Scoring Big with Social Media from your Trade Show Booth

It’s not enough any more to simply attend a trade show. At least, I don’t believe you should think in those terms. Let me suggest you complement your traditional marketing efforts by using social media as an effective addition. But the big question is, how to do it effectively?2013-ip-specials

Trade shows are a platform for getting together face-to-face and communicating your marketing message in a more straightforward – some might call it “assertive” – manner than is done in other sales situations. Having a great exhibit design and awesome graphics are definitely important parts of trade show preparation. But you also need to focus on getting someone to see your awesome trade show booth! You can’t just create the display and hope they come by and see it – especially when all your competitors are working hard to bring visitors to theirdisplay, instead of yours.

Social media can allow you to be bold in getting your message out there in ways that will help you maximize your presence on the show floor, as well as in the minds of those people at the show. And here’s the best part: you can even have an impact on people who aren’t attending the show.

Here’s the first in a list of ways you can use social media to get your message in front of people in an engaging and entertaining manner:

Tweet To Attract Attention

At last year’s Irrigation Association Show, Rain Bird Corporation (the sprinkler manufacturer) used Twitter to garner attention. Through their advertising agency, Swanson Russell, they wanted to highlight the 80th anniversary of Rain Bird’s invention of the impact sprinkler, the product responsible for launching the company.

According to Lynette Von Minden, Senior PR Counsel with Rain Bird’s agency, they did so with a contest of Twitter messages or “tweets.” Each 144-character tweet included a pop culture reference to significant events in the company’s 80-year history. Here’s an example: “Rain Bird introduced its 1st electronic controller the same year John Glenn 1st orbited the earth. Name the year! #rainbird80 #irrigationshow12”.

The hashtag #rainbird80 made it easy to track replies. The second hashtag (#irrigationshow12) assured that respondents were actually present at the show. A follow-up tweet invited the first person who responded correctly to come to Rain Bird’s booth and pick up their prize: “Correct answer to our last tweet was 1962! @JohnDoe, come to Booth 1315 for your t-shirt. #rainbird80.”

The agency’s Von Minden said this approach enabled Rain Bird to spread the word about their most significant contributions to the industry, remind attendees that the company was responsible for some of the irrigation industry’s most useful inventions, and promote Rain Bird’s reputation as an industry leader. “While only a handful of people won t-shirts,” she points out, “many more read our tweets and were reminded of Rain Bird’s history of innovation and their presence at the trade show.”

Play Well With Others

It may well be that you’re not the only company using social media on the show floor. To promote communication through as many chances as possible, connect with the show’s official social media outlets by joining, following or liking as each outlet requires. If the event has its own app, download it, register for it and engage with it. Also, tell your existing social media partners that you’ll be attending the show.2013_maestro

Be sure you’re using the show’s official hashtag. Some exhibitors at the Natural Products Expo West and Natural Products Expo East mistakenly used the hashtags @expowest or @expoeast, instead of the official account, @NatProdExpo. Those using the incorrect hashtags discovered that their tweets simply vanished into the ether. And by using the show’s official hashtag, you’re part of the overall conversation about the show, not just your own.

Start Before Everyone Else

There’s no reason you have to wait until Show Day to start communicating through your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media outlets. Why not get the conversation going well in advance of the show? How? Tweet news releases about what you’ll be doing at the show. Post photos of products, customers and even your exhibit to your Facebook page and Pinterest. Always include your booth number in your messages, so people who are planning their schedules in advance can plug you in.

Use Social Media To Drive Traffic

According to Scott Wherley, VP of Global Customer Insights with Reed Expositions, “The business value of Facebook and other social media [outlets] is still largely untapped at tradeshows. Some companies are doing it well, but many are not making the most of this opportunity.”

Wherley’s seen companies send out tweets during the show day, offering discounts on their products for attendees who get to the booth within a prescribed period of time. In many cases, it’s worked out well for the exhibitor.

Even blog postings before, during and after shows can help build buzz. You don’t have to limit your posts to once a day, either. But keep the content relevant, up-to-date and useful, so people will be interested in what you’ve got to say—perhaps even retweeting or sharing it in other ways. This also keeps people who weren’t able to attend the show in the loop as to what’s happening with your company.

There are plenty of ways to promote your tradeshow participation through social media, and do so in ways that are relevant, interesting and newsworthy. I’ve focused on just a few here, but maybe you’ve got ideas of your own. If you’ve successfully used social media on the show floor, tell me how it worked for you. Share your tips in the comments, call me, Charles Dugan, directly at American Image Displays, at (425) 556-9511, or you can also reach me by email at [email protected]. I’m always happy to help you with anything related to exhibits and exhibiting.

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