You invested thousands of dollars into your trade show booth, tickets, giveaways, and travel. You spent hours on the trade show floor networking and handing out business cards. And now you’re home. But what are you doing to capitalize on your trade show experience?
We attended the Flexographic Technical Association’s (FTA) Forum & INFOFLEX event last week in New Orleans, and rather than sitting back and taking a breather after that whirl-wind of a show (we promise we’ll do that later), we are building lists, following up with contacts, and continuing every conversation we started while at the trade show, because we know that it’s the 1-2 weeks after an event that matter most.
Here’s our go-to strategy for how to follow up after a trade show:
- Organize your contact info. Your notes from the event are still fresh in your mind, so be sure to transcribe not only all those email addresses and phone numbers, but also add any additional notes to your CRM so that when you speak with that lead next, you can remember pertinent information. It makes every conversation that much more successful. Even minor details, like what that particular contact was eating at the after hours event, might prove helpful in future business meetings.
- Connect with every lead, on every platform. Every single contact you made at the event is meaningful, so make that known by connecting with folks with a quick email or a LinkedIn invitation. We like to build social media connections both with our personal contacts, as well as with the brands. If your marketing team controls your social media accounts, make sure they’re using those channels to connect with your prospects and leads.
- Build a strategy to continue the conversation. Make sure that your brand is taking advantage of other touchpoints to connect with your new leads. Not sure how to do this? Connect with us and we’ll talk about how to utilize automated marketing to build brand awareness.
The first couple of weeks after a trade show are the most important, as your name, face, and brand are still fresh in your new contacts’ minds. So take advantage of this and be sure to nurture those leads and continue those conversations!
