Now that the show is here, we have additional ideas to help ensure you stand out! Following are some great in-show ideas to compound your efforts both at the show and in the surrounding city. Be sure you have a team that can visit local bars, restaurants, hotels and venues where show goers will gather as they arrive in the city and in the evenings after each day’s session.
Outside the Conference
- If you are handing out swag such as shirts, hat or wearable items, bring enough to give out to the show shuttle drivers, area hotel bellhops and bartenders. You may need to tip them to wear, but the exposure both pre, during, and after show are worth it! Offer them an instant prize if one of your staff sees them wearing it!
- Tip bar tenders to use your witty private coasters at restaurants and bars near the convention center. Number them and encourage people to stop by the booth to see if they have won something.
At the Booth
- Host a wireless charging station at your booth—and give them a fun activity to do while they wait which incorporates showing your wares or services.
- Hold a contest or raffle – something simple, fast, and compelling.
- Incentivize people to tweet something about your booth, preferably including photos.
- Hand out branded gum or mints that buck the status quo message. Leave them with a good taste in their mouth.
Outside Areas
- If the show has an outside area with food vendors, (such as hot dogs, taco, or popcorn) get in touch with them and provide them with your branded custom paper holders. It will be free advertising for you and save the vendor on their supplies. They’ll probably take you up on it in a flash!
- Hire a celebrity impersonator or character outside the event. Who wouldn’t want to be near Marilyn Monroe?
- Have a street musician touting your message in witty songs.
- Put up an interactive slide show broadcast on a building near the convention center.
After the Fact – Evaluate Your Success
Start with a post-show debrief. Figure out what worked well and what could be improved upon. When you measure the success of your guerrilla marketing efforts, look beyond immediate sales and leads and see how your social media engagement has changed. If you’ve got people’s interest, you’re on your way. For some specific metrics, you should look at how many Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn followers you gained from the show, how many tweets you sent with the official hashtag, and how many social conversations you engaged in related to the show.
Make sure to take advantage of any momentum and follow up! If you used social media channels to engage and attract feedback, make sure you continue the conversation. Tweet photos, use Pinterest and Facebook and give people the validation that their effort was worth their time. Then, think about what guerilla tactic you’ll use at the next show.
If you’d had luck with any of the marketing suggestions we’ve listed here, or have some of your own guerrilla marketing tactics to share, we’d love to hear your feedback.
