Trade show marketing for software companies

Pick shows by who walks the floor

The right show is the one your buyers attend, not the biggest. Ask organisers for visitor profiles by trade and job role, talk to exhibitors who've done it before, and walk a show as a visitor before committing to a stand.

For UK trades that might mean shows like UK Construction Week, Futurebuild, the Landscape Show, SALTEX or the InstallerSHOW, depending on who you sell to.

Before: fill the diary before the doors open

Booked meetings are worth far more than passing traffic. In the four to six weeks before the show:

• Email your list and prospects with a reason to visit: a live demo, a show-only offer, a talk.
• Run ads to your audience, and to people near the venue in the days before, with a link to book a slot at the stand.
• Post on social media that you'll be there, with the stand number, every week in the run-up.
• Ask existing customers who are going to drop by. Happy customers on the stand are the best salespeople you have.

The stand: one message, readable from the aisle

People decide whether to stop in a couple of seconds, from several metres away. The back wall should say who it's for and what it does, in big type: "Price a landscaping job in five minutes", not your logo and a slogan.

• Screens showing the product doing a real job, on a loop.
• A reason to stop: price their own job live, a quick challenge, a show offer.
• Enough people that nobody waits, and somewhere to sit for a proper demo.

During: capture every conversation properly

A badge scan alone is nearly worthless a week later. For every good conversation, note who they are, what they do, what they need and the agreed next step. Book demos there and then where you can, straight into the calendar.

Film short clips at the show too: the stand busy, customers talking, a quick demo. They make good social posts during the show and good ads after it.

After: the follow-up is where the show pays

• Follow up every lead within 48 hours, personally, referring to what you talked about.
• Retarget everyone who visited your show page or booked a slot, with ads that continue the conversation.
• Send the people you missed a recording of the demo or talk.
• After three months, total the customers won from the show against its full cost, so you know whether to go back.

A short checklist

1. Six weeks out: book the stand, plan the message, start the email and ad campaign.
2. Four weeks out: open stand bookings, brief customers, prepare demo scripts.
3. Show week: confirm bookings by text, staff the stand properly, capture every lead with notes.
4. Within 48 hours: personal follow-up to every lead, retargeting live.
5. Three months on: count the customers, compare with the cost, decide on next year.