The Exhibitor's Resource – Trade Show Marketing Blog

Exhibiting at trade shows is a vital part of the marketing mix, but the effort can represent a significant investment.  Trade show participation has been shown to be a cost-effective way to generate leads and close new business, according to the findings of CEIR, The Center for Exhibition Industry Research, as explained in their report The Cost Effectiveness of Exhibition Participation. The data from that report and others show that the typical cost of generating a sale from exhibiting at a trade show is just over $2,000, as compared to over the $3,000 average for all methods. Still, trade show professionals are looking to make the most of their event marketing budget, thereby lowering the total expense for each new lead or sale. One way to do this is to use modern online marketing techniques to squeeze more juice out of your next appearance on the expo floor.

Promote your event on your website and in online advertising
For quite some time, Exhibitors have been sending out pre-show mailers to show attendees, their customers and their prospects, often with an incentive to visit their booth space during the show. Exhibitors can translate this to the web by promoting their presence on their website and in online marketing campaigns. Add the trade shows you will be exhibiting at to your company’s online events calendar, or create a new section for a running list of upcoming events. Be sure to let potential expo visitors know what booth space you are in and when in-booth demos or product launches will happen.
Think about how to write about events you plan to exhibit at in this section since useful and interesting and content will both entice your visitors to attend the show and and seek out your display. Good content that includes the keywords of your industry, your product or your company will help people find your site. You may also consider an online advertising campaign to promote your appearance at the show. Similar to pre-show mailers that often include an incentive to visit the booth such as a drawing for a prize, online ads are good place to entice your target audience with some sort of “at show” offer. Remember, even if they are already planning to attend the show, you want to get on the “dance card” of your most important targets.

Tweet, Blog, and update other social media content from the show floor

• connect with show attendees using twitter, facebook, linked in and other social media
• add show photos to your flickr account or your website, and don’t forget to tag
• search for other blogs or forums about the show or your industry and post comments about your presence
• tweet news from your booth space as it happens
• publish blog posts each night to recap the days happenings

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