When it comes to standing out in a

crowded marketplace — online or otherwise — strategy is important. For

companies, B2B trade shows and expos are no different. (B2B is short for business-to-business.)

In fact, pop-up banners and black

tablecloths are not cutting it anymore.

“There are lot of opportunities to reach your audience, but what’s most

important is that you need something catchy, a giveaway or a game, you can’t

just have information or a flag, you need something to draw them in,” said

Heather Breymeyer, director of sales at the Three River Convention Center in

Kennewick.

Josh Kandle, director of marketing at

Cougar Digital Marketing & Design, agreed: “When you walk in to a trade

show, you are there to see something, do something or take something. You need

to provide all those experiences at your booth. You want some kind of

engagement, which creates muscle memory and elicits an action.”

Cougar Digital recently launched Crimson

Vine Marketing, a marketing agency specializing in wineries and wine-related

businesses, at the Washington Winegrowers Association annual convention and

trade show in February at the Three Rivers Convention Center.

The West Richland-based company had a two-pronged approach: give away 20 wine barrel staves with custom hand lettering to those who agreed to share an anecdote — aptly called “Washington Wine Stories” — which were recorded and shared across social media sites.

“It allowed them to have an experience

at our booth, while in turn we’re providing something of value to our booth

visitors — visibility,” Kandle said.

Kandle said trade shows provide also a

great opportunity to generate content like videos, online reviews and social

media engagements.

Games also offer an interactive

component to help potential customers engage in a way that feels natural. They

also can be great conversation starters.

“From guessing how much of something

is in a container, to putt putt golf, to Wheel of Fortune, you can try

different things to make your visitors engage with and have a positive

experience,” Breymeyer said.

Brandon Lange, recreation, facility

& marketing supervisor at the city of Kennewick, said the city’s Parks and

Recreation Department’s s’mores-making station at the January Tri-City Family

Expo was popular with children and their parents.

Promotional items and expo swag are

important, but they have to be unique and useful to your audience — pens and

mousepads won’t cut it anymore, Breymeyer said.

But how do you get people to know

where you are in a crowded show floor?

Social media campaigns work, but

Cougar Digital took it a step further by using geofencing to serve up ads using

the Google Display Network and Facebook to people around the convention center.

Breymeyer said business’ behavior in

the booth is just as important as how nice the booth looks. It’s important to

always maintain eye contact, she said, and suggests putting down the phone.

“Make eye contact, stand in front of

your booth, and walk out toward people in the aisle, be inviting,” she said.

“If you don’t look at them, they’re going walk on by.”

Lange said the post-show follow-up is

just as important as what happens during the trade show and sometimes it pays

to be craftier than email.

“There is a change in marketing. More

than ever, people don’t want to be sold to, they want to be the ones making the

decision,” Lange said. “An email is easy but impersonal. A personal follow-up

is going to be better because it shows you’ve taken the time. If you’re trying

to drive revenue, a call would be better, especially if it’s a big sale.”

Lange suggested asking leads and booth

visitors to sign up for the email list as a way to receive information, so they

feel they have control.

But, there’s an even bigger shift

happening when it comes to acquiring new business after a trade show.

“There’s a new tactic we’re seeing

that if you want to work with someone or get somebody’s business, follow them

on social media and engage with them,” Lange said.

Thomas Dickinson, store manager for

Rick’s Custom Fencing & Decking in Kennewick, a winner at the Home &

Garden Show, advises against trying to display everything at your booth.

Instead, he recommends creating a simple booth that displays a vision for what

your ideal customer wants. The strategy worked: the company’s booth won an

award for best multi-space arena exhibit at the event.

“Last year, we were trying to show and

display everything we did,” he said. “This year, we built a cedar deck pergola

trying to make it easier for them to envision what a project would look like at

their home.”

And it was a hit. It didn’t hurt that

they also were giving away a Traeger, he said.

But he agreed, follow up is important.

“Making sure that everybody that you

talk to with is given a proper follow-up,” he said. “Everybody was called by

Monday.”