10 Ideas & Tools for Generating Relationships at Tradeshows

Nate Riggs, Principal & Strategist

Social Business Strategies

The Era of Lead Generation 2.0

10 Ideas & Tools You Can Use TODAY

• Opening relationships before the show – “I see you”

• Listening, attraction and booth engagement – “Your welcome here”

• Nurturing relationships after the show - “baby steps”

1. Use Flowtown to Locate Attendee Profiles

• Every social network requires an email address

• Most shows provide email addresses of attendees

• Use Flowtown to quickly and easily locate attendee profiles

2. Socially Integrate Your Show Database

• Make sure to log all social media profiles for contacts in your database

• Some CRM’s integrate dynamic feeds

• Tools I suggest:

– BatchBook

– HighRise

3. Build Attendee Twitter Lists

• Set up a list for the show

• Follow the attendees you can locate and add them to the list

• Implement the list in an aggregator like Seesmic Desktop, Hootsuite or Tweetdeck

• Lurk, listen and engage in conversation

4. Leverage Your Personal Profile-Based Networks

• Establish a more permanent connection and data flow

• Typically LinkedIn, but Facebook as well – ask them what they prefer

• Mention the show as a reason to connect – common interest

• You MUST have a profile, be a user!

5. Listen to the Show Outposts

• Bring an extra LCD monitor to your booth

• Search for the name of the show on Twitter

– search.twitter.com

– Collecta.com

6. Use Branded Twitter Hash Tags to Create Top of Mind Booth Awareness

• Create and use a branded hash tag for your company

– Example: #SkylineEX

• Create and use a hash tag for your booth

– Example: #booth1581

• Use both on all of your show related Tweets

– Example: Thanks to @BeOnScene for stopping by #skylineEX #booth1581 – it was great meeting you!

• Tweeting Often while at the show creates visibility!

7. Equip Booth Staff with Smart Side Arms

8. Create a Visual Experience & Give It Away

• Video interview booth visitors - feature and tag them on your company blog

• Snap pictures of visitors, and send them those images as follow up

– Twitpic

– Yfrog

• On Facebook & Flickr, tag these images with company and individual names

9. Using Your Company Blog as Follow Up

• Write special recap posts and reactions from the show with additional information and resources

• Ask select booth visitors to guest post on your company blog

• Follow up with prospects to get more video interviews.

• Use Skype Recorder for long distances

10. Use Social Networks to Stay Visible

• Spend time learning about booth attendees from their profiles

• Use the TripIt Application to set up live visits via LinkedIn