Trade show prep is exhausting as you scramble to get swag ordered, booth materials packed and meetings set. One task you don’t want to forget about in the midst of all that is creating content. The right piece of content is a great resource that you can use to drive brand impressions with attendees during the event—using a QR code or the like—or after, with value-based follow-up emails.

Ultimately, the right content allows you to engage attendees during and after the show in service of driving leads and sales. Consider the following pieces of content and how they can fit into your trade show marketing plan. Add them to your prep list and make the most of this opportunity to convert and connect both online and off. 

Fresh Social Media Graphics

You’re meeting people in person, but once they walk away, they’re looking for you online. While it’s critical to have an up-to-date website, turn your attention to social media first and foremost. 

The 2017 Event Track Content Benchmarking Report found that 50 percent of consumers say they capture and share 2-5 photos, videos or social posts and 14 percent report sharing more than six posts during events. 

“The branded experiential content opportunity for marketers is powerful and multifaceted. Nearly all consumers say they capture and share content at the branded experiences and events they attend. The opportunity for brands is to more effectively leverage this content and sharing activity,” suggests Event Track study authors.  

By creating fresh graphics for social media, you give those attendees more ways to experience your brand on platforms where they’re already spending time. Plus, if they’re tagging you in posts, fresh graphics give their followers the best impression of your brand when clicking through to your page.

Create the content: The key is to master your branding so when attendees see your posts, they know they’re yours. Check out this visual social media branding guide to ensure your graphics are both on-brand and effective.

Ebook

Make a great impression on attendees by giving them something for free—an ebook. This piece of content can focus on any number of topics, depending on your trade show goals. The key is using it to drive awareness around your brand while providing value to attendees that you meet at the conference. 

For example, if you’re a B2C yoga clothing company, you may be trying to drive sales for your new activewear line. In this case, a seasonal fashion guide with products embedded in the text, allows you to work toward your goal of driving sales, while also providing value to the event attendees. 

The good news is, the process of creating an ebook doesn’t have to be time-consuming. If you need to get it done quickly and with minimal resources, start with your blog. Which areas of focus are more popular with current customers and readers? Collect all current blog posts that focus on that topic and repurpose them into chapters. 

Add fresh content, links, images to products, and some additional design elements before exporting to a PDF and uploading to a landing page. Share a shortened URL or QR code with attendees that allows them to access the ebook after meeting with you. 

Create the content: If you’ve never created an ebook before, learn more about the process with this guide to creating and promoting an ebook. You’ll find the process is relatively simple, especially if you already host similar content on your site.

Product Video

Video is the medium of the future, with more and more consumers consuming video on nearly every platform, from YouTube to Instagram. What’s more, it’s an effective marketing medium for businesses. WyzOwl’s 2019 State of Video Marketing found:

• 94 percent of video marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service.
• 84 percent of marketers say video has helped them increase traffic to their website.
• 81 percent of marketers say video has helped them generate leads.

Ahead of your next trade show, create a product video. If your goal is to increase awareness about your brand and drive leads, this type of content allows you to do both. This is especially valuable if you’re launching new features or an entirely new product at or before the trade show. 

Once made, have it playing at your booth and be sure to share on all platforms. Draw even more attention by “pinning” the video to the top of your feeds where possible, like on Twitter and Facebook.

Create the content: Use this guide from Vimeo to learn how to create your first product video. It’s all about quality, telling a story, and knowing your target audience. 

Create Content Before Your Next Trade Show

Use these ideas to create materials that will allow you to drive brand impressions and sales after attendees leave the trade show. Consider which formats are best for your business and don’t forget to track results so you can optimize for every event after.

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