Food Trade Show Canceled?
Creative Ways to Replace Face-to-Face Lead Generation
The cancellation of several food industry events and trade shows this year has probably left you wondering how you’ll bridge the gap to connect with prospects and bring new customers to your ingredients business — especially in light of travel restrictions and office closures. It is an uncertain time, but there is one thing we can be sure of—when things do return to normal, nothing’s going to be quite the same again.
You’ll need to adopt new communication strategies that help you create a personal connection with buyers in a B2B landscape where you can’t rely on live events or in-person meetings. In the spirit of making lemonade from lemons, we’d like to offer up a potential bright side to these circumstances. Embracing new communication channels might help your business improve how you connect with your target audience, especially the growing number of millennial decision-makers.
As you reassess your outreach efforts for the coming year, here are some suggestions to help you make the best of the situation.
If you’d prepared for an event that was canceled
If you’d booked a booth at a food industry event that’s been canceled, make the best use of the marketing collateral and samples you had planned to distribute in person. If the event provides an attendee list to exhibitors, use it to create a targeted outreach campaign that’s both creative and personalized. Prioritize prospects according to job title and brand fit, and send them your marketing materials. High priority prospects might get a more substantial direct mail piece that includes samples and functions as a “booth in a box.” Take it one step further and add a QR code (they’re making a comeback) that leads prospects to an interactive online experience (more on those below), or send them to download added-value content like a whitepaper or infographic. Follow up with them via email and set up a video conference call.
Were you planning a customer appreciation event to coincide with a trade show? Refocus your energy and budget on creative ways to show some next-level gratitude. If company policy allows, send top prospects a gift card to a restaurant that they can use at a later date. For a more customized approach, choose to support restaurants local to your customers by purchasing gift cards from those. You might also consider having something shipped from an online purveyor of fine foods. Alternatively, send a box of the branded swag you’ve already produced for the tradeshow. No matter how you choose to show your appreciation, a handwritten note and a follow-up phone call will make it feel more personal.
How to replicate the in-person advantage of trade shows (from a distance.)
Now’s the time to think “outside of the booth.” If you were planning to create an immersive brand experience on the trade show floor, how can you translate that into an “event” that wows prospects from a distance?
Plan a virtual trade show or a series of webinars, host a video conference, or set up a drip-email campaign that offers helpful information while creating multiple touch-points with prospects. For even greater impact, combine digital offerings with a direct mail component to create compelling mixed-media experiences. Going the extra mile to answer client questions and provide solutions for their business will establish you as a trusted expert and help you deepen relationships with buyers.
In addition to implementing new and creative marketing initiatives, now is the perfect time to refresh your online presence and increase your interactivity.
Is your digital house in order?
You only get one chance to make a first impression, and if your website is outdated, disorganized, or difficult to navigate, you’re losing customers right at your doorstep. If you have an untapped travel budget or have refunded trade show fees, reallocate those dollars to boost your digital curb appeal.
Now more than ever, the lines are blurring between B2C and B2B consumer expectations, and buyers want an online experience from your business that mirrors what they enjoy about their favorite consumer brands (this is especially true of millennial decision-makers). Use popular consumer websites as the benchmark against which you measure your web upgrade. Make your site vibrant, simple to navigate, include easy opt-ins, and be sure it tells a compelling brand story.
How about social media? Establish an active Facebook presence. Do you sound like an industry expert on LinkedIn? Share relevant industry articles on Twitter. Start a YouTube channel and fill it with interesting and informative videos.
For social content, think strategically about where your prospects are, how they engage on different platforms, and how you can create an interactive experience where they find you. Use exciting and helpful content to attract, educate, and befriend your potential customers. While there is some trial and error involved in this process, lean into your analytics to view granular data and learn what works and what doesn’t.
In place of in-person meetings or conferences, we recommend a conversation-based social strategy. Consider hosting Twitter chats or Facebook Live videos. A client-only Facebook group is a great place to build a sense of community. YouTube functions as a visual search engine and will return your video content as the solution to buyer queries as they research ingredient solutions. Each one of these opportunities, used in combination with webinars or virtual trade shows, will help you build authority in the food ingredients space. When done with care and consistency, each piece of your social presence works together to bring in prospects that already like and trust your business.
Remember, even if you’re not face-to-face, you’re talking to people, not prospects.
Although online communications allow you to reach more than one person at a time, your message is more likely to resonate with your audience if you remember this simple rule—speak (or write) as if you’re addressing one single person. Choose words that make people feel as if you’re speaking directly to them. Avoid phrases like, “each of you,” or “everyone,” which makes people feel like a faceless member of the crowd.
Remember, your potential partners share the uncertainty you feel as you navigate this new way of doing business. They’re looking for solutions from someone they can trust, not generic sales talk.
What will food trade shows look like in the future?
Do we think there will be a return to the events you’ve grown to know and rely on? Yes. And no. Yes, there will be trade shows, but no, they won’t be the same. We think that’s a good thing. In the future, trade shows are going to require more creativity to build an interactive experience that can hold the attention of food ingredient buyers as their demographics evolve. To capitalize on your tradeshow efforts, you’ll need laser-focused pre- and post-show communication to prime prospects beforehand and expand your message after they leave your booth. Start thinking now about how you’re going to bring your A-game to the next trade show you do.
At Media Logic, we’re always ready for the next challenge, and we’re here to help your ingredients business through this one.
