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Thinking Outside the Event: Social Media Strategies to Boost ROI

by Joyce McKee on July 13, 2009

This week we have the privilege of a wonderful guest blogger, Merrin Muxlow from Resource Nation.  She has contributed the following:

According to the Trade Show Exhibitors Association and BtoB online, trade show event budgets are taking a big hit due to the falling economy.  A survey of over 300 events marketers found that budgets for events (including trade shows) have been cut more than 17%- a significant percentage of respondents planned to exhibit at fewer shows, scale back exhibit costs, or forgo event marketing altogether in certain business categories.  Scaling back doesn’t have to be bad news- it can also force you to get creative.  Sometimes the best trade show marketing isn’t done at the event at all- by incorporating social media and online marketing strategies before and after the show, you can keep ROI high and sales close to pre-downturn levels.  Here’s how:

Use Social Networking Sites to Create Pre-Show Buzz

You’re obviously on Twitter, and have tons of information about your exhibit on your blog, right?  If not, get started today!  Run contests, tweet reminders, and blog about why your exhibit is going to be awesome- in short, generate your own buzz.

Even more powerful (and a less time consuming) is to let others generate buzz for you.  Contact popular industry bloggers and tell them about your company, your products, and your exhibit.  Remember, if it’s a popular site, they probably get similar pitches every day.  Send links to your product reviews, a current press release- anything that will make them want to visit your booth and write about it.

Keep the Momentum Going

Social media works incredibly well for promotion pre-show, but it can also be an effective follow-up tool after the show is over.  Here are a few creative ideas we’ve seen that keep the buzz going well after the show is over:

  • Take pictures at your booth and post them to photo sharing sites as well as your own (tweet that they’re posted, naturally).  This works especially well if you have an interactive product demonstration at your exhibit.
  • Record any presentations or demonstrations, and email the link to everyone who signed your exhibit guest book.
  • Have a monitor and keyboard on-site where visitors can go online.  Set the screen to your company Facebook page and encourage visitors to add themselves as friends.
  • Create a virtual event before the show.  Virtual event communities tend to remain engaged long after the actual event is over, and can even gather a following of their own.  You can create a virtual event using a social networking site, or enlist the help of a web designer for a larger, “flashier” online promotion.  Comic Con, the well-known comic/gaming conference in San Diego, has created an online community bigger than the event itself that began with- you guessed it- a Facebook page.

Social media and other forms of marketing are obviously no substitute for great trade show displays.  In a way, trade shows are the original social networking- you build contacts, brand awareness, and the all-powerful “buzz” that can take your business to the next level.  Trade shows are a popular marketing method because they’re fun- there’s no way to replicate the energy and excitement of the trade show floor in a virtual or printed medium.  What you can do is harness some of that energy- a strategy that’s the ultimate bargain: free.

Now stay tune, we will have the second part of her material in the next couple of days.

Here is a short bio of Merrin:

Merrin is a writer for Resource Nation, an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs.  She frequently contributes to several sites and programs that offer tools for business owners, including Dell and BizEquity.

Resource Nation connects businesses with local and national pre-screened vendors in over 100 categories from payroll services to web design.  The company provides tools to help start and grow your business and how-to guides for online business communities such as Entrepreneur.com, StartUpNation.com, and Ladies Who Launch.

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