Making connections
In the flurry of the big event, don’t lose sight of meeting your marks. It’s common to feel overwhelmed at tradeshows. So much is happening with so many different people that the minutes fly by, and suddenly the day is over. Find a way to keep your strategy mobilized. The goal is to stay ahead of the constant waves of activity. You must invite attendees to your booth in real time; cut through the frenetic chaos of the tradeshow’s intensity, and secure attention with business customers, prospects and influencers while geographically sharing the same landscape.
During the show, it can be difficult to capture on-line so many valuable opportunities that are happening moment to moment at the actual show. However, catching the attention of attendees while they are nearby can make a huge difference in turnout for your booth.
Keely Siciliano, senior manager, digital marketing at Dawn Foods, said it’s also vital to make use of hashtags during all stages of the tradeshow.
“While marketers may want to create and promote their own event-specific hashtag, always using the tradeshow’s promoted hashtag in addition to your own will maximize your booth’s exposure,” she said.
Plan for the inevitable tradeshow distractions by mapping out at least one post each day for the entire show. Try to do more than one post, but make sure that at least one will happen no matter what. Clearly visualize what you want to say to people at the show, and don’t forget to purposefully address people who wish they were at the show but couldn’t come. Prepare an opening-day message in advance. Pre-plan posts that catch people’s attention and invite them to stop by and meet you. Develop short educational messages that help define what people will learn when they stop by your booth.
Be sure you know your smartphone and your social media platforms so that you can easily upload photos and make responsive comments. But don’t be afraid of having fun with new technology features. Live streaming on Facebook and other platforms allow audiences to watch in-the-moment broadcasts and share the excitement of the event. Sergio Caballero, regional sales manager, FoodTools, said the company recently started “Going Live” on Facebook and Instagram for its booth giveaways.
“It’s fun to have people walk up and say they just saw us and get the items we were handing out,” Mr. Caballero said. “That gave us a good lead into showing our new equipment.”
He added that FoodTools uses different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Mr. Caballero said LinkedIn offers several benefits since it’s focused more on business. The company can reach thousands of industry professionals and baking groups like the A.S.B., IBIE, BEMA and the American Bakers Association.
