Trade shows can be a real boost not only for finding
prospects but also for your overall visibility as an
organization. Before you go though, you need to be well
prepared.
Good prep means finding the right audiences, setting
realistic budgets, getting high-visibility booth space and
determining who and what will be in your booth.
Now is the time to think about using good public relations
tools to boost your visibility and build your business.
Here are a few items you may want to put on your to-do list:
1) Get the attendees roster in advance. Decide what
constitutes a qualified prospect. Make a list of all of the
companies you want to communicate with and assign each
person on your team a share of the targets to approach. Ask
show organizers, current customers and colleagues to make
introductions on the floor.
2) Cultivate press proactively: Get the press list a week
in advance if possible. Choose the top 10 reporters (start
with trade publications your prospects read most). If you
have news - or at least a product or service that is
newsworthy - call ahead and try to set up interviews. If
you have a news release or a factsheet, put a stack in the
press room - a fat press kit is not necessary.
3) The "Show Daily." Most big conferences distribute a
daily newspaper or newsletter to attendees. If you have
news, give the information to editors at least week ahead
of time so they can publish it on the day you make the
announcement. Show dailies usually are published on an
outsource basis by established industry magazine
publishers. Get to know the editor of the show daily and
you now have a good contact at one of your prime industry
publications.
4) Make your booth project professionalism and business.
Don't fall into a comfort zone of constantly chatting with
co-workers. Invite interest. Open your booth physically as
much as possible; make it easy for people to walk in
without feeling trapped. Once they step in, tell and show
them quickly what your product or service can do for them.
If you have a tangible product, get it into their hands as
soon as possible.
5) Take photos. Invite notables into your booth and snap
their pictures surrounded by you and your staff in logo
shirts with your booth in the background. These will play
well on your Web site with a descriptive caption.
6) Make follow-up with attendees a fast but formal project
for the team. Use contact information while it is fresh and
prospects are still interested. Prepare a short template
follow-up letter in advance and have it ready to mail-merge
with your list of new contacts as soon as you get back.
Send follow - up letters within seven days of the event.
7) Send a follow-up email to all registered reporters -
even those who did not attend the show. Call the ones you
made contact with, offer additional information and ask
whether they plan to write anything. Keep track of
potential articles so you will see them when they are
published.
8) If it's the right show, your competitors will be there.
Now is a good time to see them up close. It's not spying;
it's market research! Pick up their marketing materials
and listen to their pitch. Nothing wrong with that -- you
can be sure they'll be doing the same at your booth.
----------------------------------------------------
Robert Deigh is president of RDC Communication/PR and the
author of the ultimate PR guide "How Come No One Knows
About Us?" (WBusinessBooks, coming May 2008). To receive a
free preview chapter, titled "16 Ways to Come Up With Story
Ideas That Will Attract Press" go to
http://www.rdccommunication.com and sign up for his free
newsletter or contact rdeigh1@aol.com
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