In the competitive landscape of business-to-business (B2B) industries, attracting potential clients to your exhibition stand is no simple feat. That’s where B2B exhibition marketing comes into play as a dynamic and effective strategy that leverages various interactions to showcase your brand, products, and services.
But what exactly is B2B exhibition marketing, and why should it be a central focus for companies aiming to amplify their presence in the market? In this article, we’ll dive into the fundamentals, explore the various forms of exhibition marketing, and unpack why investing in this strategy can deliver unparalleled value to your business.
Let’s explore what exhibition marketing is and how it can transform how you connect, engage, and grow at your next trade show.
Exhibition Marketing Fundamentals
Simply put, exhibition marketing refers to the strategies and tactics companies use to promote their presence and offerings at trade shows. With B2B exhibitions becoming ever more competitive, more companies are seeing success by investing in exhibition marketing, which can boost their return on investment (ROI). It’s all about informing as many potential customers and clients as possible that you’ll be present and ready to talk business on the bustling trade show floor.
Exhibition Marketing Strategy
Nowadays, many successful exhibitors work with an exhibition marketing strategy; this is a detailed guide describing how the company will go about marketing its trade show participation. Remember that the entire show marketing process involves at least five steps:
- Pre-show promotion: This entails online and offline activities that create a social buzz around your participation in the event. It’s all about getting the news out there to the public.
- Booth design and setup: An eye-catching and engaging booth effectively showcases your products or services; they’re crucial for attracting attendees.
- On-site engagement: Exhibitors require trained staff who can interact effectively with visitors, answer questions, and conduct product demonstrations.
- Lead generation: Collecting contact information from interested attendees is necessary for follow-ups. Without them, you’ll struggle to close sales down the line.
- Post-show follow-up: After the event, exhibitors should promptly contact the leads they generated, sending thank-you notes and additional information about their offerings.
When it comes to pre-show promotion, exhibition marketing strategies focus on the different channels where you’ll concentrate your marketing efforts. There are multiple online and offline channels to work with, with different advantages and disadvantages associated with each. All of them are useful in some capacity for raising awareness about your exhibition stall, so you’ll need to choose carefully.
Online Exhibition Marketing: A True Gamechanger
With the rise of the internet, the newest and most attractive marketing channels for modern exhibition events are those in the digital realm. From social media giants like LinkedIn and Instagram to classic email marketing, there are a whole bunch of different platforms available to digitally increase brand awareness.
Here are some of the main digital channels and platforms commonly used for exhibition marketing today:
- Social Media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) campaigns and ads
- Google Search ads
- YouTube ads and promotions
- Email marketing
- Mobile or SMS marketing
- Audio and podcast marketing
While some digital marketing channels are free, this isn’t always the case. Though it may cost nothing to promote your event participation organically on social media, anything more usually comes at some cost. For instance, Google Search ads are paid for directly by the business while email marketing often requires paid CRM (customer relationship management) software.
Still, with human interaction happening through increasingly digital formats, online event marketing shouldn’t be ignored. About 70% of your pre-show exhibition marketing should take place through digital platforms for an ideal result.
Don’t forget that certain trade shows also have lists of pre-registered visitors available, which you can sometimes have access to. Emailing or messaging these guests beforehand helps drive their interest in your participation.
Social Media Marketing Simplified
Social media pre-show marketing is now a valuable asset for many B2B companies looking to make their mark at trade show events. Besides the low operating costs and barriers to entry, social media marketing also offers the most room for creativity. Hashtag campaigns for your event and “behind the scenes” videos or reels deliver high engagement rates and aren’t too difficult or time-consuming to produce.
To make the most of your social media campaigns, it’s best to do some research and see which apps your target audience spends most of their time on. Target these apps specifically, and always be aware of some of the latest trends that you can incorporate into your posts. Lastly, make sure you start campaigning at least a month or two before exhibition day to start generating hype and getting the message out there!
Email Marketing Simplified
It’s very easy to get this one wrong. Promotional emails featuring bland, lengthy, and rehashed text turn potential clients away more than anything else. With only a few minutes to spare, most email recipients react better to shorter descriptions that get to the point without forcing them into buying something. Concise, original, and informative emails go much further when trying to attract visitors to your exhibition stand.
Offline Exhibition Marketing: Tried And Tested
Before the advent of the internet, marketing activities were very different. With no social media campaigns or targeted ads to rely on, exhibition marketing strategies pursued offline channels to spread trade show news and updates. While some exhibitors have chosen to leave offline platforms behind, many others continue with these channels and find success doing so.
Some common offline event marketing platforms and channels include:
- Radio advertising
- Print (newspapers, magazines, billboards, brochures)
- Word of mouth
- Television advertising
- Posted invitations
- Phone calls to valuable clients
Ultimately, most exhibitors tend to find success supplementing their online channels with traditional ones. Generally, it is a safe bet to reserve 30% of your pre-show marketing efforts for offline channels; you may tweak these numbers slightly depending on your industry and exhibition goals. It’s all about finding a balance between reaching more people and ensuring the right people receive the message.
Keep in mind, however, that offline marketing differs in execution from online formats. People need to see or hear something multiple times before they can remember it later, so running your traditional marketing campaigns for slightly longer periods may be a wise decision.
Targeting The Right Buyers In Channels That Work For Them
With so many options and costs involved, it’s no wonder so many companies stumble when devising an event marketing strategy for their exhibitions. Fortunately, there is a way to make this process simple and cost-effective, while attracting existing and potential customers on the trade show floor.
Rather than spending an exorbitant sum trying to cover all your bases, focus instead on your target audience directly. Who are the buyers you are going after, and which digital channels do they use? Market research plays an enormous role here; trying to develop a marketing strategy without knowing which platforms your audience uses is a recipe for disaster.
By focusing your marketing strategy in a specific, platform-oriented direction, you can rest soundly knowing every cent you pay goes toward attracting more potential leads from your ideal audience. In doing so, you’ll maximize your ROI and gain more business in the long run.
Event Marketing: Your Path To Stronger Sales
It all starts with an exhibition marketing strategy. With clear objectives set for your next event, running a blended marketing campaign will drive attendees to your stand in droves on exhibition day; this will win you business and boost your overall ROI. Many companies still ignore or downplay pre-show marketing in the realm of B2B exhibitions, which is all the more reason for you to start today.
With decades of experience in the exhibition industry, Booth Exhibits™ is an exhibition stand builder dedicated to helping clients simplify the complexities of exhibiting. Through our expertise, we aim to make exhibition marketing not just manageable, but a game-changing element of your overall strategy. Contact us today; we’d love to hear from you!
