Nothing is better than that after trade show glow; but wait just a minute, there is still more to be done post-show! Lead generation doesn’t stop on the show floor, hot leads will need a little TLC in order to get the best trade show ROI. Wanna know what to do after a trade show? Well, we’ve got some trade show tips for you!

What to Do After a Trade Show

Preemptively create follow up strat

Before your trade show season even starts it good to come up with a game plan for your after-show goals. When your large trade show booth gets you tons of leads, those leads will need to be contacted and this same task will happen every show. With the following tips, you’ll get to know what your game plan is, just be sure to customize it to fit your exact needs.

This is a great time to create your email template, look up trade show lead apps to help you organize your leads at a convention or even remember to bring a carrying case just for business cards. Knowing exactly what needs to be done after a trade show will help you process leads and ROIs faster and more effectively. 

Add trade show leads to CRM

Right after a show, you’ll want to get straight to all those business cards you collected. Get those contacts into a list as soon as possible because those trade show attendees will be a gold mine when you start to evaluate how your convention faired for you and your company. The sooner the better, because not everyone gave you a business card and you’ll need to remember them to put them down. Trust us, there is nothing more frustrating than trying to remember someone 2 weeks later!

Respond to leads

Responding to your leads should be top priority post-trade show. There are many factors to think about when creating your lead response emails, so here are a few trade show tips on how to get the most out of those emails:

• – Try to respond to you leads within one week of the convention. You want to make you catch them while they are still thinking about it so they won’t have forgotten you. 
• – It’s best not to use the same email you use for every show. Some leads may be at multiple shows you attend and they may come back again and again. Nothing looks more lazy and boring than seeing the same email in your inbox from the same company show after show. Establish that you care about your leads by making custom responses.
• – Nothing kills lead generation like a standard call to action. Get creative and be specific CTA. No one cares about a “Learn More” button when they’d rather it say exactly what they’ll be learning.
• – You may have heard the phrase, “It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.” No one wants to be told you can do this or you can do that, they want to see it in action. Using lead generation emails to show and not just tell, is a great way to capture qualified leads.
• – If you have the ability to personalize an email, personalize it. Nothing makes someone feel more special than the extra steps it takes to say “Hi Steve! Glad we got a chance to meet up!” This doesn’t mean you have to hand write every email, but most CRMs have the ability to insert personal touches, so experiment a little!

We also have a wonderful list of trade show email campaign tips for a more in-depth look at how to write great email campaigns. These tips help with both post-show email campaign and pre-show email campaign using leads you’ve generated from previous shows.

Identify qualified leads

After your leads have been recorded and emails have been sent out its time to start researching your qualified leads. This could be leads that instantly got back to you after your post trade show email or people you remember being exceptionally interested on the floor. You can even use this list to send the 2nd set of emails that are more personal, as suggested in the previous step.

Connect via social media

Once you’ve become familiar with your hottest leads, you should keep getting cozy professionally with them. And you can do that via connecting to them on social media. Not only will it help you retain leads, but it also helps generate new leads. If one person is interested in your services, someone else on their friend’s list may also find your services useful.

Long term follow up

Long term connections with your leads generate better ROIs, so figure out how best to follow up with them. Following them on social media can be helpful for leads your more personally attached too. However, if you have a ton of leads that may not be as possible. For long term follow up it can be personal and it can also mean keeping them connected.

Creating a monthly newsletter to keep your leads interested and to date on your services is a godsend for this. It can be as simple as an update on your company or more specific to which upcoming events you’ll be attending. Pulling people into caring about your brand long term keeps them coming back for more… and possibly bringing a friend.

Get referrals and feedback

Which brings us to our next tip, referrals, and feedback. Learning from your leads what did or didn’t work at your trade show booth is super helpful for having an effective trade show booth in the future. Many leads will love sharing their opinion and they may also appreciate that you cared.

In the process of asking for feedback, you can also ask for referrals. Leads that generate referrals are an amazing asset. Be sure to keep them close.

Create a blog post

Blog posts are a great way to tie up your experience on the show floor. Not only can you use them in newsletters to your CRM leads, but you can also use them as a great SEO tool. They also give you an opportunity to partner up with other industry experts you may have met at the convention.

Inform your sales team

Because you may start receiving questions or service requests, you’ll want to inform your sales reps as soon as possible. Letting them know how many of your goals were reached and who they can expect to hear from can allow them time to prep for their response. The more ready they are, the more likely they are to turn leads into a sale.

Measure your ROI

After all the post-show immediate demands are complete, you’ll want to see if your preshow goals were met. These results can be added to the blog post mentioned above as well. Using all the information you have gathered from the following tips can help you evaluate how to reach more goals in the future. It may also allow you to figure out ways to set your goals higher with better results.

Get a Great Booth to Grab Leads

Now that you know what to do after a trade show, it’s time to find a great trade show booth. You’ll need a booth that’s eye-catching enough to generate all those qualified leads. At Exhibit Pros, we’re proud to have the most creative and effective trade show booth rentals in Las Vegas. We understand how important it is to keep your costs low so that you can receive the best return on your investment. Get a free consultation today!