Virtual trade shows and virtual events are quite common these days. Advances in the virtual event industry are changing the way marketing works. It’s a popular movement that’s heading towards completely virtual sales tactics. A good example of this is a product trade show. Connecting with customers directly requires a lot of speculation and tactics, but product trade shows make this easier thanks to easy access to qualified leads.
The same concept applies to virtual product trade shows, it’s just that the experience is completely digital and online. People can attend from the comfort of their homes, and you can try to get a better return on your initial investment. Virtual trade shows are growing for a good reason, so we’ve cherry-picked a few of them.
1. Better Qualified Leads
A virtual product trade show allows you to have better sales and lead opportunities. That’s partly because you can reach a wider, more diverse audience through a virtual product trade show compared to an in-person one.
Attendees coming at trade shows are, more often than not, interested in these products; meaning these people are qualified leads. Since these people are already interested, it’s easier to convert them into customers. That’s why companies should cash such opportunities by exhibiting there and attracting a diverse range of potential customers.
But virtual trade show platforms will attract a lot of other exhibitors. And that is why you need to be ahead of your game to outstand the rest. For that you’ll need to work on your branding and design virtual booths that represent your brand voice.
vFairs allows exhibitors to design personalized booths so much so that they can also design their booth attendant personas, allowing them to represent what their company stands for.
You can also track these qualified leads for follow-up marketing so that you don’t miss any opportunities.
2. Stronger Brand Image
Product trade shows provide branding opportunities to both small businesses and large corporations. The smaller brands can leverage such large, targeted crowds at these shows to spread the word about their products. This gets them a valuable amount of exposure without spending too much money. And at virtual product trade shows, you don’t even have to invest in a fancy physical booth.
3. Research Opportunities
If you’re attending a trade show relevant to your industry, you’ll see a lot of competitors there. This is the perfect time to learn more about your industry, it’s trends, and your competition.
Think of it as a chance to learn from the competition and connect with professionals. Keep an eye out for how others are branding themselves, what tactics are being used, what’s working and what isn’t. This will allow you to benchmark and improve on your weak points for future events.
4. Build A Stronger Community
Product trade shows are a great way to socialize. This applies to both people and the exhibitors. As an exhibitor, you’ll run into a lot of professionals in the same industry as you. Don’t shy away from this as you can build business relationships even online.
It’s easier to become a silent spectator when you’re hidden behind a screen. However, you need to get out there and become an active participant. You can do this by starting discussions, asking questions, and scheduling networking sessions.
If you make your presence known at the trade show, there are chances that a few industry professionals will reach out to you after the online event is over. You can reach out to them through email, connect with them on social media platforms, and even schedule meetings.
5. Gain Some Experience
If nothing else, you are going to gain a lot of experience from attending a virtual product showcase. It will allow you to understand how to move within the online space and effectively incorporate marketing strategies.
Since virtual events have brought along a plethora of benefits, it is entirely possible that a lot of events might move entirely online even after the pandemic has ended. So it’s better to be early to the party and gain some experience so that you’re in a better position to create future marketing strategies for your company.
6. Strong Data Capture
At most physical trade shows, you’ll likely get a basic attendance report for the booth. At virtual product trade shows, you can get meaningful data that relates to the prospects that attend your booth. You will be able to see who is the target audience for your product/service, and what prospects can convert into your customers.
It also allows you to connect with prospects after the event. You can come up with follow-up strategies that leverage personalized content based on such event analytics.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, exhibiting at a trade show is mostly a win-win scenario. You get better prospects, valuable insight, and might be able to get a better ROI.
There’s not much to lose by participating in an event. You can even come up with high-quality creative commercials and keynotes to stand out. If you put in the work, exhibiting at a virtual product trade show will allow you to reach your sales and marketing goals with minimal investment.
