Internet connections are everywhere. Smartphones have made it easy to check email, social networking sites, and surf the internet no matter where you are, tradeshows included. Smart exhibitors are taking advantage of this and incorporating internet usage into their tradeshow marketing plan. One of the simplest ways of doing this is to add a blog to your tradeshow PR strategy.

The Benefits Of Blogging

Adding blogging to your list of tradeshow marketing strategies can provide your customers with special insights into your business. Blogs can announce sales, discounts, and special events, or provide information and articles on your company’s industry. Many businesses use their blogs as a way to interact with their customers by encouraging discussions and welcoming feedback on the blog site. This is a great way to build relationships with your customers, which can, in turn, lead to increased business sales.

Incorporating a blog as part of your tradeshow marketing plan operates in the same manner. The idea is to use the blog to drive tradeshow attendees to your booth. Most companies and organizations that exhibit at tradeshows spend loads of time and money marketing their trade show presence before the event even begins and then focus on their exhibit message or trade show goals during the exhibition.

Very few exhibitors consider how to reach their customers at the show. They wait for the customers to come to them, relying on their pre-event marketing to fulfill that goal.

How To Let Show Goers Know You’re Blog Is Active

Blogging can fill this gap. When you live-blog, you can entice customers to stop by your booth. Many trade shows are multi-day events; this gives you an opportunity to market to clients who are at the show right now.

Clients who are attending the show are most likely going to catch up on their email or social media accounts during breaks or at the end of the day. This is your opportunity to grab their attention and drive them to your booth the next day. Perhaps you can post quiz questions on the blog and award prizes for the correct answer – but only if the answer is given in person at your booth. Advertising specialties that relate to social media and blogging would be ideal prizes.

In other cases, co-workers of the attendees, who are back at the office, can read your blog and send word to their exhibit attendees to head over to your booth to catch a certain promotion or deal. This type of blogging works especially well if your customers have subscribed to your blog and receive notices whenever the blog is updated.

Another way to let customers know your blog is active is to use Twitter or other social media accounts to tell them. It’s a simple matter to send a tweet suggesting followers visit your blog for current specials and promotions available only at the tradeshow.

Blogging To Promote Your Tradeshow Attractions

If you have special tradeshow attractions or promotions taking place at the tradeshow, write about it!  Blogs are also a great place to post videos. If you can videotape your visitors scrambling in a money machine or spinning prize wheels, you should! There’s no better way to draw a crowd than to showcase fellow show goers having fun and winning prizes.

Blogs are meant to be ever changing and dynamic – what better way to keep it fresh than to share the excitement of a trade show with your readers in real time?

About the author:

Jonathan Edelman provides helpful advice about trade show strategies. With years of experience in the trenches, he is an expert on booth displays, follow up techniques, and using trade show marketing strategies to boost revenue.