Author: Oser Communications Group

Your efforts at trade show advertising stand a better chance of success if you can establish measurable trade show goals and define the relationship between those goals and specific components of your marketing strategy. Setting goals for trade show marketing is an iterative and adaptive process that requires preparation beforehand and diligent monitoring of trade show outreach activities and their effects on your business.

Step #1: Assess Your Business Needs

Your trade show marketing will lack a coherent core unless you can articulate how the trade show serves the needs of your business. What outcome do you hope to achieve? Create a current list of business priorities, including:

• Increasing market share
• Reaching specific target audiences
• Promoting brand awareness
• Developing specific B2B contacts
• Gaining insight into consumer needs and desires  

Step #2: Research the Trade Show

A statement of trade show goals needs to be more than a wish list. The desired outcomes for your marketing efforts must be reasonable in light of the opportunities that the specific trade show offers. Outline the activities, interactions, and events that your business could conduct or participate in during and around the trade show,

Step #3: Determine How the Trade Show Can Meet Your Needs

Once you can quantify what the trade show offers, create a narrative that links your trade show activity to specific trade show objectives.

Step #4:  Set the Metrics for Success

Quantify the benchmarks for success for each link between an activity and a goal. For example, you could establish a goal of meeting X number of potential institutional customers during the trade show, laying the groundwork for Y number of leads and eventually yielding Z dollars in increased revenue. 

As you plan your trade show itinerary, be mindful of your trade show budget and the anticipated return on investment for every activity. You should be able to calculate the expected value of a successful trade show campaign. If some benefits of trade shows might not be tangible or measurable, explore measurable proxy variables or conduct surveys.

Step #5: Plan Your Follow-Through

Once you have implemented your trade show marketing campaign, you can determine which activities were successes and which did not meet expectations. Based on the measurable outcomes, you can answer the following questions:

• If a marketing effort exceeded expectations for a particular metric, what are you doing to capitalize on your success?
• If a marketing effort did not achieve its goal, why did it not succeed? 
• How will you change your approach for future trade shows?
• If a marketing effort fell short, can you address the shortcomings after the fact?

Plan Your Next Trade Show Advertising Campaign with Oser Communications Group

Oser Communications Group has the expertise and practical skills to help you discover how to prepare for a trade show and use the trade show environment to achieve your marketing goals. Call Oser Communications Group at (520) 721-1300 to discuss how we can help your business achieve your trade show goals.

Before you plan your next appearance at a trade show, talk with your marketing and sales team about how to measure trade show effectiveness. Trade shows are excellent ways for businesses to promote their brand, keep an eye on the industry landscape, engage with customers, and connect with other professionals. However, without clear, measurable goals and a concrete plan to achieve them, you might not get as much of a return on your marketing effort. 

If you develop your trade show advertising with Oser Communications Group, you will benefit from detailed analyses of multiple data sources on the effectiveness of your campaign.

Metric #1: Sales 

When you go to a trade show, your objectives should further the ultimate goal of boosting sales in the short and long term. Before you leave for the trade show, you should have baseline data on how well your products and services are selling. Consider all possible sources of revenue.

Track your sales daily during the event, and fine-tune your approach if you are not meeting daily targets.

Once you return from the trade show, continue to track sales and revenue over the following weeks and months. If your sales volume, adjusted for seasonal variations and other factors, does not increase, you might need to examine your sales funnel and sales process to understand why the trade show did not impact your bottom line.

Metric #2: Leads

Knowing how to measure trade show effectiveness means going beyond short-term profits to determine whether a trade show exhibit succeeded in setting the stage for future sales and business relationships. 

Keeping a record of the visitors to your trade show booth is a good business practice because it helps you plan follow-up engagements with them. Information about attendees lets you evaluate your interactions with potential customers and identify factors that influenced trade show success or failure.

Arrange to meet with contacts while they are at the trade show and follow up with them afterward.

Metric #3: Feedback

Conduct surveys of trade show attendees, social media followers, and subscribers to your e-mail newsletter if you have one. Find out whether trade show attendees found your presentation interesting and whether it influenced consumer intentions to buy or learn more about your product.

Use trade shows as an opportunity to measure your brand’s positioning in the mind of your consumers. Note how competitors attempt to position their brands and turn that information into actionable marketing initiatives.

Metric #4: Social Media Engagement

An appearance at a trade show is a public event that should be part of your overall marketing strategy. Promote your trade show experience through social media channels and observe interactions with your social media followers in the lead-up to the trade show and throughout the event. 

Get the Most from Trade Show Advertising with Oser Communications Group

Oser Communications Group can help you discover how trade shows benefit businesses and how to use trade show appearances to raise awareness at different points in the sales cycle. Call (520) 721-1300 to learn more about how to measure trade show effectiveness.

Running a booth at a trade show can seem like a daunting task. You’re competing with many other vendors for potential customer attention to show off your goods and services. However, getting a good return on investment (ROI) from trade show exhibits can be incredibly simple with the right attitude.

Many planners rely on trade show advertising with Oser Communications Group, but we also give exhibit advice when needed. You can use our tips to engage with trade show attendees and attract new customers and clients.

#1. Use Technology to Your Advantage

Technology has advanced significantly in the past ten years and continues to grow, allowing for new and engaging experiences. Some options do not take much to implement, like touchscreen displays, and you can even include virtual or augmented reality tools, like Google Cardboard or Oculus VR, to boost activity.

Whatever technology you incorporate should match the message of your brand. For example, you might not want to use VR for a nature-related brand. Try to avoid the gimmicks but be creative while deciding how to use technology for marketing.

#2. Recognize the Power of Art

We already see the results a good visual can provide with modern ad marketing materials. Art boosts your presence on the trade show floor, from the color schemes to the logos and displays. High-quality art attracts trade show attendees whether you use high-tech materials or a hands-on method. 

A few examples include selfie walls, animated videos, and digital signage. With a sizable budget, you can also give holographic art a shot, merging art and tech for some excitement.

#3. Try Playing Games with Attendees

No matter how old you get, there’s nothing like a good game. You can promote excitement in your product demos with bingo cards, quizzes, spin the wheel, and more. Then, if they win the games, you can reward them with special prizes!

The attendees have positive experiences with your brand, and you can give them practical samples of your product. These options can make your trade show display more memorable and increase the likelihood you’ll hear from them again.

#4. Remember That Attendees Are Human

While technology, prizes, and everything else can excite trade show attendees, they eventually tire out. You can swoop in and build positive associations with your brand when they tire out after all that walking.

Consider having a seating area or charging booth near your display. You can also hand out free snacks and drinks, especially if your brand is in the food industry. Visitors may gain enough interest to ask about your presentation without hard-sell methods.

Want to Boost Your Trade Show Experience?

Collecting leads at trade shows becomes much easier when you have the most applicable knowledge and tools. Oser Communications Group has spent over six decades building the skills to show you how to attract trade show attendees. Call (520) 721-1300 today or visit our other blogs for top-quality trade show advertising and advice.