Trade shows can be an integral aspect of a company’s marketing plan, as they are great for sales and lead generation, networking, customer engagement, sales conversion, and brand expansion. However, to harness these benefits, companies need to follow up on their leads after the event. The end of the trade show shouldn’t be the end of the communication.

The Benefits of Following Up

Following up after a trade show can build stronger relationships with leads from the show, offer an opportunity to track the performance of the trade show, and generate a higher return on investment (ROI) by increasing the chances of closing on leads. In addition, the onus to make a sale falls on the company presenting at the trade show, not the attendees. Companies who don’t reach out to their trade show leads at all have to rely on the lead to contact them, which is not a strong sales strategy.

Organizing a Trade Show Follow-up

After planning the trade show exhibit design, staff training, and brand promotion, companies need to plan a campaign to contact their leads. Some important considerations in a trade show follow-up include the following:

• Organizing data: Work as a team to clean up the data and identify different leads.
• Designing a follow-up plan: Strategize on how to initiate a conversation with potential leads after the show, whether it’s through email, phone calls, or face-to-face meetings.
• Sorting leads according to the level of promise: Evaluate the worth of every lead and divide them into categories. Identify cold and warm leads to streamline the follow-up process.
• Personalizing the follow-up: Use customer insight collected at the booth, including their name, to personalize the follow-up message.
• Refreshing the leads’ memory: Use photos of the trade show booth in the email to refresh the lead’s memory.
• Adhering to a follow-up calendar: Avoid overdoing the follow-up communication, as this might turn off promising leads.
• Tracking the follow-up process for all leads: Input all of the relevant data to track which follow-up practice was most successful.

Time is of the essence when following up on leads after a trade show. Companies should create rapport with leads while the conversation from the trade show is still fresh in their minds.

Contact CX Exhibits for an Eye-Catching Trade Show Exhibit

Before organizing your follow-up campaign, you need to attract leads at the trade show. To leverage the immense potential of trade shows and exhibitions, you need to do it right. CX Exhibits can help your company design the perfect exhibit rental. We service all major American convention cities. Contact us today to make your next trade show a success.