Exhibitions in Dubai involve business people who invest a lot of time, money, and products in the event. Just to have a booth or a stall at such an event is not easy; there is so much that goes into preparing for it. Nonetheless, the practical action does not end when the doors of the exhibition are shut. As much as some important measures should be taken during the course of an exhibition, there are also important activities that should be put in place to achieve good returns on investment after the event.
Below are strategies that can be used to follow up with the sales leads, do market research, assess the event, and create a continuous sales process after the exhibition.
Lead Qualification and Follow-Up
The final critical success factor is the effective and efficient follow-up on the leads it was able to create after the exhibition. Make sure all paper inquiry forms have been gathered together with any electronic inquiries that were made. Filter the leads to determine which has the highest chance of turning into a sale. Determine participants who decide on key tasks and resources available for their implementation.
Leads should be segmented according to their priority level, say, A, B, or C. For example, ‘A’ class leads may be customers who are ready to buy in the next 3 months and have a clear need and budget for the product. A “C” lead may not necessarily have a specific interest in products but may have a generic interest. It aids in the identification of the follow-up priority and the plan for each of the lead categories.
In CRM, the lead response will help in follow-up, especially with the help of the call scripts and email templates created for this express purpose. Follow up with prospects through emails and phone calls, and occasionally even visit the highest potential value leads at least once every 3-6 months. There appears to be a lack of discipline in following up on leads, as 85% of leads are lost without follow-up, which is an important aspect.
Customer Relationship Management
It will also assist in the centralization of all the contact information of exhibitions, interactions, and progress of deals within a single database. The last advantage is that CRM makes it easier to manage the follow-up processes of hot leads and sales and marketing people. Some lead information to gather includes Lead source, project specification, purchase process timeline, financial position and decision-maker contact details, and subsequent activities.
Develop segmented lists in the CRM that contain leads who are interested in receiving specific content offers and invitations to events after an exhibition. Continuously track the interest of the leads in order to determine whether they are growing or diminishing. The idea is to generate continuous nurture programs to transform identified prospects into long-standing clients.
Post-Event Promotion
Advertising after the exhibition, exhibitions’ content, and their results also fosters the event’s coverage and contributes to SEO improvement. Release memories of the event through the publication of blog posts that cover some of the most significant aspects of the exhibition, such as the highlights, trends that were noted, products that were exhibited, and the contacts made. Photos and videos captured at the stand should be shared through e-mail marketing, social announcements on different social networks, and YouTube.
Release firm press releases on topics such as product launches, signed deals, and awards won in the exhibition to gain credibility. If you are an exhibition exhibitor, then you need to convert your exhibition content into articles, white papers, and infographics and post them on your website. It is crucial to guarantee that such assets contain the relevant keywords for increasing site rankings and visibility.
Measuring ROI
Measuring the return on investment for an exhibition is a critical exercise that facilitates the determination of the success of an event and the planning of future exhibition. Start by comparing objectives to actual outcomes across metrics like:
- Organized goals vs. actual leads generated
- Sales opportunities generated
- Sales after the show, which are triggered by the exhibition
- Brand popularity and extension of followers on the social media platforms
- Content interactivity and web traffic
- Cost per lead/sale
Gather feedback from your visitors and prospects in the form of post-show surveys, as they are valuable in giving feedback on the event as well as feedback on buyers for future shows.
Updating Marketing Strategies
To one extent, current marketing is supposed to be continuous, and exhibitions can expose trends already present in the broader market. Questions from visitors that may require new buyers’ attention are likely to indicate the need for new content. Existing and planned competitor products may also prompt a change to an organization’s product strategy. Discourse in the industry can influence PR communication and forming partnership strategies.
Analyze the marketing experience of different art exhibitions to recognize the existing and prospective gaps. Modify personas and content strategies thus to have a greater impact on the intended audiences. This serves to maximally leverage the leads generated from the digital campaigns even after the close of the exhibition.
What To Do For The Next Exhibition
When implementing the above post-show activities, it is also important to begin the planning of the next trade exhibition one year to one and a half years before the exhibition. Create an always-on event plan that merges digital initiatives with exhibitions, so you keep the pipeline growing month after month.
Determine which particular exhibitions offered the greatest return on investment and emphasize having a higher profile at the next one. The next strategic move is to seek out new vertical trade shows, which it has not explored, to increase market coverage. Critique the booth location, size, and format to identify if change is needed to generate higher booth traffic and more lead captures.
The Bottom Line
Exhibition activity requires much planning before the actual show and then the actual work during the show. However, it is important to mention that the follow-up and evaluation after the event are hardly less significant than the event itself. By adopting the respective post-exhibition strategies outlined in this article, brands can transform costly events into means by which they can identify and build loyal customers in the long run.
