Thursday, March 28, 2013

Now What - You Just Survived a Business Expo? My Five Tips For After Business Expo Success

Expo and tradeshow season is upon us. However, many business owners do not know what to do after the expo is over. So, before you pack up your display items and wait for the phone to ring with new orders you need to do five things.

1. Review photos of your booth. Make time to self reflect. Look at photos of your booth with a fresh eye or ask a friend to provide you feedback. Where people able to see your business name? Was your business name viewable from various directions? Was your business name too small? Sign displayed to low? Did people know and understand what you were selling or what service you provide? What was your purpose of being at the expo? Did your table display work for you? Did you get the traffic you wanted to your booth? If no, why do you think you didn't? Did you sit behind your table or were you standing and out front of your table display? Did you actively engage the crowd or were you shy?

2. Inventory your supplies. Business owners will want to take an inventory of what marketing materials they need to reorder. Did you run out of business cards or brochures? What promotional or marketing item was untouched? Do not place an order in such a large quantity that you may not give the items away before they become obsolete i.e. calendars or candy. Don't wait until the day before your next event to order new marketing or expo supplies. You will save money by doing it now and not needing to pay for rush shipping.

3. Follow up with your leads. If your mission was to capture leads you will want to take time to follow up. It is highly recommended that you do so immediately after the event before your competitors get to the lead first. Also, follow up with the same theme as the event. If it was a pirate theme use a pirate them in your follow up email or written correspondence so that the lead remembers where and when they provided you their information. Next time you may want to already have your follow up letter prepared so when you get home exhausted the task is less daunting.

4. Evaluate your Return on Investment (ROI). Tradeshows and expos are not a good return on investment (ROI) for everyone. When you are reviewing what worked or didn't you will want to also consider your personality. If you are shy or timid maybe this is not the place to spend your money. Business expos and tradeshows are not for the timid. They require stepping out and talking with the attendees. Also, take time to focus on the ROI of your marketing materials. Where they worth the expense? Did they bring you paying leads? Or where they just free goodies for the adults that used the expo as a grown up trick or treat event?

5. Celebrate. Celebrate that you survived another Business Expo.

Business expos and tradeshows are a part of many business owners' grassroots marketing efforts. When you follow my five tips by reviewing photos of your booth, inventorying your supplies, follow up with your leads, reviewing your ROI, and making time to celebrate surviving the expo you will be guaranteed business expo success.

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