24 Feb 14 Tactics to Drive More Attendees to Exhibition Booths Part 2
Continued…Part 1
- Customer Service
Another powerful way to leverage on exhibitions’ weaknesses is to fill in their gaps.
Very few exhibitions are dedicated to provide customer service over social media. I believe this is a fantastic opportunity to help attendees at the event.
Practical information about the show floor, wifi, services, education program are just few ideas to get you’re tweeting on and get your brand recognized over social media.
It is your shortcut to amplification, reach and differentiation from the ‘come and visit us’.
- Buy Premium Ads on Event Mobile App
If you read the Event App Bible, you know by now that premium sponsor opportunities are increasingly recurring features in event mobile apps.
With growing adoption of event mobile apps, this is a great way to secure precious advertising real estate in a very relevant and timely fashion.
Once again the message of that advertising placement needs to be carefully considered. A weak or merely promotional message will not add a lot of value.
- Product Sample
Giving away a little bit of your product or service is one of the most adopted exhibition tactics.
After all meeting your customers in person is a unique opportunity to get them to touch and feel your product.
This is a great incentive to drive more people to your stand that is completely in line with your product or brand.
- Product Launch
Exhibitions are a fantastic opportunity to make announcements or launch products. We all agree that one of the top reasons why we attend such events is to learn what’s new in an industry.
Giving the insider scoop may well be a great way to capture the attention of the otherwise bored prospect.
- Build Momentum Pre-Event
Most of the times exhibitions are opportunities to gain new customers. Yet most companies ignore the potential of engaging with existing clients.
Few realize that engaging correctly with your existing audience before the event is the best way to secure an army of advocates on the show floor.
Make sure your customers know that you will be there and what your activities will be. It will be easier for them during the show to recognize and amplify your message.
- Ask Questions
Another way to leverage social media is to engage with the exhibition audience online via questions or polls.
The experience of walking through the show puts us in a quite passive role having to listen to pitches, collect bulky brochures and meaningless goodies.
Involving the event audience to actually give their opinion is a unique opportunity to soothe their frustration and get them to express themselves.
- Check in For the Win
Check ins are increasingly influential in the decisions we make when exploring a new environment. If you check in on Foursquare at the exhibition you will immediately recognize those companies that have been active on that channel.
They probably incentivized check ins at the stand, they left tips and created smart to-do lists.
On top of that several event mobile apps allow check ins therefore incentivizing them (by means of competitions, charity or discounts) is a smart tactic to increase our exposure.
In Conclusion
Driving attendees to exhibition stands is not an easy one. It requires creativity, smart communication and tech awareness.
The tactics described in this article will surely be helpful for those event professionals willing to help their exhibitors.
Now time to go and share the post with the world, you’ll be thanked for that.