Why Pre-Show Mailings are so Effective at Tradeshows
When you’re on your way to a tradeshow, you’ll want to gain as much exposure as imaginable. You’ll arrive with your signage & your event giveaways, but is that all?
When you exert so much time, effort and money into an event, you want to make sure you’re getting as much out of it as possible in terms of gaining exposure and maximizing ROI. A key to being heard at cluttered industry tradeshow events is your pre-show marketing effort. Outside of email, physical mailings are really the only other efficient (and cost-effective) channel to effectively relay your message to your audience before the show kicks off.
Before a show begins, you should have a strategic plan in place for letting attendees know you’ll be in attendance and where they can find you upon arrival. This is especially important if you plan on hosting an after hours event during the show. This is all about sharing information. Inform your audience and see if you can’t get some info back in the process.
If you’re able to, this is a great time to offer an incentive for visiting your booth or display. One trick that you can use to drive booth traffic is by offering a giveaway item. Whether it be something from a water bottle to a Yeti cooler raffle, create a buzz around your booth and give attendees a reason to visit.
EXPERT TIP: If you decide to provide a promo piece to attendees (maybe even just a select few) a great way to drive traffic using direct mail is by mailing your recipients only half of the product pre-show. For example, if you’re going to be giving away Yeti Ramblers to 30 of your most valued tradeshow goers, send them the lid in advance with some info on a mailing card and house the base to the Yeti at your booth. Because what’s a lid to a Yeti really going to do for them? Surely, they’re going to make the trip to your booth to complete their Yeti adventure! Once they do, you can provide them with more information and chat them up while giving them a great product and brand experience to remember you by.
Engaging with your audience before the show is crucial. It helps you stand out from the exhibitors you’re competing for attention with and keeps your brand top-of-mind all show long. But if you forgot to read our last blog post, make sure your event giveaway is small enough in size that your recipients can pack it in their suitcase home!
After you get your pre-show mailer out, you’ll be well on your way to generating momentum behind your event marketing effort. This multi-channel effort allows you to get a leg up on the competition. With a number of clever mailing options, think outside the box and get noticed!