More than ever, we’re adapting to a world that’s a lot more dependent on virtual experiences and to some extent, it’s probably going to stay that way. What does that mean for all those trade shows you’ve been counting on to connect with prospective customers? Well, fortunately, those aren’t going away completely. Because while we’ll still have some traditional trade shows, a new avenue has opened up: Virtual Trade Shows.
The beauty of a virtual trade show is that the attendee can still “visit” your virtual booth, have a conversation with a representative from your company, hear a number of speakers and more. All of the major components of a trade show are there. That is, except for one huge thing that’s missing from the virtual world: The swag.
How are you supposed to equip a prospect with memorable promotional products, support materials and other physical pieces if you literally can’t be in front of them? We’ve got several great ideas to maximize your offline presence to bring even more charm to the online one at your virtual trade show.
1) Take It Personally
Sending a physical invitation that is mailed to the attendee weeks in advance is one thing. Personalizing that invitation is another. Imagine them receiving a large piece in the mail that has some of their information on it along with a full rundown of the day’s events or “speakers we think you’ll love,” along with how to find your virtual booth that day. Will you be unveiling a special product, service or technology to make its worldwide premiere that day? Give their invite the “VIP” treatment that gives them advanced notice of the Big Reveal and prizes they could win for coming by to see a demo.
Ontrack Workflow can ensure your invitations are fully personalized with your branding so that you won’t have to worry about finding the right colors, fonts and so on. Just identify the attendees you’re sending it to, use Ontrack Workflow to personalize it and you’ve got a branded invitation – one that can be easily accessed by different reps attending different virtual trade shows with very little modification. And that comes in handy when the clock is ticking to get your invites out the door with enough time to spare.
2) Swag That Stands Out From The Bag
If there’s one thing that’s tricky about traditional trade shows, it’s that you can get a lot of your booth materials thrown in a bag with all the other pieces from other vendors. It’s not likely they’ll take that piece back out of the bag for hours after the show. The plus here is that you can take advantage of directly mailing powerful show support materials to the attendee in advance and don’t have to compete with other vendors for their attention at that moment.
But let’s not limit this to pre-show warm-up. Let’s talk about how you’re going to generate excitement and participation the day of. How? How about a game card mailed ahead of time that instructs the attendee to hold onto this card and stop by your booth at a particular time during the show to potentially have their name drawn to win one of your prizes. But…they’ve got to be present to claim it!
As you attend different virtual trade shows, Ontrack Workflow can help you track how the various marketing assets are being used and which ones have resonated most to move the prospect along toward becoming a customer.
3) Remember The Show After The Show
So many people put all of their energy into the virtual trade show and treat it like it’s the “finish line.” Don’t make that mistake. Think about a series of post-show touches that bring value with each message, such as an invite into a new program, promoting a webinar series or a special introductory trial offer.
It’s OK to do these messages as email components, but you may want to consider a mailer that arrives at the show attendee’s doorstep only a week or two after the show. With those recipients sufficiently familiarized with your brand, one of your sales reps can then seize the window of opportunity to introduce themselves and learn more about each person’s present challenges to qualify them further.
Utilizing Ontrack Workflow to store mailers or postcards that work as a series to the prospect can definitely set the table for a well-timed phone call. Your sales reps can select the pre-branded assets, slightly customized as needed for the target and never have to worry about maintaining brand consistency.
Want to hear more ideas like this and see how Ontrack can be one of the smartest moves to preserve your brand integrity before, during and after a virtual trade show? Talk to us today at (888) 833-5907 to receive a free personalized demonstration of Ontrack.
