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Tips for Identifying Your Trade Show Target Audience
Exhibiting at trade shows provides companies with the opportunity to get face to face time with thousands of potential clients. The opportunity to increase leads and raise brand awareness is at the forefront of any sound trade show plan.
However, at an exhibition with tens of thousands of attendees, how many people are actually a part of your target audience? Answering this question will go a long way in being able to establish your ROI on trade shows.
If you’re attending a show with 20,000 attendees and expect all of them to be your target audience, your marketing efforts would look very different from the company that segments their audience and strategically targets the 20-30% of the crowd that fits into their target demographic.
In this blog, we’ll review trade show marketing strategies to identify exactly who your target audience actually is at a trade show and how to allocate resources accordingly.
Engage Show Management
One of the first steps in preparing an effective trade show marketing strategy is to engage with the shows management. They hold the keys to some very important data that could help you in your quest to hone in your target audience and engage with more potential leads.
All show managers compile lists of the previous years shows attendees and exhibitors. Digging through that data could provide some eye opening statistics. Of all of the attendees from last year, how many were exhibitor staff or media?
This number could be larger than you think. At a show of 20,000 total attendees, it’s not unusual for a couple of thousand of those individuals to be other exhibiting companies or media members covering the event. You could potentially reduce your target audience number down 20-30% depending on the size of the show just by taking this one step.
Engaging with show management would allow you to significantly refine your target audience by getting rid of the people that you won’t actually be in a position to engage with in the first place. You’ll want to refine your target audience further from here but this is the best first place to start.
Identify Who Aligns with Your Business
Now that we’ve excluded exhibitors and media from our potential audience base it’s time to segment our audience further. Just having a list of the number of people who’ve attended a show won’t tell us much if we don’t learn more about the attendees. The goal should be not just to increase your booth traffic to but to attract attendees that fit the mold of your ideal customer.
Utilizing the list that we received from show management, the next step would be to sort individuals based on the business that they’re in. This will give you a clearer picture of who is actually walking the show floor.
Are there businesses that could benefit from your product or services? Did your competition have a heavy footprint on the show floor the year prior? These are important questions to get answers to. Identifying businesses that fit into your ideal user persona will help you refine your messaging and value propositions to speak directly to your target market.
Out of a trade show of 20,000 people, perhaps just 1,000 of them fit into your ideal customer persona. Knowing that would allow you to adjust your budget and reflect your brand to market to those highly qualified individuals instead of wasting money by casting a wider net when the business opportunities simply don’t exist.
Set Realistic Goals
Now that we’ve refined our target audience it’s time to do some honest goal setting. Let’s stick with the example from above. We’re attending a show with 20,000 attendees but after combing through the data we received from show management we determined that our target audience consists of 1,000 individuals whose business verticals align with our product or services.
The knee jerk reaction here would be to set a goal of capturing the majority of those 1,000 leads while at the show. This would be setting your organization up to fail from the start. Let’s review the reasons why and present a more realistic goal.
Let’s assume that around half of those 1,000 leads aren’t in the market to purchase our goods or services in the next 30 days or simply won’t be interested in our product. This happens all the time in sales. Not everyone is on our sales timeline. This brings us to 500 qualified leads we’re targeting.
Next, of those 500 qualified leads that we have left, let’s cut that number in half. At any trade show you’re going to be one of several companies that offer products or services in your business vertical.
This leaves us with around 250 well qualified leads that we can realistically hope to capture at a show of 20,000. Had you not done this work up front and refined your target audience, you would have created a marketing campaign and budget targeting 20,000 people and then have been frustrated when you didn’t see an ROI.
By utilizing analytics and constantly looking for ways to improve our business intelligence we can strategize appropriately and, ultimately, see the ROI that we all want to see at trade shows.
Bringing it All Together
Utilizing data from show management is a crucial step in identifying your core target audience at trade shows. Show organizers typically provide valuable demographic and behavioral data about attendees, including industry sectors, job titles, and purchasing authority.
By analyzing this information, companies can gain insights into who will be present at the event and tailor their messaging, booth design, and marketing strategies accordingly. This data helps businesses focus their efforts on attracting the right visitors to their booth, maximizing the potential for meaningful interactions and qualified lead generation.
Identifying individuals that align with your business is another essential task in reaching your core target audience. Not every attendee at a trade show will be a potential customer, so it’s important to distinguish between general visitors and those who fit your ideal client profile.
This can be done by analyzing attendee lists, networking before the event, and using tools like badge scanners to track and engage with the most relevant prospects. By focusing on individuals who have a genuine interest in your products or services, companies can make more impactful connections, leading to stronger relationships and higher conversion rates.
Setting realistic goals is also vital in the process of identifying and reaching your target audience at trade shows. Goals should be specific, measurable, and achievable, ensuring that your team is aligned and focused on attracting the right kind of attention.
Whether your objective is to generate a certain number of qualified leads, increase brand awareness within a specific market segment, or build relationships with key decision-makers, setting clear and attainable goals helps to guide your efforts and provides a framework for evaluating success. Realistic goals ensure that your team is not only targeting the right audience but is also prepared to deliver a compelling experience that resonates with them.
By combining data analysis, precise audience targeting, and clear goal-setting, companies can effectively identify and engage their core target audience at trade shows, driving better outcomes and a stronger return on investment.
Industry Leaders for a Reason
InterGlobal Exhibits (IGE) is an award-winning trade show house renowned for creating memorable brand experiences through its expertly crafted custom trade show booths. With a deep understanding of how to capture and hold the attention of trade show attendees, IGE designs booths that not only stand out visually but also tell a compelling brand story.
Each booth is a unique reflection of the client’s brand, meticulously designed to engage, inspire, and leave a lasting impression on visitors. This commitment to excellence and innovation has earned IGE numerous accolades in the industry, solidifying its reputation as a leader in custom trade show booth design.
In addition to crafting bespoke booths, IGE also offers fully customizable rental trade show booths for clients who are not yet ready to commit to owning a booth full-time. These rental options provide the same high-quality design and functionality as custom-built booths, allowing businesses to make a significant impact without the long-term investment.
Whether a company is testing new markets, attending a show for the first time, or simply prefers the flexibility of renting, IGE’s customizable booths offer the perfect solution. Clients can choose from a range of designs and features that align with their brand and exhibition goals, ensuring they still stand out on the show floor.
For those interested in exploring the possibilities, IGE offers a no-risk, no-cost consultation to discuss their needs and vision. This consultation includes a detailed 3D rendering of the proposed booth design and a comprehensive cost estimate, giving clients a clear picture of what to expect without any obligation.
IGE’s expert team is dedicated to helping businesses achieve their trade show objectives, whether through a custom build or a rental solution, making the process seamless and stress-free from start to finish.