It is said that 73 per cent of all leads that are generated at a tradeshow are never followed. WOW! What a waste of money!
Attracting people to a booth is usually not the problem. There are thousands of edible and visual enticing things to which people can be drawn. By attracting people who are looking for something free, you are not able to effectively identify, engage and nurture those high quality leads. These types of problems are all too familiar to event solutions companies who coordinate tradeshows, conventions and conferences.
The key is to find the highest quality leads, spend quality time growing the relationship and building a rapport with them. The core mistake that companies make is giving away things that can easily be obtained. If a company or brand wants to build and attract top-notch leads, they must provide a unique experience that promotes their brand.
Here are four secrets for attracting quality leads:
- Do something that’s unique, that can attract the right type of lead. Take something common and change the medium. This could be something as easy as taking a game that is an application and applying it to a 70” big screen, or identify “what’s hot” right now in popular culture and doing a creative twist on it.
- Have qualifying questions ready to go, to identify a strong lead. The quicker you can identify a real lead, the stronger your leads will be. For example, instead of saying, “Hi, my name is Andy” as my greeting, I might say, “Hi my name is Andy, does your organization outsource their meeting planning capabilities?”
- Have another team member focus on the “time suckers” who are not good leads and pass them off to them quickly. Focus your efforts on qualified leads. After the program, make sure you are keeping track of the top-tier leads, and make time to touch base with them directly after the show! Be sure you have time to have immediate follow-ups so the next step can occur in the sales funnel. Don’t wait weeks to follow up with a strong lead.
- Remember to make the experience memorable and don’t be afraid to ask the attendee to talk, Tweet or Facebook about their interaction with you. You are spending a lot of marketing dollars on your convention strategy, and it is critical to make it a success. Social media and “tradeshow chatter” can elongate your tradeshow strategy.
Most of all have fun. Tradeshows, congresses and conventions take a lot of time and effort and cause us to be away from our families and our core business. Initiate a strategy that is fun for you, and your mindset will be in the right place to have a successful outcome at your next event. You should always think of “outside the box” ways of attracting people to your booth, while also keeping in mind that you are trying to bring in quality leads.
