Trade Show Booth Staff Training Expert, Susan Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach

For years Internet search engines ignored Twitter and Facebook. But now Twitter and Facebook are indexed as rapidly as they are updated. This makes social media an even more important tool for you to use for your trade show marketing.

Since page rankings are critical when it comes to being easily found on the Internet, the following five strategies will help you better get, and then keep, the search engines’ fickle attention.

1. Maintain a strong identity.

Your Twittername should be instantly recognizable as your company. Use custom images for your Twitter profile page and your company Facebook page. Instantly recognizable branding matters as much if not more online as in slower-moving media.

2. Use tags and keywords.

Make sure each message includes the name or abbreviation of the trade show you’re particip. Keep an eye on trending topics, and say something about them.

3. Build a following.

On the Internet, connections equal influence. The more others link to your site or retweet your messages, the more powerful you are, and the higher your page rank will grow. So keep using these media between trade shows.

4. Post different content to Facebook and Twitter.

Search engine algorithms downgrade identical messages. Moreover, Facebook gives you more space. Write a brief version for Twitter and a slightly longer one for Facebook.

5. Offer fresh, fascinating content.

You’ll gain followers by giving them something they want or need: information, amusement, a sense of connection and belonging.

In the fraught atmosphere of a trade show, your booth staff may not always remember to thank service people or complaining customers. According to a recent study through the American Marketing Assn., it states that customer gratitude enhances trust in business relationships which leads to ongoing positive results. When you start a cycle of thanks, you can even transform those difficult business relationships.

Train your booth staff to offer sincere thanks – and offer them yourself – to these five kinds of people, and your trade shows will run more smoothly.

1. The trade show organizers, maintenance workers, and staff.

Even when you arrive and find half your arrangements awry, thank them for their effort and for the half that was done correctly. They will remember your courtesy and do their best for you.

2. Your returning customers.

Existing customers are your company’s most important asset. Show your gratitude with smiles, gifts of useful information, and, don’t forget to give them some VIP treatment.

3. Complaining customers.

It can be hard to thank someone who has just pointed out your company’s flaws, but the complaining customer has just given you the priceless gift of honest feedback so that you can improve in the future.

4. Booth co-workers.

In the tight space and pressure-cooker atmosphere of a trade show booth, tensions can flare. A habit of gratitude instead of growling makes work more pleasant and strengthens working relationships.

5. The sales department.

When you hand over the precious trade show leads, thank Sales for following up. Show them you appreciate their hard work, and they are more likely to care about your hard work.

At the holiday season, we tend to express gratitude more freely than at other times of year. But, why wait, at any time of the year, sincere thanks acts as a powerful  relationship marketing tool.

Thanks to all of you who read this newsletter!

Send me your physical address and I’ll send you a personal thank you card!

In the meantime, if you would like to send someone a card, here’s a complimentary way for you to do that.

In the end-of-year summations, the one statistic that rankles most is the lead not followed. You developed the lead at a trade show, handed off the information to the Sales department, and they did nothing with it. According to trade show research, as many as 80% of all trade-show leads meet this fate.

With these three tips, you can take control of this statistic and even turn it around. Use these ways to get back in touch with hot prospects.

1. Add them to your social network.
Google and other search engines make it easy to track down leads and discover which networks they use: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or any of the other social sites. Send them a quick message and a friend request.

2. Send holiday greetings.
Reopen negotiations with a simple non-denominational email or greeting card. Mention where you met, and let the recipient know how to get in touch with you.

3. Offer a holiday gift.
Cases of Scotch are out. According to Chris Brogan, “information is in.” Give them a taste of the services your company can provide. Offer them a free white paper to download and perhaps a discount on the first order. Your generosity might well be repaid.

And don’t forget to track the success of these strategies, so next year sales will take your trade show leads more seriously!

Did you find these tips useful?

If so, please forward the link to someone you think can benefit!

In this episode of the Tradeshow Training Minute, Susan Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, gives you the five keys to exhibit selling — the most important things your people need to be doing on the tradeshow floor.

Twitter is a fast way to reach thousands of people, but it has some issues. One is that a single tweet can easily get lost in the flood of new information. (Following Twitter has been likened to trying to get a drink of water from a firehose.) Now you can subdivide and organize your Twitter reading with a powerful new feature that will allow you to create and share smaller reading lists.

The new feature, Twitter Lists, is still in beta testing, but now is a good time to learn its secrets. You’ll find it  helpful during the peak of trade-show season. Follow these three guidelines:

1. Organize your trade show contacts with a Twitter List. Name it after the trade show, and encourage your customers to follow the list. In the frenetic trade-show atmosphere,  the list makes it easier for you to follow customers’ responses and concerns.

2. Make a list of your booth staff. Your customers can follow that list and get instant updates. It’s also a useful tool for ensuring that your staff members maintain a professional attitude even in the informal world of tweeting.

3. Have someone back at the office track the lists where your company tweets appear.  Check to see who is subscribing to your lists and your individual Twitter accounts. Track responses and complaints by list members, and deal with them immediately. That’s powerful customer service.