Venue Promotion
If your main objective is getting more people in the door who may buy your goods and services, you do not just want to focus on marketing yourself, but the venue as well. Trade shows have a lot going on from live entertainment to exciting presentations. Your pre-trade show marketing efforts should include promotion of what will be going on at the trade show that may be of interest to your current customers and others who will be attending the show.
Social Media
No trade show marketing campaign would be complete without social media. If you made a webpage specifically to showcase your upcoming appearance at the trade show, send out these links through Twitter and Facebook. Perhaps you can make a teaser video discussing an upcoming product launch and post it on YouTube. Utilize hashtags when posting on Twitter—one good example may be the name of the trade show, which will probably be utilized by people who are already planning on attending the show. Hashtags referencing the type of business you have may also be helpful since it will get your tweets in front of people interested in what you are offering. If you are not already on LinkedIn, set up a profile to engage with other people in your industry who may be interested in attending the trade show. Visit industry blogs and leave insightful comments.
Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who blogs about all things business; she recommends visiting www.exhibitdeal.com for more information on their trade show products.