Marketing Before and After a Trade Show

Attending and paricipating in a trade show without advance preparation is a waste of time and money. Pre-trade show marketing is critical to alert potential customers to your presence, your purpose, your business. Ask the show's organizers for a mailing list of attendees and send an announcement of your hours and your booth number, along with pertinent company and product information.

Better yet, devise a two-part promotion: Send out half of a prize in the initial announcement, and reward the clients with the second half of their prize when they stop in at your booth. It's a classic promotional gimmick — and it works.

Don't forget the press either. A strong press release will elicit media attention from your industry trade press — and it's also a useful way to contact clients and prospects. In fact, if you have the resources for only one pre-trade show marketing effort, a press release may be your most cost-effective option.

Post-trade show follow-up is also equally essential to making the most of your investment. As soon as you return from the show, send a letter to the entire pre-show mailing list. Then, send the qualified leads who were garnered at the show a more robust follow-up package, being careful not to duplicate the information available at the booth. Finally, there is no substitute for the old-fashioned telephone call. It's the most powerful post-trade show marketing follow-up, and you should call every lead contacted at the event.