4 Reasons Every B2B Marketer Needs to Attend Trade Shows
A trade show is an investment in the future of your business. When you visit a trade show, you’re placing your products and business in front of potentially thousands of targeted leads, boosting awareness of your brand and even positioning yourself and your brand as an authority in your field.
(Credit: Exhibitor Online)
Boost your Brand Awareness
Whether you’re an established player with a fresh new look or line, a newbie or somewhere in between, debuting at a trade show helps boost your overall brand awareness and visibility. A trade show can help you transition from a local brand to a regional one — or a regional brand to a national one. By attending and presenting a clear brand identity and vision, you can help raise awareness of what you do and make it easier for your sales and marketing efforts to resonate with your audience as well.
Your Competitors Will be There
Whether you attend or not, some of your competitors are going to head to that industry trade show — and snag some prime prospects. If you all offer different products and services, your competition may not make much of a dent, but if you offer very similar services at similar price points, you need to make a personal connection.
The more your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is about personal service and customer service, the more critical it is for you to attend tradeshows and maintain a visible presence. Your competitor could easily take over a large share of your market, just by showing up and interacting with your shared target prospects.
Your Booth is a Potential Lead Magnet
Creating a welcoming and appealing booth and giving prospects a reason to visit can help you secure qualified leads for your sales team. Think of a trade show as a month-long event, not just a few days and consider all the leads your sales team can follow up on after the show as part of your ROI. Even if you do not close a lot of sales on the days you are physically present, the 2–3 weeks that follow offer valuable opportunities for your sales team and give them highly qualified leads to follow up on. Make the most of the show experience; capture and qualify leads for your team right on the spot.
Whether you just show up and exhibit, or take proactive steps to generate as many qualified leads as possible, the weeks following a trade show should show increased revenues and connections. Collecting leads via an offline lead capture makes it easy for your team to follow up after the show and ensures you enjoy the rewards of attending.
Expert Positioning
Your trade show experience can be about more than passively setting up a booth and waiting for visitors. By interacting with others in your field, appearing on panels or even leading a discussion, you can position yourself as an expert in your field. Being seen as an expert personally benefits your business as well and helps you present your own products and your thoughts on the industry with authority long after the show has ended.
There are many benefits associated with attending a trade show; to make the most of your next event, say no to fishbowls and proprietary badge scanners and choose the most reliable and innovative way to collect lead information for your team. Our trade show app solutions are designed to help you reap all the benefits of trade show attendance and ensure you get the best possible return on your trade show investment.
Originally published at QuickTapSurvey Blog.
