Dianne Pajo
Generating leads at trade shows can be a tricky endeavor, especially for new and first-time exhibitors. Leads become new customers or clients for your business, which helps the trade show investment pay off. If you want your exhibition attendance to be worth the investment, keep reading to learn how to generate more leads at trade shows.
Be Engaging at Your Booth
Simply showing up to your trade show event with a booth won’t differentiate your brand from the hundreds of others on the show floor. If you sit and wait for customers to approach you first, you could be passing up dozens or hundreds of potential leads. Be engaging and proactive during trade show hours to encourage prospects to visit your booth and learn more. Before arriving at the show, understand your sales process. Practice what you want to pitch to potential customers visiting your booth. This will help you catch clients’ attention and build a friendly rapport for future conversations.
Be Selective With Your Giveaways
While it can be tempting to pass out business cards or flyers to every attendee that walks by, this strategy can hurt your lead generation. Some customers won’t pay attention to your flyers, which leads to your handouts littering the floor or piling up in recycling bins. This can reflect poorly on your booth, so focus on supplying handouts to only potential leads. Focus on the customers who visit your booth and show an interest in your product or service, then present them with your marketing materials. This is also a perfect opportunity to request contact information and add them to your mailing list for follow-ups.
Follow Up After the Show
What you do after the trade show wraps is just as important as your strategies during the event. Don’t waste any time when it comes to contacting your new leads. When you send a follow-up email or other piece of marketing, it keeps your brand’s name fresh in the prospect’s head and promotes brand recognition. This is why having a sign-up sheet or mailing list is so crucial at events such as these. Always be sure to add a tablet or traditional sign-up board to your trade show packing list before your next event.
Try implementing these tips for how to generate more leads at your next trade show. More leads can result in more sales and an even better trade show investment for your business.
