Tips for a Successful Event
Strut Your New Stuff Before and During the Show! If you are showcasing a new product or service at the Expo, be sure to send out a press release to the media before the show. The more announcements the press receives, the more likely they are to cover the event, and may stop by your booth to highlight you!
Use Social Media to highlight your business or cause. Share our Facebook Event on your own Facebook page rather than creating your own. As we post more and more tidbits about the show, everyone can receive the same information.
Let people know you are going to be at the Expo by posting on your personal and business social profiles at least every other day leading up to the event.
Take a 30-second video of yourself with your cell phone explaining who you are and what you represent, and what people will learn at the Expo if they visit your booth. Give them a reason to stop by and make your booth stand out.
During the show, use your cell phone to take video testimonials of past customers (especially heartwarming adoption stories with photos of their dogs) and post on your social media pages.
Utilize some sort of giveaway or raffle at your booth in an effort to collect contact information. People more easily provide their name and email versus a physical address. Be sure to note on the signup sheet how you will be utilizing their information (ie, “by filling out this form, you consent to being contacted by ABC Company…”). If you are going to email them afterwards, legally, you need permission to do so.
Send a follow up email thanking visitors for stopping by your booth, and provide them with information on your next event, new products, or new available dogs for adoption.
Write down the questions visitors asked during the show, and write a blog post that answers each question, or use that information to develop a FAQ sheet for future use.
Incentivize people to post something about your booth on their social media pages.
And, while you’re focused on touting your products and services, keep in mind that people LOVE to talk about their dog. Most people would not think twice about posting a picture of their dog near your branded sign at your booth if you asked them to. Make their dog a celebrity, and you’ll have an instant follower!
Share the hype, and people will follow!
Just remember, content that will get shared and build your brand is the same as content others produce that you’ve been sharing—useful, entertaining, funny and newsworthy. But now it’s from you and your company, so you are even more actively building on your reputation with a larger audience online!