Preparing for an exhibition can be a daunting challenge. After all, it is a very expensive marketing exercise, and you only get one shot at it over a few days. You have no other option but to get it right every time.
In this blog, we want to share with you a definitive process that you can undertake to ensure you have all the bases covered making you in the best possible place to smash your return on investment.
So, let us introduce you to the TEO Strategy.
What is a TEO Strategy?
TEO stands for ‘Tradeshow Engagement Optimisation’ and runs very similar to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Your stand acts as your website and your active audience are the tradeshow attendees. You have to make sure your booth is visible to your attendees and give them a compelling reason to come to your booth.
The TEO framework is built up of 5 key elements: –
- Your Strategy
- Your Attendee Journey
- Your Booth Staff
- Your KPI Measurement
- Your Follow Up
Imagine you are preparing to make the perfect cake.
You have all your ingredients and are ready to follow your instructions to get your desired end results. This strategy is no different and when these elements work in harmony, you can guarantee your exhibition will be a success.
The 5 Key Elements Explained
Your Business Growth Strategy
This is the first element that acts as the base for a successful TEO strategy. The idea here is to understand how your exhibition programme links into your business growth strategy and why you have decided to exhibit. At this stage, it’s important to get into the mechanics behind your exhibiting strategy and how this aligns with your sales and marketing processes. You need to scope out if the show you want to exhibit at is best suited to help you connect with your ideal target audience and highlight your top 3 objectives. By doing this you will give yourself a great starting point heading into your event.
Your Attendee Journey
The second element is understanding your attendee journey. At this point, you need to identify who your target audience is and identify their pain points and aspirations.
Are you gunning for the high-flying CEO to purchase your product or are you looking for government procurement officials to get on their tender framework?
It’s critical you understand what you’re looking for as you can start building a picture of how you would get them to your booth and start up a conversation with them. Understanding how best to approach your target audience is crucial to the success of your event as you do not want to be wasting your time and energy on targeting cold leads.
Your Booth Staff
The next element is all about selecting the right booth staff.
At this stage, you need to vet your process and understand whether you think it would be wise to upskill your existing staff or invest in professional booth staff. It’s important that you understand what the key job roles you require for your booth are and that your team is aware of all the personal objectives associated with your exhibition. That way you will all be on the same page.
You must also discuss how you will motivate and reward your employees when they meet your objectives. Additionally, it is imperative you have a plan to maintain the energy levels of your employees during the exhibit hours.
Your Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Measurement
It’s important to understand what your success KPI’s are and what information you need from your attendees to achieve them. The next step is understanding exactly how you will collect this data. A tried and trusted method we use is interactive tool kits that provide memorable and fun experiences that actively engage and educates your target audience. Furthermore, you should also be questioning how you would integrate this into your CRM and how you will allocate the sale leads going forward and bridge the gap between saying goodbye to the first step in the follow-up process.
Your Follow Up
The final element of the TEO Strategy is your follow-up process. This element makes you think about the first step post-exhibit for your audience to re-engage with you and make you assess the key stages of your follow-up process. This includes what departments should be held accountable and how your sales cycle aligns with your follow-up process.
It’s important at this stage to fully understand how you will track your process to ensure you’re approaching the leads in the right way and measuring the conversion rates at each stage.
Putting the TEO Strategy in Action
We know it’s a lot to take in and you’re probably feeling a little overwhelmed.
But rest assured, we don’t want you to think like this which is why we want you to have this free download, illustrating just exactly what questions you should be asking in each stage.
You can download it here.
Furthermore, if you have any questions regarding the TEO Strategy and implementing it ahead of your next exhibition, you can get in touch with us here or email us at info@expostars.com.