance of them

devoting time to reviewing your follow up letter.

Resources

Get Serious

Request Quote

Print Materials

Download

Trade Show Budget Template

Request Quote

Direct Mail Programs

Request Quote

Promotional

Items/Gifts/Rewards

Request Quote

Blogging/Social Media

Speak With A Trade Show

Marketing Specialist

Learn how to beef up your marketing withB2H Marketing Group.

Our Marketing Specialists can help you grow your company with our inbound marketing tool box.

Turn YourTrade Show Exhibit Into ALead Generating Machine

www.B2HMarketing.com