This blog post is part of “The Ultimate Guide to Public Relations” blog series.
The International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) is a world-renowned technology tradeshow held in Las Vegas at the beginning of each year. We thought it would be a great idea to give advice about pre-trade show outreach for CES, or any trade show for that matter.
CES attracts over 150,000 visitors and more than 3,000 exhibitors each year. With this many attendees and exhibitors, many companies struggle to reach out to their ideal customers and journalists during the show. Don’t forget about the pressure from your C-level executive to produce high returns after spending thousands of dollars on tradeshow expenses. It is very important to come away from the show with quality leads, customers, and have media outlets cover your brand. If done correctly, pre-show outreach will help deliver the goals and objectives your company has set for a successful tradeshow.
Here are some effective pre-show outreach strategies to drive traffic to your booth:
Announce a Product
Sending a press release or newsletter to a list of media outlets, influential journalists, stakeholders, partners, and customers is always a great way to announce your company’s newest product. This announcement should speak directly to the show’s attendees and get them excited to come by your booth to learn about the big news! For best results, many companies hire an agency to create a number of releases prior to the show.
Book Personal Meeting Appointments
Email or call customers, journalists, partners, and stakeholders that you would like to have a personal meeting with during the show. Set up an appointment so you can chat one-on-one with your attendees without distractions of other individuals. These meetings can take place at your booth or off-site to get a better understanding as to what the individuals questions or problems are. If they are not planning on attending the show, your invitation shows you are thinking about them and can strengthen your relationship in the long run.
Secure Editorial Space with Industry Publications
Journalists tend to be very busy during tradeshows, not having enough time to interact with everyone they would like to. Be sure to contact journalists and secure editorial content months before their schedules fill up. Most journalists are willing to arrange your press under an embargo or NDA if it is news that your company is releasing at the tradeshow. Securing space in industry publications can have a large effect on your company’s tradeshow ROI.
Reach out to Your Social Media Followers
Drive visitors to your booth through social media. Find out the official twitter hashtag and start following users who interact in conversations about the show. Use this hashtag on all tweets before and during the show. Also, create a Facebook event page to target users attending the event who match your company’s buyer persona.
Hope this gives you a good idea into some effective pre-show outreach strategies for CES or your next trade show. Please don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions.
This blog post is part of “The Ultimate Guide to Public Relations” blog series.
