The Trade Show is over – Now what?

You did it! You effectively pre-planned your show (You committed to a trade show, now what?)  and you worked the show successfully (Trade Shows – Owning the Floor), what should be your next step after the show?

I know you might be thinking of soaking your feet and adding up the frequent flyer miles, and you are not too far off. As the dust settles and you wash off the grime of travel, how will you measure success? Do you have a system (think CRM) in place to measure the results and report on the return on investment?

Let’s start with the activity first. If you are not following up within 3-7 days you will be forgotten! We all return to the office, exhausted and with best intentions, but if you do not reengage with those you met, your name recognition drops like that soggy breakfast sandwich they put out at your hotel.

Next steps:

• Have pre-planned emails targeting the attendees written and automated
• Make sure the messages and graphics are the same as those used in your pre-show and booth graphics for consistency
• Upload the leads you obtained and let the email automation do its job
• If available, obtain the list of attendees and consider sending a separate “sorry we missed you” message to those you did not talk to at the booth
• Set tasks and reminders to review each lead, assign to team members if needed and continue the conversation

Finally, evaluate your entire campaign. Did you achieve the goals you outlined in the pre-planning? Did the booth activity go as planned and generate excitement? Did you pull reports on the leads generated and determine their overall value? All these steps will help you determine your return on the entire investment, improve your plan for the next show and impact the growth of your company.

Give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back for a job well done!

PS. Need more? Download our Trade Shows for Manufacturers Guide here.