Ensure that you achieve the optimum impact from your event or trade show by utilising this checklist identifying the elements that are key to successful marketing. You can also read our exclusive report on the ‘Future of Events’.
Have a Clear and Measurable Objective
Ensure that everyone involved in the event on your behalf has one clear, definable objective. This could, for example, be to obtain 150 leads and then turn a quarter of these into sales. This will provide everyone with a razor-sharp focus.
All of those involved must also be aware that an event offers a time-limited opportunity and every second counts. Consumers do not want to feel ignored or as though they are imposing, and so it is important that the whole team is focussed on the objective throughout the duration of the event.
Promotion and Follow-ups
Actions before and after are equally as important as what goes on during the event. A lack of pre-event promotion can limit the audience size and the impact of your presence, whilst failure to follow up on leads or following up poorly is a wasted opportunity.
Aim to target consumers before the event to get them excited about your presence. An effective way of doing this is to add an invitation to your promotional material offering a reward or incentive for visiting you at the event.
Ensure that the follow-up process is as effective as possible by deciding how it will be managed before the event. Ensure that everyone who is involved is aware of how leads are to be collected and processed and how they are to be distributed and handled after the event.
Conveying a Message
A successful event company
knows that the presentation, graphics, and space design that they use are some of the most powerful tools that need to be utilised to get a sales and marketing message across effectively.
It is estimated that on the floor of a busy trade show, you have a window of just seven to ten seconds during which you can attract a customer. Therefore, the tools you use must offer a clear and concise message that is engaging and interactive.
A live presentation can be a supremely effective medium to use but, first, grab your audience’s attention with effective graphics. It might seem like a cliché, but in this situation a picture really can be worth a thousand words.
Effective Giveaways
Giveaways are able to add huge value to your service or product and are a
perfect event branding
technique. Placing a host of items for people to pick up is not enough, however. You want consumers to remember their experience and the time they spent viewing your material. This can be helped by giving them something useful and unique and incorporating the gift in your sales message in order to link the two in the minds of your potential customers.
Show Off the Product
Consumers may be interested in your presentation and space design but nothing will impact more than allowing them to see your product or service for themselves. Statistics show that almost two thirds of consumers are more attracted to exhibits offering demonstrations or product viewings.
Evaluate Each Event
Evaluation leads to improvement. Start by calculating how many leads turned into actual sales and then look at the finer details, such as how much media coverage you attracted, how much research you carried out, or how many individual presentations you were you asked to do.
