You put a lot of time and money into the trade shows you exhibit at. Are you putting enough effort into your pre-show marketing? Pre-show marketing is a great way of ensuring that your company is visible at the event. Effective pre-show marketing will help draw attention and traffic to your booth, as well as maximizing the qualified leads you gather at the event.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding on your pre-show marketing:
Choosing the correct outlet
Email and Social Media marketing are two great ways to let your audience know about your presence at the upcoming event. Encourage your audience to subscribe to your newsletters and generate engaging social media content, which will result in naturally growing your list.
Crafting your message
The first step in planning your promo calendar involves determining your event goals. Then come up with a plan to achieve those goals. These goals could be increasing your event traffic, gaining more visibility at each event, or coming away with more leads.
Scheduling your promotions
Timing is key when putting out your promotions.
1-2 months before your event: Invite your attendees to the event. Provide details on your exhibit and include where you will be located. This is also a good time to tell the attendees what you will have planned, specials, or new products.
2-3 weeks before show: Send out a campaign reminding your attendees. This campaign should reiterate what you included in the first message. It should also remind them of any potential looming promotional deadlines.
Days before the show: Send a final email reminding them of the details of your exhibit and where you will be located. This is also a great time to personally message any attendees that have placed a private meeting at the event with you.
Showtime: This is a great time to post content on your social media pages. Take pictures of your staff traveling to the event and setting up your booth. If the show has a personal hashtag, this is a great time to add it to all of your social media posts allowing you to communicate with other attendees as well.
Measuring your success
Measuring your success post-show is also very important. Find out how important it is by reading our Post-show blog.