At Aspen- and Fort Lauderdale-based public relations agency Durée & Company, we know what it takes to showcase your brand on the road. The D&Co Dynamos have over 20 years of experience in trade shows for various clients in many different industries ― from Miami to Aspen and anywhere in between.
As an effective component to any public relations strategy, trade shows and expos are a great way to garner exposure and press coverage. Event marketing can prove to be an effective lead- and revenue-generating method. Additionally, a great in-person experience with customers can help a brand stand apart from its competition.
Here’s the Dynamos’ run of show for a successful expo or tradeshow:
Before the Show:
- Be Selective ― Choose the right show or expo for your brand. Trade shows can be an ideal outlet to promote a brand and its products; however, you must choose one that aligns with your company’s goals and mission statement. Do you market to other businesses or directly to consumers? Do the research and see what events your competitors are participating in. Also, speak with businesses that participated in previous years to gather their insight and takeaways. All of these steps will help you determine the best event for your brand.
- Media Exposure ― Once confirmed as a participant, many expos will share a list of attending media. Reach out in advance to schedule interviews with key spokespeople from the brand and provide them with your booth number. This will ensure your brand gets in front of media attending the expo.
- Promote to Guests ― Let trade show guests and your consumers know you will be at the show by advertising your attendance through the trade show organizer’s guest list, your website, e-blasts and social media. Utilize teasers leading up to the event with a detailed map of the trade show so that attendees can easily find your booth. Try to schedule onsite meetings with customers, media and industry leaders ahead of the event. Create a branded hashtag to use during the event so that supporters can follow along in real time.
- Preparation ― Think of creative ways to make your brand and marketing materials shine. Ensure you have enough marketing materials including brochures, giveaways and business cards to hand out.
During the Event:
- Stand Out ― Attract attendees to your booth through a customized branded booth. This investment can go a long way. For smaller events and activations, some great vertical pop-up banners can help attract attention. Creative décor should always reflect your brand’s image.
- Experience ― Make sure your guests have a memorable experience while visiting your booth. Think outside of the box to create an experience they’ll never forget such as a photo booth for a fun “Instagramable” moment. You can even use props that reflect your brand. It’s also great to have a tangible, interactive component so that guests who visit your booth can test out the products and services you offer. By trying the product or service themselves, journalists and leads can gain real insight on what you can offer them.
- Staffing ― Ensure that those staffing the event are a good representation of your brand. Staff should be enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the company, its products and services and its competitors so they can engage with prospective consumers and media. Encourage those staffing the booth to interact and engage with guests, attain their contact information and qualify potential leads. Don’t forget to have a designated spokesperson from the brand onsite for potential media interviews.
- Lead Generation ― A contest or drawing, such as a business card drawing, is a great way to make sure you collect contact information. Ensure that the prize relates to your brand and appeals to customers, media and end users.
- Media Kit ― Have a digital media kit on a flash drive on hand to share with media who attend the expo. The media kit should contain press releases, bios, images and a factsheet. Making sure the journalist has everything they need will make it easier for them to feature your brand.
- Photography ― Hire a professional photographer to capture your participation at the expo, including important spokespeople from the brand, your booth set-up, presentations and more. This content can later be re-packaged for social media and e-newsletters. Also post photos during the event using your custom hashtag.
- Swag ― Give guests a cool branded item that they will use to bring home as a takeaway gift. Attendees love fun, branded items that are also useful.
Post Event:
- Lead Evaluation ― After the event, work with your team to evaluate the leads you attained. Categorize each of the leads to determine your follow-up strategy. Then follow-up with those leads and send a thank you to all of those who visited your booth and use that as an opportunity to share more information about your brand. It’s important to maintain a relationship with those leads to reach your business goals.
- Media Follow-Up ― Follow-up with media who attended the event to thank them for attending and share press assets such as images, captions, b-roll and the post-event press release. For the media who may not have been able to attend the event, reach out to them with the press assets and offer them an interview with a spokesperson from the brand to assist them in writing a story.
- Get Social ― Share key images from the event on your social media channels using your custom hashtag to showcase a visual experience of what took place.
- Blog About it ― Publishing a blog post after the trade show is another communication tactic you can use. You can share pictures, current testimonials and key takeaways from the event in the blog post.
Want to know more about the ins and outs of promoting your brand on the road? Check out our Dynamo Diary or Instagram for more insight and #behindthescenes on #PRlife!
About Durée & Company
Durée & Company, Inc. is an award-winning full-service public relations, marketing and special events firm with offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Aspen, Colorado. The firm serves the corporate, agency and nonprofit arenas for local, national and international clients focusing on public relations for real estate, public relations for restaurants, public relations for law firms, public relations for charities, public relations for healthcare, and many more. Durée & Company services include Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Special Events, and Radio Promotions and Outreach.
