10 Lead Generating Tips for Events and Tradeshows

Events are a big part of most integrated marketing campaigns. With budgets being tightened and Management demanding measurable ROI, B2B Marketers must employ lead generating tactics that deliver increased results at every event. Below are ten tips to consider when building an integrated event based marketing campaign.

1. Secure your booth space early. Oftentimes booth location is assigned based on when you purchased your booth space. Even at a tradeshow, the old adage is true "it's all about location, location, location." A couple of questions to keep in mind when choosing your booth location: Do you have any partners at the show? Where is food being served? Where is the bathroom? Knowing your location can help you start to create your integrated theme and event campaign.
   
   
2. Build out a theme. Whether understated or overt, having a theme gives you a focus for all of your other marketing initiatives. Tie all pre and post show communication to the theme as well as any giveaways. With a cohesive marketing mix, booth visitors will be more likely to remember their visit. The best themes are those that tie into your overall branding and messaging. Having a Hawaiian theme just because you are giving away 2 tickets to Maui won't help prospects remember your products or services.
   
   
3. Start generating traffic before the show. Send preshow emails and/or direct mail to drive visitors to your booth. Don't have a list of show attendees? Email contacts in your database that are likely to attend. Start by inviting prospects in the area. Do anything and everything to let people know you will be there. Send out a press release, announce it on your website, twitter about it and include it on your company blog. Be sure to include your booth number and announce any giveaways.
   
   
4. Leverage your current customers. Engage with current customers that will be at the show, ask them to act as brand ambassadors for you. Give them something to wear like a t-shirt or button so attendees know they are your customers. Most importantly, don't forget to thank your customers. Cocktail parties, dinner or a gift at the show are a few ideas.
   
   
5. Set specific goals and communicate them to the whole team. Be sure to set goals and stretch goals ahead of the event and develop a plan to reach them. If possible, set individual goals as well as company goals for the event. Entice booth team members to excel by offering rewards. For example, give $100 cash to the team member who scans the most visitors or gives the most demos.
   
   
6. Be Different. There are lots of ways to stand out at a show. Create a wacky theme. Sponsor a dinner. Throw a party. Create ways to link visitors with partners and vice versa. Have the best give-away. Bring a live animal (just ask MessageOne how well that works).
   
   
7. Integrate social media and word of mouth campaigns. With the new world of social media, the possibilities are endless. Here are just a few ideas:
   • Do something, anything, that gets people talking and then empower them to do so.
   • Let attendees sign up for twitter at your booth and send them updates throughout the show.
   • Have your give-away be something people can wear. I heard of a group that gave away cowboy hats. Everyone wore them on the show floor and drove traffic back to the booth.
   • This is another opportunity to leverage any current customers at the show.
   
   
8. Follow-up with booth visitors after the show. Send all hot leads to sales for immediate personal follow-up. Send a thank you for visiting our booth email to the rest and put into a nurture cycle.
   
   
9. Discover and reach out to the right buyers in the right companies. Some visitors will be from the right company but in the wrong buying role for your product or service. Send those 'right' companies through a contact discovery process and laser target the right messages to the right contacts. See ReachForce Capture.
   
   
10. Measure your success. Did you meet all of your goals? How many meetings were set with prospects from the event? Track the leads gathered at the trade show as they move through the pipeline. If the show doesn't pay for itself in revenue generated, consider why the show is still on your roster of events.