Why Trade Shows are Great Opportunities for Social Engagement
Trade shows have long served as a breeding ground for innovations and relationships. And while many brands and industries have spent decades perfecting their trade show strategies, social media is a relatively new addition to these strategies. As more companies continue to develop an active social presence, many are realizing that trade shows are great opportunities for social engagement. Here are a few reasons why.
1. It’s All About Traffic
Using social at trade shows can be a huge help in generating foot traffic to your booth. Hosting a tweetup or announcing on your social platforms that visitors to your booth can enter a drawing will help to draw a crowd. And once you shake hands with someone, you have the chance to start a real relationship, which leads to my second point.
2. It’s All About People
One of the biggest benefits of trade shows is the ability to connect one-on-one with people in the industry, and make real human connections. Nothing beats face-to-face interaction when you’re developing relationships. But when the trade show is over and everyone goes home, most business cards are lost or thrown away. That’s where social media lets brands continue to develop relationships in a meaningful way. Because regardless of the technologies involved, social media primarily is a people business, not a technology business.
3. It’s All About Leads
Getting the most out of your trade show presence requires an exceptional booth design as well as knowledgeable representatives on the ground. But even the most well-staffed booth during high volume periods might miss opportunities to capture leads. Advertise your social platforms at the booth to encourage people to look you up. Getting them to follow your tweets or Facebook page will generate additional opportunities to capture data and help your brand drive more people down the funnel.
4. It’s All About Awareness
Most trade shows have embraced social media to some degree, so a digital layer is becoming an expectation. Leverage the event hashtag to raise awareness about your presence, products and brand. The more socially active and engaging you are during the event will help you get a more sizeable social share of the event voice.
So make social engagement a priority of your next trade show. If you don’t have a digital agency and want some help, reach out to us. We’d be glad to help you see what a strong social presence can do for you.
