The type of lead capture you choose to utilize at a trade show will depend on what your budget is, what resources you have available, and the type of audience you are targeting.
5 Popular Ways to Capture Leads
- Mobile Lead Capture Apps – Many companies offer mobile apps specifically designed for trade shows that enable exhibitors to scan visitors’ badges and collect their contact information quickly and easily. Some examples of these apps include Leadature, EventGeek, and Expo Logic.
- QR Codes – You can create QR codes that attendees can scan with their smartphones to automatically capture their contact information. You can use free online tools like QR Code Generator to create your codes.
- Business Card Scanners – Business card scanners like those offered by Card Scan and ABBYY allow you to scan business cards and automatically capture the contact information into your database.
- Interactive Displays – Interactive displays like touch screens or iPads can be used to allow attendees to enter their contact information or participate in contests or surveys.
- Social Media – Use social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn to connect with trade show attendees, engage with them, and promote your company’s offerings.
Things to Consider
Budget
All lead generation tools come at some kind of cost. When considering your overall budget for the event, consider how much of that budget you want to spend on lead capture before you decide. The range is quite varied with costs being anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars. How much you want to spend in this category will also depend on what your main objective is while attending a trade fair. A large part of your budget will go to your custom trade show display, but once you draw in your audience, you need to get their information. Make sure your priorities for your budget reflect that.
Resources at the Trade Show
The main thing to consider here is the internet at the event. If your lead capture tool requires a strong internet connection, you will need to figure that out well in advance. You cannot count on your cellular data or the cellular data of those in attendance. With so many people concentrated in one space it can really bog down the service speed. And, if it takes too long, people will get frustrated and either move on or have a poor first impression of your business overall.
Know Your Audience
The type of audience you are targeting should influence which route you choose to take as far as lead capture tools. Are your potential consumers more likely to carry a business card or scan a QR code with their smartphone? Would they prefer social media interactions or a phone call?
Tips for Lead Capture
We highly recommend trying out your tools well in advance and practicing with them so you feel comfortable using them the day of and to make sure that the tools work correctly beforehand. Make the process easy and painless so that you can acquire more leads in the same amount of time, but also so that the audience is impressed with your process and preparedness.