If you’re one of the 300+ companies who are at Trustech this week, this is the list you’ve been looking for: our top 5 tips for making the most of Trustech
We’re Now|Comms: the B2B marketing agency that’s been obsessed with the security and digital identity market for years. Every time we visit Trustech, we make it our business to research the show’s audience and collate feedback. Now we’ve distilled all the learning we’ve acquired into this short, sharp tips list.
Tip 1. Don’t talk about your products. Talk about their problems
When we ask Trustech visitors about the best conversations they had with exhibitors, they’re never conversations about products or services. It’s not that exhibiting companies or their products don’t interest show visitors, they do. They just need to see your products in their context.
When you meet new prospects, don’t launch straight into the “What our product or service does” story. Trustech’s visitors really want the “What does it do for me?” story. If your stand is stocked with product or fact sheets and your stand design is all product and no people, that’s a difficult story to tell.
Develop testimonials that quickly convince prospects you understand the problems they are facing. Use quotes that focus on the business challenges prospects most want to address. Keep your stand or exhibition area human by producing graphic stories that show how real people benefit from the products and services you sell.
Talk to us about testimonials, product sheets or stand design
Tip 2. Keep the conversation alive long after the show has finished
Spoiler Alert! Most of the people you talk to at Trustech this week won’t be ready to buy.
It’s a mistake to think that trade show visitors are in buying mode. Most of them aren’t. They’re browsing. The purchasing decisions they make might come months after Trustech is over.
Smart marketers getting prepped for Trustech right now are all over Google, LinkedIn and twitter. They’ve done the analytics. They’ve found Trustech’s audience on all the social networks and they are talking with them already. Infineon, NXP and Access Is are just three exhibitors using social media, SEO and targeted marketing to warm visitors up before the show starts. More important however, is the role that social marketing and great targeting plays post the event.
Most trade show follow ups treat all new prospects in virtually the same way. Hot sales leads take priority, while marketing struggles to process the majority of new leads just introduced into the pipeline.
You need to create marketing experiences that include the trade shows you exhibit but don’t depend on them. That’s why it’s important to make sure that every new prospect you’re introduced to at Trustech is placed accurately in the sales pipeline fast. Some will be ready to explore and occasionally one or two might be ready to buy, but most will need more nurturing.
Talk to us about lead processing post Trustech
Tip 3. Be seen (a lot) on Trustech’s social channels
The Trustech website is always a frequently mentioned research resource used by the diligent show visitor. Trustech-event.com plays a primary roll in influencing which conferences or seminars a visitor attends much more than which companies to see in the main exhibition areas.
Here’s where visitor demand for strong compelling content raises its head again. Exhibitors recognised as issues champions and thought-leaders will always be able to make a strong case for appearing in Trustech’s news and features sections, but the key phrase is “relevance“. Company profiles or product sheets, even when they feature big name customers, just don’t make the grade.
Talk to us about content marketing
Tip 4. Remember the people who aren’t even there: they might be more important than the people who are
The internet has changed the profile of the expo visitor dramatically. These days, many five-star prospects watch over the proceedings from the comfort of their own desktop.
This means exhibitors need to ensure that the content, product details or key messages they’re pushing out at Trustech can be easily found online too.
Package up all your Trustech specific materials into one easy to manage micro-site. This allows visitors to easily communicate and share the new products and services they’ve discovered at the show, with co-workers and fellow decision makers who might not have attended.
Talk to us about special landing pages
Tip 5. Most freebies are more memorable than the companies who give them away
Visitors always comment on the sheer volume of desirable objects on offer at expos like Trustech, but the names of the companies dishing them out are usually a bit of a blur. When your free swag is the thing most visitors remember, something’s gone badly wrong.
Talk to us
We’re in Cannes all week helping companies make the most of the new connections they make at Trustech. Just get in touch if you’d like to see what we could do for you.