Walworth County’s Newspaper

WOMEN’S RESOURCE FAIR

TIPS FOR MARKETING AFTER THE FAIR Presented by: Patricia Bladow, Sales & Marketing Director, The Week

THE IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOW UP! 80% of exhibitors make no attempts to follow up on leads from trade

shows. 43% of prospective buyers receive materials after a trade show and after

they’ve already decided to buy. 18% never receive the requested materials. 95% of customers who perceive service to be immediate will do

business with you again. “The longer you wait, the less likely you are to close.” (Guerilla Trade

Show Selling)Statistics provided by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research.

HOW TO FOLLOW UP Send information you promised. Have sales literature packets made up before the show or during the

show. Send a postcard thanking them for stopping by. Email a follow up message. Create a variety of form letters before the show, signed with a long-

hand note on the envelope, “Here’s the information you requested.” Order an attention-getting promotional product to include with follow-

up literature Develop and order a creatively packaged follow-up gift. After the gift or letter is sent, call them. Visit them. Follow up on hot leads within 2-3 days. Follow up on the rest with one week. DON’T ignore them!

CONTINUE TO FOLLOW UP Instead of just one post-show mailing, serialize your mailings or emails. If a show special was featured, send a sequence of offers with

escalating urgency.

Establish a regular form of contact by either email or mail; send brochures, newsletters, invitations to other shows, holiday cards, birthday cards and other promotional items.

Build the customer and keep the current customers loyal for life. FOLLOW UP IS THE MOST CRUCIAL PART OF THE TRADE SHOW

MARKETING EQUATION!

CREATE IDEAS FOR:Follow Up Gifts Promotional Products Contests

RESOURCES www.epromos.com (select education) www.frugalmarketing.com www.marketing.about.com www.thetradeshowcoach.com (articles by Susan Friedmann) www.allbusiness.com (champions of small business) www.marketingtoday.com/shows/index.htm www.exhibitoronline.com www.knowthis.com/groups/tradeshow.htm

OTHER POST-FAIR PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES Announce contest winners; photos, press releases, announcements. Place a thank you ad or include a thank you message in your current

advertising; print, radio, TV Know the value of a new customer If invitations were sent to current customers and they didn’t visit the

trade show, contact them again and let them know you missed them. Send them the promotional item or encourage them to come in a get one.

REMEMBER: All the advertising you can afford isn’t worth the customers you already have.

AND REMEMBER: What is it that you have or do that your competition does not have or cannot do? With that answer you are positioning your business relative to your competitors.

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