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Between booth graphics, deciding which machines make the trip, staffing schedules and what everyone is going to wear, trade shows are stressful. Here is one more thing for the list: if you want to maximize booth traffic and exposure, you need a trade show social media plan that covers before, during and after the show.
This assumes you are already active on social media, using the channels that fit your business and have someone posting regularly. If not, start with Social Media Basics for the Construction Industry. With that in place, your show effort only needs to answer four questions at each stage: who are you trying to reach, what are you posting, when and why.
Pick the platforms your customers use and post when they are off the jobsite.
Who: Attendees, first. You want them to put your booth on their list. To a lesser extent, loyal customers who cannot make the trip.
What: Whatever makes your booth a destination. New equipment introductions. Show specials. Demonstrations, guests or contests. The experts who will be on hand to solve a contractor's problem.
When: Start two to three weeks before the show and run right up to opening day. Earlier than that is just noise, because attendees have not started planning their trip. Later than that and you are competing with everyone's booth photos on setup day. You want visitors to plan to stop by before they get on the plane.
Why: An empty booth is a lonely place. Pre-show promotion fills it.
Who: Attendees walking the floor and the at-home audience following along.
What: Photos and video. Your designer's polished equipment shots and specials graphics did their job before the show. During the show, people want to see people: customers climbing on machines, demos, the booth full. Shoot short video on a phone and post it quickly. Nobody expects professional editing from the show floor. Add a quick, engaging line of copy to every post.
When: Early morning, late afternoon and evening. Attendees are not checking their feeds every minute while they walk the floor, so it is worth repeating key posts.
Why: To make attendees feel they are missing out if they do not stop by, and to give the at-home fans of your brand content worth sharing.
Who: People who visited your booth and prospects who did not make it.
What: Content captured at the show. Product walk-around videos with your product managers. Customer testimonials recorded in the booth. Scenes from the floor. Extended show specials and how to take advantage of them.
When: Reference the show for one to two weeks afterward, then keep using the content all year.
Why: For most manufacturers a trade show is one of the only times marketing, engineering, sales and the equipment are all in the same place. Capture as much as you can while you are there.
Questions about your own show plan? Visit our ‣ page. We are always happy to help.