How do you combine trade shows and social media?

1 Plan ahead

Before you attend a trade show, you need to plan your social media strategy and goals. What do you want to achieve from your social media activities? Who do you want to target and engage with? What platforms and tools will you use? How will you measure your results? These are some of the questions you need to answer and document in your social media plan. You also need to research the trade show itself, its audience, its hashtags, and its influencers. This will help you tailor your content and messages to the specific event and context.

2 Create buzz

One of the benefits of social media is that you can create buzz and excitement around your trade show participation before, during, and after the event. You can use social media to announce your attendance, share teasers and previews of your products or demos, invite people to visit your booth or attend your presentation, run contests and giveaways, and share testimonials and reviews from previous customers or attendees. You can also use social media to connect with other exhibitors, speakers, and organizers, and build relationships and collaborations.

3 Go live

Another way to combine trade shows and social media is to go live and stream your trade show activities in real time. You can use platforms like Facebook Live, Instagram Live, YouTube Live, or Twitter Spaces to broadcast your booth, your product demos, your presentations, your interviews, your Q&A sessions, or your behind-the-scenes moments. Going live can help you attract more attention, generate more engagement, and showcase your authenticity and personality. You can also use live features to interact with your online audience, answer their questions, ask for their feedback, and encourage them to join your email list or follow your social media accounts.

4 Repurpose content

Trade shows can provide you with a lot of valuable content that you can repurpose and reuse for your social media channels. For example, you can turn your presentation slides into a blog post, a video, or an infographic. You can turn your product demos into tutorials, tips, or case studies. You can turn your testimonials and reviews into social proof, stories, or quotes. You can turn your photos and videos into collages, reels, or stories. The key is to adapt your content to the format and style of each platform and add value to your audience.

5 Follow up

The last tip on how to combine trade shows and social media is to follow up with your leads, contacts, and connections after the event. You can use social media to thank them for their interest, remind them of your offer, provide them with more information, invite them to a call or a meeting, or ask them for a referral or a review. You can also use social media to keep in touch with them, share relevant content, offer support, and build trust and loyalty. The goal is to nurture your relationships and move them along your sales funnel.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?