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GEO TARGETED ADS FOR TRADE SHOWS & EVENTS
Savvy trade show exhibitors know that it’s not up to the show producers to do all their promoting for them. Well planned and executed pre-show and onsite mobile marketing along with geo targeted ads can have a huge impact in driving qualified attendees to a booth.
MOBILE ADS FOR PRE-SHOW MARKETING.
Before the show, event marketers traditionally use a strategic combination of post cards, email, phone calls and letters along with social media and web advertising to encourage the most qualified attendees to visit the booth. A recent study by Exhibitor Magazine says “33 percent of respondents spend less than 1 percent of their exhibit-marketing budgets on pre-show tactics. But not everyone is pinching pennies when it comes to courting new and existing clients leading up to an event: One in 10 companies invests more than 10 percent of its exhibiting budget on pre-show promotions.”
In addition to these traditional advertising methods, targeted social mobile advertising can be a part of this preshow promo mix. Exhibitors can utilize email lists of existing customer or prospects to create custom audiences and deliver social and mobile geo targeted ads directly to those who may be attending the trade show. Additional target audiences can be built based on specific job titles, industries, interests, online behaviors and other key demographics.
The next important challenge is how to reach attendees the days or week of the actual event when they are in town and at the convention itself. One of the best solutions is mobile advertising. (note: this reference to mobile advertising is pop up and display ads and social media ads, not the LED trucks that drive around neighborhoods.)
SOCIAL MOBILE ADS REACH ATTENDEES BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE EVENT.
Geo-targeted social mobile advertising allows exhibitors to reach show attendees on their mobile devices both inside and outside of the exhibit hall during the show and after hours. In addition to reaching people on the show floor itself, the exhibitor’s expanded reach can now include other common areas in the show venue along with show hotels, local entertainment venues, local transit such as cabs and trains, and nearby restaurants.Mobile banner ads and social media ads can invite attendees to visit with booth personnel, schedule an appointment, enter a contest or redeem a show special. T
here can also be a “click to call” button to immediately speak directly to someone in the booth. Social mobile ad campaigns especially geo targeted ads can launch during show set up and run until the day following the close of the event in order to reinforce the message to attendees. This is a great strategy to reach those who may be in town early to set up their booth or host pre show sales training, as well as to reach those who are using their mobile device while waiting for a cab or at the airport waiting for their flight back home after the show.
SOCIAL MOBILE ADS COULD BE A TRADE SHOW PROMOTIONS GAME CHANGER.
On the show floor, exhibitors often have one opportunity to capture the attention of buyers as they walk past the booth. The next time you’re at an event, pay special note to how often and where you see an attendee on his or her mobile phone. Mobile advertising provides opportunity to engage or reengage with attendees on their phones even when they aren’t in front of the booth.