Five Ways to Replace Lost Trade Show Leads

In one of the strangest years in history, most all trade shows have been cancelled. On the bright side, budgets that were allocated to trade shows can be repurposed to drive leads in other ways.

Here are some ideas to invest your marketing money wisely.

1. Create clearer and more engaging web messaging
Your website is the core of your marketing program. Does it effectively tell the story of your company? Clearly separate how you are a better choice than the competition? Does it offer a sales journey that a prospect feels comfortable traveling? Does your messaging focus primarily on your company or does it address the prospect’s pain points? Is there useful, educational content on the site? Are their clear calls to action on each page for a prospect to take next steps?

2. Invest in web changes to offer a better user experience
With an average on-site time of 2 minutes, does your website enable the browser to find pertinent information within a couple of clicks? Or is it a confusing funhouse maze? Is the site overcomplicated with a confusing array of button choices? Is there video or 3D animation that depicts product benefits? Are there case studies and success stories that help the prospect relate to your offered solution?

3. Refine your SEO and Pay Per Click account
Most companies we work with have paid for SEO, but it is either poorly implemented or not done at all. Both SEO and Pay Per Click are dependent on search keyphrases. Pay Per Click reveals exactly how your site was searched and this intelligence can be leveraged to tighten up your SEO for better results. Many clients we work with are still operating the same Pay Per Click account without modifications since they started it years ago. We call this approach, “set it and forget it”. Invest the time to investigate which ad messaging offers the best engagement and leverage that marketing intelligence into better results. Ads should be reviewed and optimized on a monthly basis for stronger click through rates and conversions.

4. Design Virtual Trade Shows
Since live shows are dead for now, opt for an animated 3D trade show. In the B2B space, this could be a combination of products that can be “exploded” to show benefits part by part, 360 degree machine views, incorporation of video and an offer of an online meeting. A virtual trade show solidifies the impression that your company is state of the art. These beneficial virtual environments show off your products in an interesting way and encourage engagement through your site.

5. Build and host a webinar
A webinar can help bridge the personal gap that has been lost to trade show cancellations. The best webinars are brief and add value for the prospect through education. They should be fun and offer key takeaways. By positioning yourself as an industry expert, you’ll build credibility and gain the trust of potential customers. Webinars can float around the internet via social media channels, as on demand, or they can be scheduled for a specific day and time. Regardless of the format, they need to be promoted heavily through multiple tactics for best results. The benefit to your company is that email addresses can be collected for future marketing efforts.

If you could use help with any of these tactics, contact me to discuss how we can replace those lost trade show leads!