Social Media Tips to Create Buzz at Your Next Trade Show

Social media marketing should already be a big part of your marketing plan for your trade show. If it is not, it is definitely time to start incorporating it into your regular trade show routine. Here are some infographic tips to help you prepare for social media at trade show with some tactics and ideas to be executed both before and during the trade show or exhibition event.

Ideas for Trade Show Promotional Gifts

Giving away branded gifts or promotional products is still an important strategy for trade show vendors. Tie in your promotional product giveaways into social media to help add to the marketing and tie everything together. The 5 main goals for your take away should be:

1. Increase your brand. It has been proven that promotional products that are useful to recipients are kept and aide in brand recognition and the likelihood of continuing doing business with your company.
2. Create buzz. Fun promotional products that recipients show off to others can easily create buzz for your booth.
3. Drive foot and digital traffic to your booth. Everyone likes to get something for free. Make your promotional product worth coming over to your booth for. Choose something unique, make it useful, and relevant to your brand.
4. Make connections that go well beyond the trade show. When your target customers keep the promotional product, your impact lasts beyond that initial booth visit. Be sure not to just give away the giveaways though, ask for their contact information, business card, phone number, or email.
5. Promote special offers. Utilise the promotional product you choose to highlight your special offer and something unique about your brand that sets you apart from the other competition at the trade show.

Blogging for Trade Shows:

1. Start blogging prior to the trade show. Lay the ground work for the information you want to communicate at the trade show. A preshow blog should be posted on all other social platforms.
2. Blog from the show. Write a daily summary, post photos and highlights each day of the trade show. Be sure to share your blog post on all other social channels.
3. Get blogger reviews. Ask bloggers attending the show to review your product and promote it on their blogs.

LinkedIn for Trade Shows:

1. Follow and engage in trade groups. This, like much of LinkedIn interactions can and should be done ahead of time. However, you can still post to groups and to your LinkedIn business page while at the show.
2. Connect with people who will be going to the show ahead of time. Send personal emails and invite your customers and potential target customers to the show well in advance to give them time to plan.
3. Look for business connections with other attendees. While at the show, see if you can find others you are connected with on LinkedIn that are attending and then link up in person.

Get “OnBoard” with Pinterest:

1. Create a show board. Invite other pinners to pin to that board.
2. Engage with other Pinners attending the trade show. Like and share pins from others attending the trade show.
3. Pin your products. Highlight visual images of your products, ideas, or people using your products by pinning pictures of that to Pinterest.

Facebook Marketing for Trade Shows:

1. Promote the tradeshow on your company page. Let your customers know that you are attending and invite them to attend too.
2. Follow the tradeshow’s Facebook page. This gives you an opportunity to reach out to other potential new customers already attending or familiar with the trade show.
3. Post questions regarding the show. This will help engagement and set you apart as an authority in your industry.
4. Connect with trade show attendees. Invite attendees to like your page, join Facebook groups related to your industry. Just be cautious about overselling on Facebook where the atmosphere is less business-like and Facebook users are less likely to be receptive to sales techniques.

Trade Show Tweeting Tips:

1. Connect with the trade show hashtag (#). You should actually use the hashtag in all of your social media, not only Twitter.
2. Join Tweet Chats relating to the show. Monitor Twitter for related tweets and chats.
3. Publicize your Booth Number. Invite people to ReTweet you and put your booth number in all your social media communications, not just Twitter.
4. Follow other exhibitors and start conversations. Networking is the mark of a great social campaign. Explore networking and co-op opportunities with other vendors, attendees, and even local businesses in the host city of the trade show.
5. Follow the show’s organizer(s) and RT their show posts. Having a trade show with its own large social presence is a big bonus. Piggyback off of the show’s social media and create your own buzz.

Summary:

Make sure to utilise a hashtag for the trade show and make it unique to your brand by adding initials. Use the hashtag in all posts on all channels. Remember that the key is to be social, not too sales forward. Let the engagement and social aspects of the medium propel your brand for you.