Whether your trade show booth is a 10 x 10 pop up, or an 80 x 80 double decker, the objectives of the exhibitor are the same:
- Represent your products and services in your booth while staying within budget
- Differentiate yourself from your competitors to attract attendees
- Manage leads and track product interest to help measure ROI
The process has always been the same–scan the badge, hand out a flyer, and hope that sales
follows up with a call when the leads are passed out a few weeks after
the show. As far as ROI, that was nearly impossible to measure!
Here are some facts about activity on the trade show floor:
- 70% of all literature handed out never leaves the trade show floor!
- Of the 30% that makes it off the floor and back to your customer, only 15% ever reaches the decision maker.
One way to achieve all of the aforementioned goals, while ensuring
that your message does not end up in the recycle bin, is by using a
Digital Document Library (DDL). A DDL is a web-based software
application designed to manage and deliver documents, videos, and other
collateral while capturing lead information at the same time. Here is
the basic rundown of how it works:
A series of electronic files (video, pdf, jpeg, mpeg, cad… it can be
any file type!) are loaded onto your DDL website, along with badge scanning software for your trade show.
A display device of some type is required in the booth. Attendees can
then pick and choose which of your offerings they are interested in,
and then the attendee will receive an email
instantly. As the exhibitor, you will receive a report showing not
only who stopped by the booth, but what products that attendee was
interested in specifically.
Here are a few of the multiple benefits to the exhibitor:
- The cost savings is immense. You are no longer paying for the cost of printed collateral, drayage, waste, and shipping. You also have extra square footage on the booth for displaying product that previously had to be reserved for storage of the extra literature.
- You are not limited in how many products you can market at a show. The document library system can handle hundreds of files, allowing you to display your entire product line, regardless of booth size.
- Most back end reporting systems for DDL programs allow you to not only see who had what documents sent to them, but also if those documents were opened, or forwarded. This positions you a step ahead in the follow up call after the show.
- Other features of the reporting systems include the ability sort show activity by document, as well as time and date. This allows you to see which of your products drew the most interest at the show, which marketing pieces were the strongest, and which times at the show had the most traffic in your booth.
The Digital Document Library is a great way to draw interest to your
booth, get more information on your products and services into the hands
of your customers, and get a quantifiable way to measure your return on
investment!
About the Author: Brian Lockie of
SmartSource Rentals is a 20-year veteran of the Audio Visual
Industry. His experience in systems design, coupled with a deep
understanding of the trade show and event industry, helps clients to
effectively express their vision, resulting in maximum exposure and
customer interaction.
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