Trade shows are great at helping you build connections and generate leads. Many companies invest a lot to have their team go out and set up a booth at trade shows. However, what happens after the event? If you don’t plan your follow up before the event, you will just be wasting your time and money. Below, we will go into the best ways to follow up after a trade show and how to make yourself stand out from competitors.
Personalize your subject line
You need to include a short and sweet subject line. Try and avoid the words “invite,” “join,” and “confirm.” These are a few of the most ineffective words to include, and your prospect might ignore your email. You could also consider including their name in the subject line.
Also, don’t forget to make it clear that it’s a follow up email. There is a high chance they will be flooded with cold emails from the event. They know that over half of those emails are most likely spam. By personalizing your subject line, you will help yourself stand out from the crowd. You also might get lucky and end up with a long term customer.
Keep the email short and to the point
The body of your email needs to be short. Your main goal is to spark their memory of you and get a response. You need to remind them of who you are and what you discussed at the trade show. Then, remind them of what you can do for them. Along with this, make sure you keep things relevant to your previous discussion.
If you told them you’d send over informative resources, include that in your email. Instead of including an attachment, give them a link to your website. By sending a link, you may encourage them to click around and learn more.
Finally, give them an easy and straightforward call to action. This could be scheduling a meeting or giving them a product demo.
Avoid these mistakes
While you might be excited to reach out to prospective customers, it’s easy to make mistakes. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Don’t flag your emails as a high priority. This screams spam and is an unnecessary push. Also, don’t give them more than one call to action. Based on the original goals of the trade show, decide the most important one and include it. Adding multiple makes everything over complicated and tends to require multiple steps. Lastly, don’t forget to include a detailed email signature. Your signature should include a phone number and the address of your business. Also, include a link to your website. By including this information, it’s easily available for them to access and be able to contact you.
Don’t try to rush things
While you shouldn’t wait weeks before sending a follow up email, you can wait a few days. Following the show, they still may be traveling or swamped with emails and work of their own. Two or three days is a good amount of time to wait before sending your first email. You should then extend your wait period by a few days before sending them any other emails. They may be in contact with their boss or coworkers to hopefully become a client of yours. There is no need to rush them. That will only push them away from wanting to work with you.
Once is never enough
You need to follow up more than once. This will help increase your chances of success. In these emails, you need to focus on the value that you can offer them. Make sure to keep it personalized and try to build on your past conversations. If they are giving you bland responses, try to incorporate new offerings you may have or as if they’ll be at another upcoming event. While going to trade shows can be expensive, make sure it’s worth your while by having a secure plan for following up. These emails can help you build credibility and close sales.