You’ve heard it said that the fortune is in the follow-up, and this is very true for most businesses. After a trade show, this adage is an important one to remember.
One way you can follow up with your potential customers and contacts after a trade show is with a post trade show follow-up email campaign. In fact, following up with a well-thought-out email campaign could be one of the most important things you do after a trade show.
Here is a closer look at why you need these emails and how you can make the most out of them.
The Importance of Email Follow-Up
It takes a lot of work to put on a successful trade show. For some businesses, it’s tempting to think that the work is done when you pack up and go home, but this often couldn't be further from the truth.
The nurture and conversion strategy, which is what takes the leads you gathered at the trade show and nurtures them into becoming customers, is just as important.
In fact, this is when the hard work of making the most out of your trade show experience gets put into play, and some may argue that this crucial follow-up is even more important than the trade show itself.
Steps to Nurture Leads during Follow-Up
As you work your leads after your trade show, there are specific steps to take to make them effective.
STEP 1 – GET THE RIGHT INFORMATION
The first step in nurturing leads is making sure you have enough information. This actually starts at the trade show event. Priority one is collecting everything you need to follow up successfully. While name and contact information are important, you may also want to get information about what their current challenges are, what their budget may be, and what factors are influencing their decision-making process at the moment.
Consider your needs for follow-up, and then make sure your trade show team is collecting the right data at the event.
STEP 2 – GIVE THEM A CATEGORY
First, give the leads a category. You need to categorize those leads and assign them to the right person or department within your business for the follow-up process.
For example, you can determine if a lead is ready to make a purchase, and send them to your sales department. Or, if they are just information seeking, you can simply follow up with them to provide additional information about your products or services.
STEP 3 – HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE
When a person or department gets a lead from your trade show, have a set process they will use to follow up via email.
Consider paying a writer to create a follow-up email series, and use that email series to address the various concerns the lead may have. Teach your team how they should reach out, how often they should send the follow-up emails, and what those emails should say.
Whenever following up via email, make sure you always use a value proposition that is specific to the needs of the lead, something that you (hopefully) determined when categorizing the lead in the first place.
Don’t Waste Your Trade Show by Dropping the Ball on Follow-Up
A successful trade show is a waste of time and money if you do not have a plan in place for engagement and sales. Don’t waste the work you put into your trade show. Make email follow-up with your sales team a top priority afterward.
While you're getting your plan in place to have proper follow-up after your trade show, you will want to partner with the right team to ensure you can make the most out of every trade show experience with a beautiful, eye-catching trade show booth. An experienced exhibit house can help you bring that booth to life and keep you on track throughout the build and the entire trade show process.
Reach out to the team at Exhibit Options to learn more about our trade show booth services, and see how we can help you set up and deliver a successful trade show.
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