OmniChannel Success @ Foodservice Tradeshows

Tradeshows are a cornerstone of the foodservice industry, offering a unique opportunity to connect with chefs, manufacturers, and distributors. But in today's omnichannel landscape, simply having a booth isn't enough. To truly maximize your ROI and build lasting relationships, foodservice suppliers need a strategic approach.

This blog will explore how to leverage an omnichannel approach to maximise your returns from a B2B tradeshow by investigating

• Strategy,
• Pre-show marketing,
• @ Event and
• Omnichannel Sales conversion.
  

Strategy: A tradeshow event is one touchpoint in the buying journey, and should not be considered in isolation. 

• Define your audience & why the tradeshow presents a unique touchpoint in their buying journey:
  1. Who are your 3 ideal customers and what 3 solutions they will seek out at the show? 
     • Determine your targeting, messaging, sales script and measurable KPI's.
     • Pre-show media testing will confirm if the solutions excite the target audience to be effective on stand  
  2. What interaction will help move these focus customers along the buying journey?
     • Awareness of the consumer trend/demand and how to best promote the ingredient in menu?
     • Consideration of solution options with technical knowledge and sampling experiences that are best delivered in person?
     • Deliver this interaction with the right people, product samples, demonstrations and signage.
  3. What do you expect the lead to do in response to their experience at your stand or demonstration?
     • Do you have a post show communication plan to nurture your leads...?

• How will you measure success?
  • Few B2B tradeshows are about transactional selling!
    • It is an economical way to reach a volume of target customers with high value face to face interactions, product trial, customer leads and insights over 3 days.
  • Set measurable KPI's
    • • Pre-Show media can deliver eg new leads, website visits, email clicks
      • @ Show record the number of leads captured, samples provided, media reach, and quality feedback
      • Post show - track and nurture your leads across web, search, social, email and through wholesale and direct sales activity. 
      • Use your CRM to set up automated workflows and reporting and conversion tracking  

Below we detail a few omnichannel tips for executing your tradeshow strategy....  

Pre-Show Activity:

• Craft a compelling message with a focussed audience targeting.
  1. Why should they visit you at the tradeshow?.... unique sampling, demonstrations or people
  2. Test and promote these brand messages prior to the show
  3. Consistently promote this message on stand and via pre-show emails and social media
  4. Brief your sales team to identify the right audience at the show for these messages

• Target your relevant audiences: (via search, social & email)
  1. Segment leads in your database (Build relevance and nurture sales leads)
  2. Target lookalike customers pre-show via search & social (Secure new pre-show leads)
  3. Tag the event organisers and relevant speakers in organic posts (Expand your reach)
  4. Create a blog and website pop-up to promote your message & attendance at the show to leverage (SEO).

@ the EVENT:

1. Pre Plan new opportunities for collaboration:
   • Who are the key owners, chefs and manufacturers you want to connect with at the show?
   • Leverage brand partners, speakers and organisers databases - discuss EDM or at show opportunities to extend your reach
   • Look at the show guide for brand partnerships with other suppliers, competitions or educational spots like the Sweet Spot stage with hosts who help you connect with an audience like @Nerida Conway
   • 
2. Embrace technology:
   • Utilize digital tools like QR codes, product videos, or social media integrations to enhance the experience.
   • Create a landing page to enable the leads to self qualify their interests and outlet type, so you can share relevant content with them.
3. Lead Capture:
   • Integrate the landing page with your CRM and ask 3-4 qualification questions for nurturing workflows.
   • Create a follow up personalised email and nurture workflow
   • Daily discuss with the team the stand performance in terms of leads and record any customer insights.
4. Reach out to the organisers for their 15 tips for exhibitor success and ideas including live Social Media updates, and including gamification in your stand as a popular educational technique 

Post Show: Omnichannel Sales conversion 

 You can secure in excess of 200 valuable leads over 3 days!!

DON'T let leads go cold! Design a post show strategy.

Marketing automation post event will help requalify and nurture warm leads with customised relevant content

How will you prioritise the hottest leads for sales teams to contact without marketing automation workflows?

1. Capture leads effectively:
   • Utilize digital lead capture tools and ensure proper data management.
2. Nurture relationships:
   • Send personalized follow-up emails within 24hrs,
   • Schedule meetings and prioritise the hottest leads for the sales team
   • Automate personalised emails with offers of additional resources over the next 4 weeks to warm leads  
3. Leverage digital marketing and CRM capability:
   • Sync your contact lists with social media and google to nurture leads across search, social media, and email
   • Track their engagement in your CRM to prioritise leads for the sales team,
   • Automate sales conversion reporting  for 3mth, 6mth and 12 mth reviews
   • Review on stand customer feedback to refine your audience targeting and brand messaging to optimise future lead generation campaigns.
4. Virtual Follow-Up Events:
   • Record some of the live tradeshow/stand sessions & offer this content to the leads secured pre-show who did not attend the show or your stand in person.
   • Offer webinars, online product demos, or Q&A sessions to maintain engagement with leads after the tradeshow.
5. Review:
   • Create automated reports in your CRM for sales conversion related to this tradeshow campaign
   • Have a strategy session between sales and marketing to review:
     • Show ROI Metrics
     • Customer feedback to decide if any actions are needed to modify the product, sales or communication strategy.
     • Sales cycles for key foodservice accounts can be longer than 12 months. What is your approach with these warm key account leads that have not converted yet?

Ready to take your Foodservice brand to the next level?

Contact us to discuss your goals and a review of current digital performance, integration, and automation.