In the world of marketing, data is key to understanding where to invest your resources and how effective they are. The same can be said for your trade show strategy. While this sometimes falls under Sales’ department, it’s also a part of your marketing efforts. Knowing where to invest in your trade show strategy is important if you want to keep showing. Consider the following sources of data you could be using to enhance your presence on the trade show floor:
Lead Generation: Key to Your Trade Show Strategy
When you come back from a trade show, how many marketing qualified leads did you obtain? It’s important to keep track of the qualified traffic to your trade show booth so you know whether or not your messaging is appealing to people. Lead generation can also inform your overall trade show strategy including selecting a booth space, selecting which size booth to rent, and how to present your goods and services to trade show attendees. Absent the information gained from lead generation, you could be flying blind on your trade show strategy.
Demos
How many demos did your team present at your trade show booth? Were people largely passing by? If you weren’t swamped, you may need to adjust your trade show strategy. Keeping track of the number of demos performed is a great way to find out if people are noticing you on the trade show floor and how they’re responding to your marketing and branding. If you’re not booked back to back, you may want to revisit your trade show strategy and consider how you’re communicating with attendees whether in advance of the trade show or during the trade show.
Press Appointments and Articles
Did you have appointments with your industry press at the trade show? Were you approached by journalists at your trade show booth seeking time with you? If not, you may need to revisit your trade show strategy. Keeping track of the amount of press you’re interacting with and the number of articles you’re mentioned in is important because it informs you whether or not your messaging and positioning is effective. This is key to trade show strategy because in addition to just constructing a trade show booth, you want to get the word out to influencers, journalists, bloggers, and the people who have their fingers on the pulse in your industry. If reaching out to the press in advance of your trade show isn’t yet a part of your trade show strategy, you should add it in for the next show.
Advertising Impressions
Prior to exhibiting at a trade show, many exhibitors set up custom pay per click campaigns and retargeting campaigns. This provides excellent data for marketers who are wondering exactly how many people attending the show are being exposed to your advertising. This can also provide an excellent glimpse into the amount of traffic that is converting because they’re interested enough to learn more. Your trade show strategy should include a review of impressions, click through rates, and more so you can decide how much to invest in advertising.
Email Response Rate
As a part of your trade show strategy, are you emailing show attendees to drive traffic to your booth? Are you inviting them to make appointments for demos? Are you inviting them to off-site functions? Keep track of the response rate including open rates, unsubscribes, and click through rates. This can inform you where you need to make adjustments to either your communications timeline, or whether your messaging is resonating with your audience. You may discover you want to incentivize people to visit your trade show booth, personalize your emails, or make them more cohesive. This data is an excellent source to track as a part of your trade show strategy.
Depending upon your trade show marketing, you may have more sources of data to examine. However, by keeping track of multiple data sources, you can adjust your trade show strategy to enhance your trade show presence and ultimately increase your leads and sales.
