Boost your customer relationships with customer engagement

In today’s fast-paced world, it's easier than ever for brands to connect with consumers. The advantage? You can quickly reach your target audience. The downside? Is your message really getting through? With the fleeting content your audience sees, they quickly forget what they’ve seen. That’s why genuine contact remains crucial. It creates a lasting impression and engagement. This is precisely why trade shows, events, and other ‘brand experiences’ are essential for large brands.

Before we show how clients like Samsung and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners – Fuze Tea use trade shows to enhance customer engagement, let’s first discuss why this is so important for strong brands.

Why customer engagement is the key to a lasting customer relationship

You want customers not only to buy but also to come back and promote your brand. Because retaining your customers is more valuable than attracting new ones. Customer Engagement is key to this. Quality interaction leads to a bond with the brand or organization. We’d love to show you how you can build strong and lasting customer relationships with Customer Engagement at trade shows and events.

Strategies for creating customer engagement

There are many ways to enhance customer engagement, both online and offline. Using multiple channels is essential so that you have various touchpoints with your customers. Events and trade shows are particularly effective. Why?

• Personal interaction: At a trade show or event, you have direct human contact. This helps you build strong relationships and trust.
• Creating brand experience: Choose the right event where your customers will be present, or invite them to the event you are organizing.

Let’s look at two examples from our clients mentioned above: Samsung and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners – Fuze Tea.

“Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer value.” – Philip Kotler

Samsung at Masters Expo

Samsung was at this trade show to introduce their audience to new products, such as the new Flip-phone. Visitors could take a photo with the phone at the selfie wall and share it directly on social media. This enhanced customer engagement in several ways:

1. It introduces new products to (potential) customers.
2. Visitors can test the product themselves.
3. Shareable experiences via the selfie wall provide extra exposure on social media. (After all, who doesn’t want to show that they were at a high-end event like Masters Expo?)

Fuze Tea at Horecava

This iced tea brand aimed to offer visitors a complete sensory experience through color, scent, taste, hearing, and touch. With a social wall, scent machine, sound shower, and a phone charging station, they enhanced customer engagement:

1. The social wall allowed visitors to share their experience online.
2. The scent machine created a lasting memory (more about scent marketing).
3. The charging station attracted visitors to the stand and solved an immediate problem, leading to new introductions or a strengthened bond with the brand.

As you can see, there are various ways to increase customer engagement through a trade show. But what if a trade show or event has just taken place? Then it’s time for online visibility! Use email marketing, social media interaction, and share valuable content such as blogs, white papers, or videos to keep your customers engaged.

Key considerations

To make customer engagement effective, you need to consider several aspects:

• Personal approach: Use personalized communication to meet your customers' specific needs and interests.
• Consistent brand experience: Ensure that your brand message and experience are consistent across all channels. This strengthens your brand’s recognizability and reliability.
• Collect and use feedback: Actively ask for feedback and use it to improve your products, services, and customer interactions. Show customers that their opinion is valuable.
• Transparency and honesty: Be open and honest in your communication. Transparency builds trust and strengthens the relationship with your customers.
• Quick & efficient customer service: Respond quickly to questions and issues. Excellent customer service contributes to a positive customer experience and increases loyalty.

Time to take action!

Before you start organizing your next event, we have a few ideas you can apply:

Invite customers to a live demonstration of your latest software, where they can experiment and give feedback on the spot.

Give away exclusive gadgets or product samples to event visitors, such as reusable water bottles with your logo or a free trial pack of your latest product. Organize an exclusive event just for your customers, such as a networking reception or an inspiring lecture with a well-known industry speaker, or a dinner at a unique location.

By strategically utilizing these moments, you not only strengthen the bond with your current customers but also attract new ones. Make sure your brand experience is consistent and always stay open to feedback to keep growing.

Want someone to think along with you? Then feel free to get in touch or read our blog on Brand Activations for Success at Trade Shows for more inspiration.