This is how you structurally increase lead quality at trade fairs

Fairs and exhibitions are an integral part of the marketing and sales strategy for many companies in the manufacturing industry. On average, 1 to 3 fairs are visited per year.
For 83% of manufacturing companies, trade shows are even a crucial link in lead generation. Nevertheless, almost half of these companies (42%) indicate afterwards that the quality of the leads gained  is sub-par.
In this blog, we tell you how to structurally increase your lead quality on the modern exhibitions.

Collecting leads at a modern exhibition

The use of a direct CRM integration at the exhibition is the new standard for more and more companies.
Manual entry of business cards is a thing of the past; exhibitors use mobile applications that not only scan contact details, but directly enrich them with external data (such as company size, etc.).
More and more tools can also measure this input directly against your specified ICP and make a selection based on that. As a result, the sales team immediately has a complete customer profile with prioritization of follow-up.
This immediately increases lead quality.In addition, the emphasis on data collection is increasingly shifting to First-Party Data Collection (The visitor gives you information in exchange for something relevant).
Think of QR codes for exclusive content or attending a special demo or preview of a product. Here, visitors give explicit permission for the use of their data. This immediately provides deeper insights into the prospect's specific needs.

How succeful B2B organizations follow up on leads during and after the fair.

The key to a successful conversion lies in the “Speed to Lead” combined with hyper-personalized relevance.
The goal is to immediately redeem the connection created during the physical conversation at the fair via a digital channel. How do you go about this?
There is three concrete solutions:

Automation as a foundation

The follow-up actually starts on the exhibition. Once a lead has been noted, the CRM system triggers a personalized workflow.
A lead who has seen a specific demo, for example, will receive a thank-you email with more information about the solution or a link to an exclusive video recap within the same day.
This isn't a generic “thank you for visiting” email, but a message that harks back to the specific pain points shown at the demo, or discuss during a conversation.

The transition to human interaction

Although automation ensures speed, the human factor remains crucial to closing the deal. The key is to use data to prioritize the leads.
A lead with a high qualification score must be contacted personally within 24 hours via LinkedIn or phone by the sales representative who spoke to the prospect at the stand.
This can be done by letting the CRM automation use the notes that were entered into the app immediately after the conversation.

Contextual relevance

Instead of a generic sales pitch, modern follow-up is about adding value. Submit a relevant article, invite the lead to an in-depth webinar, or offer a free audit.
By guiding the prospect through a customized content funnel, you build authority.
At a time when decision processes are more complex and involve more stakeholders, this consistent, valuable presence ensures that your brand stays top-of-mind when the ultimate purchasing moment comes.

The implementation of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) at exhibitions

Implementing a strong ABM campaign before a campaign, marks the shift from a reactive to a proactive commercial strategy with the stand ad the exhibition as the high-quality conversion point.
You set potential customers up with a specific targeted campaign, act on their presence with the right conversations at the exhibition and then follow-up with a strong retargeting campaign.

The Preparation Phase: Precision Targeting

The process starts a few months before the exhibitions opens by establishing a list of accounts to be targeted.
This is created based on known data (website visits, lead scoring, etc.) or a list of accounts that are the ideal customer profile. Through personalized LinkedIn campaigns, this list is then targeted with ads that resonate with the position in the funnel where that lead is currently located.
In addition, the goal is to reach only decision-makers and the most important influencers of these selected companies. By offering this target group exclusive access to knowledge or experts at the stand, the IPO is positioned as an indispensable business moment for them.
As a result, the sales team's agenda is already filled with qualitative agreements before the first day of trading starts.

Real-Time Recognition and Personalization

During the event, modern tools provide the bridge between data and dialogue. When a visitor has their badge scanned, the interface links it directly to the CRM. In the case of a strategic account, the responsible account manager receives an immediate notification.
The conversation that follows is not general, but builds on previous digital interactions, such as downloaded white papers or product pages viewed, and this contextual relevance significantly increases the exhibitor's authority.
After this physical appointment, the new insights are added to the CRM.

Focused on decision makers

Because B2B decisions are made by a group, the so called Decision Making Unit, the ABM campaign focuses on the entire Buying Committee.
While one stakeholder might visit the physical stand, the rest of the purchasing team is digitally fed with relevant case studies and insights via a campaign.
This integrated approach ensures that the exhibition experience immediately resonates within the entire team.
As a result, the ROI is no longer expressed in the volume of loose contacts, but in the acceleration and increase of contract values within the most important customer segments.

Create relevance with the right content around your fair

As the marketing agency for the manufacturing industry, we are happy to help you get the most out of your participation in the trade fair.
We are happy to help you with the deployment of an effective campaign, or can be standardized through us BeursBoost give your stock market an immediate boost.