Marketing is more than what happens at an event. A pre-and post-show plan is essential. The pre-event email is a message that guides people to come to your event. But what do you do after the event? It won’t suffice to send an email with a personal “great to meet you” message and a call for action to sign up right away.
How can you tell if they are ready to purchase? Which stage are they at on the buyer’s journey? Are these leads qualified? Are these leads new or already existing? There are many questions, and you likely don’t know the answers to all of them.
A better ROI is also essential for trade show spending. This can amount to 41.3% for B2B businesses. You must plan to convert this amount of money if you spend it.
Content marketing is an intelligent way to build customer relationships beyond the initial meeting. Let’s look at the power of content marketing to guide your post-event planning.
Get Interested in a Content Offering
Trade shows are intimate because prospects and companies can look at each other and shake hands. How can you maintain that connection?
All it takes is to create interest in a valuable piece of content. Your content should be informative and help to open your eyes. There are many myths and misinformation in so many industries. How do you make sure the facts are straight? What content marketing can you do for an event?
You are still in the awareness stage if there is an education gap. This is what you should be doing with the content that you offer. An eBook with titles such as “Myths Revealed” or “Ultimate Guide” is a great example.
You can generate interest in such a piece by placing excerpts around your booth. Talk points could be included in your digital display. Infographics could be used to illustrate various data points. Your booth can help tell the story.
You may find prospects asking many questions. You don’t have to answer all of them. You can give them information, but you should be brief.
Get Sign-Ups Boosted with an Offer They Like
The main goal of every trade show is lead generation. 83% of exhibitors at trade shows cite this as their primary motivation to attend. It all starts with an email address. This will give you a way to communicate. Why would you ask an attendee to provide their email address?
They may fill out a form to enter a giveaway, but they will likely unsubscribe quickly if they have no other offers. Instead, make the content available for sale.
Your booth should be a place where employees can talk about the unique content you have and what they will learn. People will sign up for your content if it is relevant and valuable.
This is Why This Approach Works
You are not trying to sell them anything. They are being educated. This provides decision-makers valuable information that their competitors and current providers don’t know.
Your brand will be more trusted if you can lead with education. They should expect to receive a follow-up email with a link. Once they’ve reviewed and learned about the content, they can ask further questions and hopefully develop more interest.
How to craft an email
Even though you may have prospects interested in your post-event emails, it doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be strategically designed. It is essential to adhere to the best practices in email marketing.
It must be received within four to five days of the event’s close. (Be aware that exhibitors may stay longer than attendees).
Next, use a subject line that refers to the event and its content. A simple design using an image from the front of your eBook should be used. The copy should be friendly and helpful. It should remind the reader that he requested this content.
