Finished a trade show? Angles to follow up leads

It is very easy for sales people to give promises and their visiting cards during trade shows. They speak directly to the customers. But why is it that once the show is over, so is the interest in the products and services.  Why do the leads grow cold? Why do the customers do not respond? Considering the huge amount of dollars that pour into a trade show, the ROI from trade shows are almost never met. Here are some angles a marketer needs to know while following a lead from the tradeshow.

We offer points that can be amplified as best direct marketing techniques after the trade shows have finished. Remember that all people who are interested and leave their cards behind are qualified leads to tap for business. That is why they have shown their faces!

Let's begin with some research facts why leads grow cold and freeze up!

Why does trade show leads rarely qualify? In a study done in 2010 less than 70% exhibitors do not have a plan in place. It is surprising to know this as lead generation automation is already doing the spadework. Are you only sending an email message and waiting for the prospect to respond to it? Are the messages delayed and never replied promptly? These could be the few reasons why leads freeze after show time. To enable you to do a follow-up campaign, you will need to do some pre-planning. If you deal in products, make sure to have a delivery schedule in place matching the deadlines of the trade show. You must have a rough estimate of the budget as these exercises are mainly done to widen the customer base at a larger level. Good booths offer sales leads and give an impression to the potential prospects. This is the best time to promote a new product in the market. You will get direct responses from the buyers. The staff, which is posted at the booth, needs to be well versed to explain everything. What they say will enable to get the leads. And before you step into the booth, ensure that the sales and marketing team have their responsibilities fixed—like who will collect the data, cards, record, distribute material and attend to responses. Because immediately after the show the promptness you show will count.

Decide how to reach out

There is a method to design the follow-up campaign. Categorizing the leads into various segments is important once you return to normal business. Each lead will have a different follow-up action. Once you’re back at the office, start sorting them out to identify hot and cold leads, potentially high-value lead. While following up with potential business partners, sweeten the deal for them. Email marketing is not the sole option for direct marketing. Venture out to other platforms like social media too. If you have a list of leads who’d rather spend their time on Facebook and Snapchats than checking out emails, social media seems to be a better option to reach out to them. Ultimately, the lead determines how you need to follow up.

Decided the medium? Want to know the best time to follow up?

Prompt response has no equals

Get to them before it’s too late. You don’t want to know that a hot lead has turned cold because you failed to reach them in time. At a trade show, chances are that your competitor would also be running a booth. So, what seemed like a regular trade show follow up is actually a race to reach the customer first; and guess what, hot leads are best served with prompt responses.

Read the next one to figure out how an ideal follows up email should look like.

Tailor -made emails

Being probably the most important part of a follow-up campaign, this needs to be planned even before you set up your booth. Choose a strategy to reach out to a lead after the tradeshow. Provide them with enough information about the trade show so they can recollect you. Go creative on the emails by posting pictures or videos of the lead, trying out that new product at your booth. This is no more about regular follow-up or pitching the product. It is about who reaches first and connects to the customer. So, revamp your follow-up campaigns to stir up that, which made the lead step into your booth at the trade show-i.e inquisitiveness. Let them download a white paper or a demo. It remains on the top of the mind after the event is over.

Instead of going on about the services you provide, acknowledge their needs and address that your product/ service can help them with their needs. This way they feel confident with your product and genuinely feel that you’re the one they’ve been looking for.