Business events and trade shows are valuable for early-career marketers; they bring marketing to life. At a business event, you can watch people form attention, pause to think, exhibit curiosity, express confusion and build trust in person.
Look at How People React
Trade shows give you something dashboards cannot: human reaction. You can see which message stops someone cold, which word causes someone to nod, which explanation causes a visitor to lose interest. Pay close attention to the opening minutes of each conversation. What was the question that opened up the door? Which words sounded natural? Which words sounded like they had been forced? This will help you realise that marketing is more than just talking more. In fact, much of the time, marketing is about finding a way to say the right thing in simple terms so that a prospect cares.
You also find out how various types of people view the same opportunity. A financial director may want to know the price of a solution. A founder may be concerned with speed. An entry-level professional may want to know how to use the product. Any good marketer recognises these differences and adjusts their approach without creating a mess of the message.
Recognise the Connection Between Design & Trust
Design does not have to be merely decorative at a business event. Design affects the confidence people have in organisations. The configuration of a booth, the quality of the printed materials, lighting and even the placement of individuals within a booth all contribute to how visitors interact.
This is where you can gain insight from aspects of a booth, including signage, product display and custom exhibition stand design. These elements illustrate how brand identity transitions from screens into physical spaces. Visitors seem to breathe easier when they believe every aspect of a booth has been thoughtfully planned. Conversely, when a booth appears disorganised, visitors usually leave quickly.
The lessons learned here allow you to expand your thinking past copy. Each contact point represents some type of messaging, regardless of who formally conveys the information.
Listen to Sales Conversions Without Interfering With Them
Another great opportunity while at a trade show is listening to sales conversions without interrupting them. Listen to understand rather than to evaluate.
You will hear the questions that prospects ask themselves prior to making a purchase. You will hear the doubts that customers do not report in customer surveys. You will also hear how seasoned sales professionals describe value without sounding canned.
Write down the most common questions asked by potential customers. These questions can be used to create more compelling website copy, e-mail campaigns, brochures or social media updates.
Use Your Findings to Create New Ways of Creating Quality Marketing Content
Do not simply measure the number of leads generated after attending an event and then forget about the experience. Take time to reflect on what you observed. Which messages seemed to generate results? Which print materials did attendees ignore? Which sales conversion seemed to flow naturally?
Business events provide evidence that marketing exists independently of people. Rather, marketing is tied directly to people’s concerns, hesitation, decisions and initial impression. The faster you recognise and begin to identify those moments as opportunities for growth in your own work, the better your work will ultimately perform.
Featured image: Pavel Danilyuk
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