Many organizations already have fully integrated social media programs as part of their marketing mix; some do not -- but both can use social media to do effective pre- and onsite trade fair promotion.
Pre-show promotion
According to comScore’s World Metrix audience measurement service, the most popular social media sites in the UK (May 2009) are Facebook and Bebo, with Twitter and MySpace not far behind.
If you already have a robust social media program, then pre-trade fair promotion will be a relatively easy task for you. Simply provide the details about where your followers can find your trade fair exhibition stand during an upcoming show, and feed them information about any special product introductions or other promotions you’ll be doing during the exhibition.
If you do not current have an ongoing social media program, don’t worry – it’s easy to join the group! On Facebook you can create a Fan Page for your business and post photos of your exhibition stand and your products. Many trade fairs have their own pages on Facebook that you can add your comments to as well to encourage visitors to come see you. You can also use Facebook’s low-cost advertising option, search for groups using your industry keywords and promote directly to those users.
Promoting during the show
Since most attendees will have their smartphones with them on the show floor, you can promote your presence during the show through Facebook, Bebo and Twitter. Create messages that provide a powerful incentive for them to visit your exhibition stand – like an important new product introduction, speaker or celebrity appearance, or contest – and you can drive traffic every day of the exhibition.
Another way to increase trade show traffic is by having an exhibition stand that delivers an engaging marketing message – something you can obtain easily by contacting Discount Displays on 0844 800 1020 or by visiting our website.
