For e-commerce businesses, trade shows provide a huge opportunity to reach out to prospects, promote their products and services, and make some sales. These events not only help you generate leads and meet potential customers face-to-face but also give you a chance to conduct market research, which is essential to create your strategies to stand out.
In today’s post, we put together some essential tips for taking advantage of your upcoming trade shows and using them to improve your e-commerce business.
Make a Strategy in Advance
To be successful at a trade show it’s necessary to have a solid strategy mapped out in advance. The strategy should include everything, from your budget, target audience, visitor segmentation, marketing and promotion, to the tactics you will apply during and after the show to generate leads. Without a proper strategy, you risk having a poorly executed trade show, even if you made a considerable investment.
First of all, research the events you want to attend. There are several trade shows for e-commerce businesses, you should only focus on those that are relevant and suitable for your brand and business goals. Before making your selection, make sure to get feedback from previous delegates, attendees and businesses regarding the event and its organizers.
You should also plan your offline and online marketing strategies in advance. Create specific landing pages for the trade show and email campaigns to collect leads. You should also have a solid strategy for using social media platforms at different stages of the event to increase your brand visibility and enhance your business presence. Learn more about how to use social media to make your trade show event a success.
Another vital thing that contributes to drawing visitors is your trade show displays. Whether it’s your booth, banners or presentations, get help from a professional designing and printing service to stand out from your competitors at the trade show.
Showcase Your Products
Select your products wisely to display them at the trade show. Choose products that you have promoted in your landing pages, email and social media campaigns, or website. Also, make sure that the products are displayed in a very attractive way at your trade show booth so that they create an excellent impression on the visitors. Present them in the best possible way to emphasize their superior quality and how they’re different from similar products in the market. It’s a good idea to provide your visitors a hands-on experience of your products through demonstrations.
Giveaway Product Samples
Giveaways are an excellent way to let your prospects know about your products. Design contests for qualified leads and give away your product samples as prizes or discount coupons that they can redeem at your website. This will make the prospects remember your product for a longer time and you can expect this to drive better sales after the event.
Follow Up on Leads after the Show
After the trade show, it’s crucial to follow up qualified leads. Depending on the contact details that you collect during the show, call over the phone or send an email to each qualified lead. Thank them for visiting your booth and talk about the products they’ve shown interest in to boost sales. Respond to post-show queries that you may receive from prospects as soon as possible. This will help to create a positive image for your business by showing that you care about customer service.
One of the most important things that e-commerce businesses should remember when attending trade shows is that the products you display at the event should match the ones you display on your website and promotional materials. Keep these suggestions in mind and make the most of the event to maximize ROI.
