A staggering 94% of marketers believe their company fails to convert event leads into opportunities.
This is due to a number of factors, and not just the fact they didn’t follow up with prospects.
When, why, and how you follow up with the people you’ve spoken to on the show floor is just as important.
Our article explores the art of the post-trade show email and how you can master it in five simple steps.
1. Capture and segment your leads
Get this part wrong, and your post-show email strategy will fall at the first hurdle.
Not all trade show leads are created equal, so you have to capture, segment, and rank them accordingly.
Let’s start with the capture part.
When you talk to attendees at a trade show and they express an interest in your product or service, here’s what should happen.
- You use a lead retrieval app such as iCapture, Boomset, Captello, or Cvent LeadCapture, or a similar app provided by the show.
- You scan the person’s badge and upload it to the app, which displays information such as name, job title, phone number, and so forth.
- You can either upload this information to an Excel file, which you then put into your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system after the show, or you can upload it directly to your CRM. Some apps allow you to do this.
What you then want to do—and you need to do this at the show to eliminate delays—is segment the leads.
Make sure you rank them properly, or you could end up sending the wrong email to the wrong person at the wrong time.
The best way to do this is to rank them as either A, B, or C leads, or on a scale of one to five stars.
Here’s how this might look in practice:
- An A lead has a clear need for your product or service, has expressed a strong interest in it, and has the authority to make budgetary decisions. A B lead is someone who is moderately engaged and qualified, but there’s no definitive timeline as to when or if they’ll buy from you. A C lead is someone who’s shown interest in your product or service but is otherwise a poor profile fit.
- Four-and five-star leads are those who are actively seeking a new vendor. Three-star leads require discretion and good judgment on your part—personal outreach is still important, but there’s unlikely to be much immediate movement. One-and two-star leads are relatively happy with their vendor, and there's not an immediate need to explore other options.
Doing this groundwork will give you the most informed, data-driven email outreach strategy. You’ll email the right people at the right time with the right message.
2. Personalize emails accordingly
Personalization is most important for the three-to-five-star leads, or A and B leads.
You need to remember what you talked to them about and mention this in any email(s) you send to them. You want to keep it short and sweet, identifying their specific pain points and needs.
But don’t assume you have to keep it strictly professional. Referencing even the most seemingly trivial of details can go a long way, as we know from first-hand experience of working alongside trade show exhibitors.
It could be:
- The state someone was from.
- An interesting or relatable anecdote they shared.
- Their hobbies and interests.
- Their favorite sports team.
- The names of their kids.
Including this information in your email, even briefly in passing, demonstrates to someone that you’ve listened to them and shown an interest in them as a human, not just a potential customer.
It can reignite meaningful conversations that lead to inquiries, sales, repeat business, and referrals to other people in their network.
For the one- and two-star leads, you need to decide whether you’re going to send them general marketing emails or one-on-one emails. This will obviously depend on the conversation you’ve had with them and the extent to which you believe they’ll be receptive to such forms of communication.
3. Integrate email with social media
Email alone can only do so much, and there are plenty of platforms out there that can help you maximize the effectiveness of your post-show email campaign.
If you’re not currently using a platform like SalesLoft, you’re missing a trick.
This platform allows you to create multi-step sequences that combine emails with social media actions such as connecting with someone on LinkedIn.
Let’s explore this example in more detail.
Say you have a list of 80 one and two-star leads who don’t have an immediate need for your solution.
Here’s how you can craft a seven-email cadence, adding steps between each email, using SalesLoft:
- You start by sending out two emails to this list. The first would be a ‘Great to meet you at the show, here’s how we can help you’ type of email; the second would be a ‘Wanted to make sure you received the below’ type of email.
- Everyone within the cadence who opens the first two emails moves to the third step, which is a LinkedIn connection. You’re notified when it’s time to take that action and given a direct link to the prospect’s LinkedIn profile so that you can send them a connection request.
- The fourth step may be another short email that provides valuable information to the reader rather than push for a response. For example, you could share a resource like a blog article, whitepaper, or case study.
And the cadence continues from there.
You can track your completion of each step so that the cadence continues, and you can log the activity against the contact record.
By creating multiple touchpoints like this, you’re maximizing the impact of your post-show emails. They’re not doing all of the heavy lifting and are more likely to be opened by someone who’s aware of your company via other platforms.
4. Think of post-trade show email follow-ups as an ongoing conversation
As you’ll know if you’ve been exhibiting at trade shows for any amount of time, not all deals get closed overnight. In many cases, they don’t close next week, next month, or even in the next year.
There are some B2B trade shows where deals and contracts actually get signed on the show floor, but some deals take much longer to complete.
In these situations, emails are invaluable in building rapport and sustaining relationships over the long term.
Too often, exhibitors will send out post-show emails as part of a huge wave of activity, which will quickly drop off if a deal isn’t signed.
Instead, you need to prioritize consistent, intentional email communication. You should be prepared to enter into a year‑long email conversation with the majority of your prospects, with the dialogue complemented by the various live events that take place during that timeframe.
The conversation starters will look different for each prospect. For some, it might be as straightforward as, “What needs to happen for us to get started?” or “Let’s get a contract signed and get work underway.” For others, it might be, “You mentioned XYZ at the show. Let me know if anything changes. In the meantime, here are some resources you may find useful.”
Approaching your email communication in this way is how you sustain and build positive energy with your prospects over time. Each email has a clear purpose and tone and gives you the best chance of being front of mind when that person is eventually ready to invest in your solution.
Furthermore, understanding your audience and how they’ll likely respond to your email is essential.
If you send a “Hey, just checking in” email to a Marketing Manager within a day or two of sending your first email, they could find this approach too pushy, and it could deter them from working with you.
However, this approach may be better suited to a busy senior executive such as a VP of Marketing who is in meetings all day, inundated with emails, and simply didn’t see your first message.
You need to read the room. Timing, tone, and cadence will make or break your post-show email efforts.
5. Don’t overthink it!
Yes, there is a certain science behind successful post-trade show emails. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking the whole process has to be regimented or carried out a certain way.
Just as not all trade show leads are equal, not all post-trade show emails should be the same, either.
Exhibitors often place high importance on subject lines. And yes, if you’re sending out a cold email, your subject line matters—a lot.
But if you’re emailing someone with whom you’ve had an in-depth, in-person conversation, or someone who’s downloaded a resource such as a whitepaper, then you don’t need to sweat the subject line as much. They’re expecting to hear from you and are more receptive to the communication.
As long as some form of action is taken before the email is sent, you don't have to overthink it.
Understandably, many exhibitors are perfectionists, and they'll ponder over what to say. This is a good mindset to have in one sense, but a limiting mindset in another.
Again, it goes back to knowing your audience and basing your email on:
- What you talked to them about on the show floor.
- The specific relationship you have with them.
- How you feel they’re likely to respond.
Having this context front-of-mind at all times is key and will stop you from overthinking it when you reach out to prospects.
Capture and convert your ideal leads with The Trade Group
We’ll help you showcase your new solution, attract your ideal leads on the trade show floor, and convert them into long-term, loyal customers.
We do this by taking a different approach to booth design. To us, a booth isn’t just a concoction of materials you take to a trade show.
It’s an immersive, on-brand, storytelling asset that must align with your commercial goals and enhance the attendee experience.
We also have a host of marketing and sales experts in-house who will happily offer up their expertise to help you put your best foot forward before, during, and after your next show.
Discover how we’ve helped other businesses like yours make unforgettable impressions on the show floor since 1986 by watching the testimonial video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ads3oV-x24g
If you’re interested in partnering with us, contact us here or give us a call at (800) 343-2005.
