A guide to using social media at tradeshows (How to brand your trade show displays and signage with social media)
Our clients come to us for a variety of reasons – the most important reason they come to us is because they need our help. Whether it’s for graphic design, seo, social media, signs, banners, whatever the reason is they’ve come to us because they’re at a dead end. They’ve came to a point in which they looked in the mirror and said, “Hey, I’m tired. I need the professionals. Let’s call LRT”. So that’s where we step in. As social media continues to blossom we’re starting to see a new trend: cross over from social media to offset printing and trade shows. That’s right. Social media is now more than just an internet marketing plan, it’s incorporated into traditional marketing like direct mail campaigns, signs, banners, vehicle wraps etc. etc. We pride ourselves on our ability to help brand and market clients with all their tradeshow products so we decided to write a blog – a guide so to speak – to help you understand how you can truly utilize social media for your next trade show or big event.
The first step is to make sure your company is on social media. If you’re not on social media, you’ve got some bigger problems! (We should probably write a whole blog post on the importance of it…hmmm. *contemplative face*). Social media sites such as facebook, twiiter, google + , pinterest etc. etc. can truly transform your entire tradeshow and marketing experience. When you utilize your social media for your trade shows you are doing a few things:
- You’re creating additional opportunities to promote your brand
- You’re expanding the reach and audience of who your company reaches
- You have the ability to connect beyond the scope of this one event
A tradeshow, and social media, should be seen as any other marketing – it requires branding. In order to successfully brand yourself for an upcoming tradeshow you should always come prepared.
Prepare prior to your tradeshow
Sure you know that you should have all your marketing materials and promotional products prepared prior to your show but did you know that you should really get the hype for your social media up and rolling long before your tradeshow. If you have a certain #hashtag you plan to utilize at this event it’s a good idea to start promoting this prior to the event itself. That way once the event comes – attendees of the tradeshow already know what social media to use and how to use it. Doing preparation prior to the trade show will ensure your social media is a success. If there is already a hashtag setup for the event, do the research to find out what it is and customize it to your brand. Social media is only as good as the mass audiences that are utilizing them for example you don’t want to put #2013ChicoEx if everyone else has #CHICOExpo2013.
Brand, Brand, Brand!
Brand all of your products with your social media PRIOR to the event. Your brochures, signs, banners, etc. etc. Make sure they are set up with your FB name, QR code or whatever strategy you’re planning to utilize. Make it easy for those to find and follow you! Do you have promotional products? Make sure your information is there so long after you’re gone you’re still at the front of their mind and on their new thumb drive :P
Understand your audience
Understand who will be at the tradeshow, what your target audience and utilize the right social media accordingly. You don’t need to be on every single social media site so figure out the ones most likely to be utilized and adjust your marketing plan appropriately.
Check your spelling and grammar
Check your spelling and grammar prior to hitting post! It seems fairly obvious, but so many people make mistakes on their social media and is often embarrassing. It can be more than just about spelling but checking to make sure that the photograph or text you’re sending out correlates with the message you’re trying to send can make a huge difference. Sure it may just be social media but would you send an email to a client with incorrect spelling and poor grammar? Probably not. Treat your social media just as if you’d treat any other client – except remember that the whole internet is potentially watching you and your business.
Plan, Strategize and don’t be annoying
There’s always that one business that you can’t help and think “enough is enough” when it comes to their social media. You don’t want to be THAT brand so help yourself out and plan and strategize as much as possible prior to the event. Sure you want to have live feed but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a strategy or plan in line for what kind of message or visuals you intend to roll out to your customers. I.E. Do you plan to share posts with videos or photos? Will it be customer based or product based? Thinking about these things can help you keep in mind what you’re looking for while you’re there and keep you from getting distracted. Once you’ve got it – don’t abuse it. Make sure that you’re not overwhelming anyone with your social media either. Create a buzz, but don’t cause anyone’s head to spin.
Keep the momentum after the event
The best part about engaging in social media is the ability to continue the relationship long after the tradeshow. Use this opportunity to network and connect with people that you can potentially build professional relationships with after the event is over. Being involved and getting your brand hyped up at a tradeshow is the best way to continue to help build your relationship. This way – no one gets away :)
Need more advice about social media or tradeshow displays? Let us know! We know a little somethin’ somethin’ about both of those things.
LRT Graphics is a full-service marketing and graphic solutions company that provides event signage, tradeshow display’s, custom apparel, graphic design other visual solutions. If you’re located near our headquarters in Chico, CA we also offer graphic set-up and installs in the surrounding North State and Northern California areas like Oroville, Paradise, Corning, Red Bluff, Redding, Orland, Reno, Sparks, Yuba City, Marysville, or Sacramento please give us a call to schedule a consultation at (530) 879-9261.
For the industry experts in custom event signage and tradeshow displays, give LRT Graphics a call TODAY to get a FREE quote (530) 879-9261 or toll free (888) 934-6578