How big data boosts your trade show results

Rowan van der Veen
Sep 10, 2018 8:31:00 AM

Do you remember that time when all you needed for a trade show was a nice looking stand and some crisps? Well, we do. Nowadays we look much further than an excellent stand design, like focusing on generating results! And yes, this does take effort. You can thank big data for that. In this blog, we will help you to understand the added value of big data for your exhibitions and give you tips to generate better results. Thank us later!

 

So, what is big data again? Big Data Expo tells us the following:

‘When data is collected in databases, this can be analyzed which creates new insights. This data shows us what works and what should be focused on.’ Thus, big data is a whole bunch of data (of any kind) which gives us insights and answers on questions we wouldn’t otherwise even come up with.

Marketeers use big data on a daily basis to learn more about their prospects’ needs, interests and how they can reach out to them on social media. This way, they can provide them with content that targets those needs and interests in order to sell products or create brand engagement. This increases the conversion rate of marketing activities and creates an increased measurability which stimulates improvement (which again increases conversion in the long run).

A great example of the versatility of big data is the Adidas Green Light Run in Tokyo. By using big data, they were able to analyze the timing of every traffic light in the city and create a running trial in the size of a marathon throughout the city. This way, runners could run an entire marathon without having to stop for traffic lights. Quite impressive!

 

 

But how do you use big data for your exhibition participations? We described some answers on this question in the following tips:

 

TIP #1  Meet your prospects before the trade show

Usually, it takes more than one touchpoint to get a person buying from or engaging with your business. So why wait to meet your future visitors until you are on the exhibition, when you can approach them on social media with sponsored content and ads? The sooner you start, the more effective your trade show will be. When people have engaged with your brand before the show, the possibility of them buying from you on the show will only increase. Apart from that, the amount of people visiting your stand during the show will increase too. Double win!

 

Tip #2  Personalized e-mail campaigns: the way to go!

It may be clear that each exhibitor wants as many people on their stand as possible during a trade show. These visitors are, especially for B2B, only of real value when they leave their personal data. The more data, the better you can approach each lead with relevant content and offers, the higher the chance of new business. Luckily there exist great apps which help you to easily scan business cards and save additional information as a prospect’s demographics, interests and subjects discussed during the show. This way, you can easily generate an overview of the gathered leads, categorize them based on product of interest and send them personalized e-mails in which you emphasize that specific product. This way, you build a relevant follow-up process and increase your chance of sales.

Easy? Well, not really. Developing a trade show campaign which incorporates these strategic elements is one of the most difficult things to do in event marketing. All tools are available, now it’s up to you to create a solid process that helps you to achieve your trade show objectives and matches seamlessly with your brand. You will have to invest some time and effort but trust us: it will be worth it!

 

Tip #3  Exhibition without big data: missed opportunity!

In short: always take the subject ‘big data’ with you during the preperations of your exhibition participation. This way, you work on a structured way towards your exhibition objectives. You will get a clear vision about who your organization reached before, during and after the exhtibion. 

More information about big data and how you can apply this as a company you will discover during the Big Data Expo, on 19 and 20 September 2018 in the Jaarbeurs Utrecht.

Are you still a bit stuck with the use of big data with your trade fair participation? We’re happy to help you on your way. Contact us and let’s talk about the possibility’s!

Like this article?

If you want to be notified about new blogs, please fill in your email address to subscribe to our newsletter.

Rowan van der Veen
By Rowan van der Veen Online marketeer

Also interesting for you