Trade shows have always been an excellent place for companies and clients to come together. And online events can be just as beneficial as a physical meetup, especially with the help of a few virtual trade show ideas.
Virtual benefits
Virtual trade shows offer several advantages compared to in-person trade shows.
- They can expand your reach both nationally and internationally, increasing your potential customer base.
- You’ll have fewer costs, since there’s no need for travel, staffing or physical booth maintenance.
- 30% of potential customers are more likely to speak to someone in a virtual space, creating increased engagement.
- 47% of people are more likely to ask a question at a virtual event, resulting in more interactions.
Tips for your virtual show
Now that you know how virtual trade shows can benefit your company, let’s take a look at how to get started.
Establish goals
Before you attend or host a virtual trade show, determine what you want to achieve:
- Connect with new customers
- Lead generation
- Show thought leadership
- Launch a service or product
Having these goals in mind will not only let you know if the trade show helped you accomplish them, but it will help you decide which products, speakers and trade show promotional items you’ll want to present.
Pick the perfect content
Create and offer booth content that can help you meet the goals you’ve set:
- Film an explainer or demonstration video that shows off your product or service.
- Offer white papers or e-books that discuss topics of interest to your audience.
- If you’re trying to show thought leadership, have an employee, manager or CEO share a presentation on an industry topic.
- You can also attract potential new clients by hiring speakers outside of your organization.
Remember to record any presentations so people visiting your “booth” after the event is over can still watch them. And if you’re hosting the event, be sure to include ways to interact, such as virtual networking opportunities, message boards and surveys.
Market to your market
With no travel expenses to consider, the sky’s the limit when it comes to inviting potential and current customers. Connect with existing customers via email and consider creating organic and paid social media posts to reach potential customers. You can also send out a trade show promotional item as a reminder of your upcoming show.
Offer on-the-spot options
Virtual trade show ideas, like live chat and e-commerce stores, can help you easily make connections and sales. Provide opportunities for customers to ask questions via text or virtual face-to-face chat. By answering questions on the spot, you increase the possibility of earning immediate sales from interested customers.
Create games to encourage participation
Are you hosting webinars, doing product demos or offering other live content? Be sure to make your virtual visitors aware by using push notifications or email reminders. Offering an easy-to-carry cooler to five random attendees or a high-end trade show promotional item—like a jacket—for attending multiple events may encourage attendees to check out your products and services.
Make your trade show last
While an in-person event has a definite end, virtual trade shows can live on. Letting the trade show run for a month after the initial event gives customers extra opportunities to see what you have to offer, ask more questions—and perhaps make a purchase.
The greatest show on the web
Creating or participating in a virtual trade show can improve your reach, letting you capture the attention of people all over the world. Make the most of this opportunity by:
- Knowing what you want to achieve and offering content what will help you achieve it.
- Marketing to your target market with emails, social media posts and Post Cards.
- Grabbing immediate attention and sales with live chat, an e-commerce store and prizes like coolers or jackets for event attendance.
- Allowing your virtual trade show to last at least one month after the initial event to capture more opportunities.
Putting these virtual trade show ideas into action can help you catch the attention of people no matter where they are. Good luck!