You recently attended the big trade show in your city and you knocked it out of the park! Your months of preparation paid off. Your presence at the event was known and you made connections with those you interacted with. Time to relax now, right?

Wrong. Your work isn’t over yet. You’ve only just begun!

Only 47% of companies track the leads they generate from trade shows. Often, they get caught up in the instant connection and forget the effort it takes to make that connection continue. You now have the opportunity to be surrounded by customers, fans and influencers. But to do so, you must strategically plan your follow-up journey. Doing so will help you work smarter, not harder. That is why we laid out six steps to complete after your next trade show.

Gather your new contacts

Whether you have gathered contact information on business cards, post-it notes, napkins or on the back of your hand, compile them all into a simple spreadsheet after the show. Having them all in one place will ensure no contact falls through the cracks. There are many Customer Relationship Management Systems (or “CRM”s) that can assist in managing your interactions with potential customers, like SalesForce. The ultimate goal is simple: improve customer relationships.

Separate between hot and cold leads

Are your leads hot? Cold? Warm? Cold leads are people that know little to nothing about your business or how it can help them. Hot leads, on the other hand, are those who are highly interested in your business and have a need and a budget to buy. Separate the contact list that you compiled into different groups based on if they are hot or cold leads. You can even group these contacts further by size, geography or business type. This will help create a unique follow-up experience for each group.

Design a follow-up plan

People have an increasing desire to have their experiences tailored to them. With companies like Amazon, Google and Netflix, personalization is becoming a necessity, not an option. Design a follow-up plan for each group you have created that feels personalized and aligns with their interests.

Craft your message

Once you have nailed down your follow-up plan, it’s time to craft the message being sent. Address them by name, mention an aspect of your conversation you enjoyed or include some content you think they’d engage with based on the discussion you had!

A few writing tips that the Burkhart Team lives by:

• Stay on brand.
• Ensure that your language and design match the style of your company.
• Get a second pair of eyes! Two heads are always better than one.
• Finally, keep it to one call to action – keep things simple!

Execute your follow-up journey

Face-to-face events can go a long way for your business and brand. But just because an attendee gets some free swag from your company doesn’t mean they are your next customer. Execution is key. Show your potential leads that you can create new opportunities for them and solve their pain points. Most importantly, don’t let them forget about you.

Don’t forget about social

While you’re following up, make sure to hit that follow button on your leads. Share with your followers any videos or presentations that your company led. It’s another way to stay connected and keep top-of-mind!

Summary

You attended a trade show for new opportunities. Now show those new opportunities how important they are to you!

Are you ready to start your own follow-up journey? Burkhart can help you strategize ways to take your leads and make them sales. Give us a call today!