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Trade Show Preparation 101 for Manufacturers

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How planning produces results and return on investment

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Trade shows and industry conferences provide manufacturers with a platform to show prospects, customers, and industry media their entire line of products and services n a short amount of time. It is important as manufacturers to utilize this opportunity and use it to their advantage. Preparation, like most worthwhile endeavors, is key to increasing profitability and productivity during a trade show. At Felber PR & Marketing, we have years of trade show execution and experience. We’ve compiled the top 5 do’s for ultimate trade show success.

Choose the Right People to Work the Trade Show
Managing your company’s booth is a full-time, non-stop job. It is essential that your booth is never left unattended so bring at least 2 people to a trade show. Make sure whoever you assign to represent your brand at the trade show is outgoing and friendly. A smile can make a world of a difference and get people to come to your booth and ask questions.
Post Consistent Social Media Before and During the Trade Show
Take advantage of social media to boost your company awareness. Post “teaser” videos and photos before the trade show to let people know that you are attending. This will not only create awareness but also help get people interested in your products. During the show, use the event’s hashtag, as well as popular trending hashtags ,to gain more exposure. Need a primer on Hashtags? Click here. Also, this may seem self-explanatory but don’t forget to put your booth number in your posts! People need to be able to locate your booth.

Maintaining a Presence Both Online and Offline
It seems that every year, more and more trade shows in specific industry niches are back-to-back or during the same week. Because of this, some of your target audience may not be able to attend the trade show you’re in which you are exhibiting. It is crucial to create a social media presence that makes those who cannot attend the trade show feel like they are physically there because some of your target audience may be unable to come due to scheduling conflicts. Content from the show, such as pictures, videos, product demo videos, and slideshows should be made visible on social media or your company’s blog. If possible, take pictures with those who visit your booth, especially if they are media that cover your niche audience. Then post the pictures using the event’s hashtag, the person in the picture’s Twitter handle and an industry hashtag or two if you have room, to gain the utmost exposure possible.

Create a Visually Appealing Booth
The more visually appealing your booth is, the more attention and traffic you’ll get. It’s as simple as that. Your products should always be the focal point of your booth, so put them at the front at make sure they stand out. Utilize lighting and keep in mind the appropriate colors to showcase your products in the best way possible. If your company has received media coverage, show it off at your booth. This will allow for prospects and other media to see what you’ve accomplished and get a better understanding of your position in the industry. You can even offer reprints of prominent articles and case studies as show handouts. Consider technical or “white papers” as handouts as well to qualified prospects.

Post Event Follow Ups are Crucial
Trade show follow up is just as important as the actual execution of the trade show. Keep track of all business cards you’ve gotten and connect with these individuals on LinkedIn and Twitter. Just like any pre-show promotion to drive traffic, having a memory invoking reminder of their visit will separate your company for all those who never bother to follow up at all.
Consider repairing templates ahead of time for thank you messages to those you spoke with you. This will save you a lot of time in the long run. Use the template and add a personal touch to each message about what you spoke about to the individual you are writing. This will help for you to spark additional conversations with your target audience.
Trades shows can be very overwhelming but with proper short-term and long-term planning, you can see major results.

Download Your Free Trade Shows For Manufacturers eBook

These steps are easy to incorporate and allow you to manage prospects easier and sell you products with confidence because you are prepared.

If you would like to find out more about creating a trade show social media plan and optimizing your time a trade show, contact Rob Felber at Robfelber@felberpr.com or (330) 963-3664

8 Questions to Consider Before Posting on Social Media

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Before you hit the send button to post a status or send a tweet, are you sure your message is sound? It is easy to mindlessly send something on social media without thinking twice. All the dashboards and apps make posting simple, sometimes ‘too’ simple. Posting content or sharing on social media without consideration of guidelines necessary for utmost value and engagement from your prospects could hurt your company in the long run.

We’ve taken in account our own experience with social media content creation and management, as well as taken inspiration from Forbes Social Media Etiquette:12 Step Checklist and Social Media Marketing Checklist to create an 8 question social media checklist that every social media post should be evaluated upon.

The Social Media Checklist

  1. Is the message informative or interesting?
  2. Is the post, tweet, or update too wordy?
  3. Does the URL work?
  4. Did I use the right industry keywords, trends, and hashtags to maximize views?
  5. Have I posted too frequently today?
  6. Did I proofread and use spell check?
  7. Would I feel comfortable with anyone seeing this?
  8. Did I incorporate an image, video, infographic, etc?
  1. Is the message informative or interesting?

We’ve found that the most valuable social media content is either informative or interesting. Your goal is to create or share content that will get the target audience to like, share, or comment under your post. Companies that use social media as a tool to inform or entertain the audience are much more likely to engage with prospects. Engagement with your prospects is key for creating leads and sales down the line. To determine if your post is informative or interesting, here are some things to consider.

  • Is the content interesting enough for prospects to comment on or share?
  • Will others care about it or is it only me?
  • Is there added value for prospects reading this post?

2. Is it too wordy?

There’s been plenty of research on the perfect length for social media posts. Generally these lengths are ideal:

  • Twitter
    • 71 to 100 characters
  • Facebook
    • 40 to 55 characters – We’ve seen longer posts do well in certain situations but typically, stick to a shorter format. It will be refreshing to your prospects who are accustomed to being bombarded by long posts on Facebook.
  • Google+
    • 60 characters

We recommend these lengths because in most cases, the shorter and more concise the post, the more likely it is to be shared. This is especially important on Twitter because if you post a tweet of 100 or less characters, the person retweeting can also write their own input. Also, shorter lengths make your prospects more likely to read your posts when scrolling through their feed.

3. Does the URL work?

Always double check to make sure your link works. This is key, otherwise you will appear to your prospects like you are not detail oriented. Also, it is important to evaluate whether or not the link is appropriate for the message you are trying to send. Does it add value to your prospect? If not, don’t post it!

4. Did I use the right industry keywords, trends, and hashtags to maximize views?                                                          

In many ways this question must answer this: Things to keep in mind:

  • Is this post too ambiguous?
  • Will my prospects understand my message?
  • Am I using too many abbreviations in this post?
  • Am I utilizing current trends and industry keywords?
  • Am I using appropriate hashtags?
    • Using too many hashtags or irrelevant hashtags can make you sound like a teenager. It’s best to stick to using trends and industry terms.

5. Have I posted too frequently today?

Social media frequency and keeping a consistent social media presence is important for developing and maintaining relationships with prospects and customers. However, if you post too much, you can annoy your followers. The topic of the appropriate amount of your social media posts is highly researched and here are the findings:

  • Twitter
    • 3-5 times per day
  • Facebook
    • 2 times per day
  • LinkedIn
    • 1 time per day
  • Google+
    • 3 times per day
  • Pinterest
    • 5 times per day
  • Instagram
    • 1-2 times per day

6. Did I spell check and proofread?

It happens to all of us. You accidentally put “there” instead of “their” or forget a letter. This of course looks sloppy to your prospects so always spell check before posting.

A trick we do in our office is reading our social media content aloud before posting. Many times, your ears can pick up on things that your eyes cannot, so use them!

7. Would I feel comfortable with anyone seeing this?

This is a very important question to consider. Once you post something on social media, it’s there for life. A company’s sharing history can be searched and found easily. Also, screen shots can be taken of content immediately, so make sure you think before you post. Here are some questions to consider:

  • Could this post potentially offend someone?
  • Is this well thought out or am I writing this in the heat of the moment?
  • How would I feel seeing this post/tweet/update in a month, a 6 months, a year, etc?
  • Does the post/tweet/update I’m sending fit with the organization’s guidelines, brand and marketing strategy?

8. Did I incorporate an image, video, infographic, etc?

Visuals are the most important factor in social media, according to research by  Wishpond and Hubspot. If there is a way to incorporate images, videos, infographics in your posts, do it. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. Visuals are processed 60,000 x’s faster in the brain than text, meaning when your prospects are scrolling through social media, they are much more likely to interpret and retain the information provided in your visuals, than information in written messages.

  • Using images on your Tweets increase the likelihood to be retweeted by 150 %
  • Tweets with images get 89% more favorites than those without
  • Posts with images receive 94% page views than those without
  • Businesses who market with infographics grow in traffic an average of 12% more than those who don’t
  • Videos on landing pages increases average page conversion rates by 86%

Using a social media checklist is a great way to create awareness of what you are posting and how you are portraying your business. It is a easy step that can help you create a social media presence that is in line with the image you want to portray to your prospects and customers. Simply print out our 8 question checklist and review it when you’re about to post, tweet, or share.

For help with social media strategy and implementation, contact us at (330) 963-3664 or RobFelber@felberpr.com

 

Social Media to Drive B2B Sales

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Consumer brands have been using social media for years. Collecting likes, creating conversations, providing incentives, and creating contests to engage the customers with the brand. Meanwhile, B2B brands have not been as quick to join the social media bandwagon. In the B2B workplace, social media is just as important as it is with B2C. However, B2B social media comes with its own unique set of challenges. It must go beyond gaining more followers, getting likes, and engaging in simple conversations. It’s all about building lasting relationships.

  1. Create a stream of continuous social engagement.

The first step to a successful B2B social media campaign is getting over the idea that posting once or twice a week is engaging your target audience. It is important to maintain a stream of continuous engagement. One touch to your target audience will not suffice. It is essential to have a continuous conversation and nurture the prospective client through the sales cycle. This process cannot happen with one 90-day campaign. Instead, plot out a series of engagements throughout the calendar year. This gives your prospects time to get to know you and warm up to your business and the products you sell.

  1. Be where your buyer is.

When you consider creating a social media strategy, it is unwise to think about a single network like Facebook or LinkedIn. It is important to keep in mind that your prospects are everywhere, and your social media campaign should cater to that. No matter what social media platforms you use, the brand experience should be consistent. Also, going mobile is key.  People are browsing the internet, reading emails, and interacting on social media on their cell phones more frequently with every year. It is important that your campaign is not only mobile accessible, but appears and feels like it was made for mobile. Bad mobile experiences cause prospect drop out.

  1. Attract B2B prospects with B2B incentives.

Attracting B2B prospects is different than B2C prospects. Social campaigns during their inception were focused on the B2C market, and involved extensive giveaways and product deals. These of course don’t work well in the B2B environment. B2B environments are less transactional and take more time to cultivate.  Incentives or discounts allow for you to see results immediately, whereas in the B2B environment, the buy occurs later. This is because B2B’s typically are working on a more extensive and complex sales cycle, which requires a good amount of education to the potential buyer. By posting and sharing relevant and interesting content, you are building a sense of trust and reliability with your customer. Your customer will grow to respect you as a knowledgeable person in the field and will be more likely to make a sale down the line.

  1. Measurement and Return on Investment

Let’s face it: tracking is key. You track your calls, forms on your website, and your purchases. It is essential to track your social media efforts as well! That way, you can adjust according to how your target audience responds. In social media, it’s not about hits. It’s about conversions. Nothing happens until someone sells something. In our next addition, we will speak more in depth about the importance of utilizing analytics in your social media plan.

Social media campaigns are the best way of creating better-qualified leads in the B2B environment. By implementing a social media strategy, businesses can gather data on their prospects and current clients and tweak digital marketing efforts if necessary. This allows for B2B’s to adapt to what their customer base wants and needs. That way, B2B’s have the time necessary to cultivate lasting relationships with potential customers and conduct more sales down the line.