One of the most frequently asked questions of a sales team is what was the ROI on the trade show?  If they can’t report big numbers, it could be because they’re lacking the marketing to drive traffic to their trade show exhibit.  It’s not rocket science, but with a little time and effort, sales will have the traffic at their trade show exhibit they desire.

Geofencing the Trade Show Exhibit

Geofencing is not a new concept, but many exhibitors still aren’t using it.  Essentially marketing would select an area such as the exhibit hall or convention center and when smart phones enter those areas, they will be served up advertising.  This includes pay per click advertising or social media advertising telling them to visit the business’ trade show exhibit. To create this kind of campaign, marketers should start early in order to set up landing pages and advertisements that are measurable.

Email Prospects on the Show List

For a few extra dollars, many trade shows allow exhibitors to secure the emails and phone numbers of show attendees.  To maximize the team’s visibility at the show, email these people in a concerted campaign that drives people to visit the trade show exhibit.  Ideally, the people attending this show are the people the business wants to target as potential customers.  These are exactly the people a business wants in their trade show exhibit.  A concerted email campaign can drive traffic to the trade show exhibit.

Call Up Customers

Trade shows are not only an opportunity to close new deals, but they’re also an opportunity to get some face time with customers at the trade show exhibit.  This can be in the form of a hosted happy hour, or even an informal chat to keep them up to date on new products or enhancements coming down the pipeline.  Plus, a busy trade show exhibit shows other attendees that there’s something to be seen, encouraging their fear of missing out (fomo).

Reach Out to the Press

The best way to get the word out about a company and its services is through the power of the press.  To drive more traffic to the exhibit, write a press release and distribute it through a national press wire.  Additionally, marketing can reach out to industry publications to pitch new products and services that will be unveiled at the trade show exhibit.  Reaching out to the press is a great way to announce one’s presence at the trade show and drive more traffic to the exhibit.

Get Social

Every trade show has a hashtag.  Find out what the official hashtag is and some industry terms and start sharing branded content with the trade show exhibit number on it.  Do this frequently so people stop by the trade show exhibit to learn more. Taking a photo at the show isn’t going to cut it to drive more traffic.  It needs to be constant messaging in order to reach people.

Using these marketing tips, any business exhibiting at a trade show will be able to drive more traffic through their virtual front door.