Using Facebook To Enhance Your Trade Show Marketing Efforts
As our attending audience has evolved over the years, too, should our methods for marketing our business’ participation in any given event. By its very nature, trade shows of any type can be categorized as a “social event.” Today’s savvy marketers understand that, in order to maximize ROI, at these new, quality-over-quantity driven functions, it’s imperative to also include modern social methods found via the Internet. Placing a heavy focus on the personal interactions and relationships with clients and contacts through social media resources is the only way to truly optimize public engagement and ensure that your organization stands out from the competitive crowd.
At Skyline Exhibits, we’ve firmly established ourselves as, not only a leader for trade show design, fabrication and services, but also, for our innovative, educational programs as well. We tout a long and successful legacy of seminars, white papers and webinars that help our partners stay ahead of the trade show marketing curve (as well as the competition). Today, Skyline’s social media pages such as LinkedIn, Twitter and the like, are followed by thousands of marketers in every industry seeking guidance on how to best amplify their showroom presence and effectively engage with their consumer niche.
Skyline New York Uses Facebook To Connect With Marketers In Every Industry
Here at Skyline New York, we know that, of the many social media networks available, Facebook has proven to be one of the most potent trade show marketing resources. Why? Because Facebook connects marketers in every industry quickly with the consuming masses. Recent studies show that 42% of the U.S. population is on Facebook and, of that percentage, 47% say that Facebook has the greatest impact on purchasing behavior. As marketers we have to ask ourselves, “Can my company benefit from having a professional online presence with consumers about our trade show engagement using this social media outlet?” The answer is, most certainly, yes.
While the benefits of using Facebook as part of a trade show marketing initiative are extensive, it’s important to note that having a detailed strategy can help minimize wasted efforts and maximize success. At Skyline New York we recommend the following tips and pointers to yield the best results possible:
– Start off with one “inaugural event” to streamline your social media marketing efforts at first
– Create a measurable, tangible goal (number of likes, shares, new followers, etc.)
– Unveil an incentive that resonates with your audience for “checking-in” through Facebook at your exhibit the day of the event
– Advertise your incentive/contest heavily pre-show on Facebook to get the word out to potential attendees so they will want to visit your exhibit
– During the show, in addition to your services and products, have your Facebook “check-in” incentive be part of the dialog throughout the event
– Train your team to help manage incoming exhibit visitors who want to check-in during the trade show
– Post pictures on your business Facebook page throughout day showing visitors checking in to encourage more guests to stop by
As with any trade show marketing initiative, post-event results are key to determine success and weakness in your campaign. Calculate the number of new followers to determine how successful your initiative was as well as pinpoint areas that may need modification in future functions. Once the data has been compiled, it’s time to begin your professional relationship with all our new followers! Strategically and consistently engaging with your new Facebook fan base is the perfect way to connect, engage, inform and compel for long-term partnerships, leads and conversions.
By: Bob Watson –
