Important Skills for Exhibit Marketers
Managing and marketing a trade show exhibit is no easy task. Trade shows require a combination of technical and interpersonal skills to successfully bring everything together. Marlys Arnold, guest blogger at The Tradeshow Network Marketing Group, describes a few important skills that exhibit marketers should develop.
Listen closely. Concentrate on what the person is saying rather than thinking about how you’re going to respond. Act like a journalist and ask relevant questions that inspire meaningful answers rather than one-word responses. When the other person is speaking, maintain eye contact and nod in agreement.
Change your perspective. Try to see the event through the eyes of the attendees. Take the time to analyze your audience and figure out what they’re looking for, what problems they have, and what solutions you can provide. Once you establish benchmarks, you can position your booth to meet those goals. Think about how your booth will be perceived and questions attendees may ask.
Get social. Maintain a strong social media presence in order to connect with your audience. Listen to what they’re saying and do some research to determine which platforms will be the most effective. Develop posts that tell your brand story and create anticipation for your booth prior to the event. A helpful tip is to create an editorial calendar ahead of time and schedule posts to go out before, during, and after the show.
Track ROI. Determine what your Key Performance Indicators are and what metrics are most important for your business. Whether it’s booth traffic, leads generated, or email signups, remember to track your progress. Keep your data on a spreadsheet to analyze the results from show to show.