According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), 56% of companies hold some kind of education-based customer or prospect event during the year. We all know that trade show exhibits are a treasure trove of content marketing opportunities, but some event marketers forget or fail to capture content during the event. Follow these strategies, and you’ll be in the enviable position of being able to create great trade show marketing materials — all through the year.
Shoot Photo & Video Footage While On-Site
Cover your booth as though it were a news story, electronic news gathering style. You can hire a professional or assign the task to someone on your staff. Getting great footage is an achievable goal, even if you’re not a professional camera operator. Perform some Internet research on how to shoot great photos and video. Develop your shot list before you leave for the airport so you’re prepared to execute on-site.
Here are some suggested shots. Be sure your company logo, branding and signage is visible in every shot possible.
- “Establishing shot” of the venue from the outside
- The buzz, the crowds, the show floor from above
- Customer testimonials or interviews
- Product demonstrations
- People interacting and conversing inside your booth
- Beauty shots of your trade show booth
Next, Edit Your Video Clips
If you’re a do-it-yourself-er, the magic of Apple is all you need. With photos and HD video footage shot with an iPhone and edited in iMovie, you can be an independent filmmaker in no time. You can add titles, incorporate photos or images, and seamlessly edit footage from your event to create a great looking promotional or educational video.
Upload to the Internet
Once your video is produced, you’ll want to upload the file to your favorite social media sites (and of course, your website.) Don’t be stingy, upload everywhere — like Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Veoh and Blip.tv to name a few.
Share, Promote, Extend, Leverage
Your video is online. Let the games begin!
- Publish a press release….link to your video
- Write a blog post….link to your video
- Post status updates on LinkedIn and Facebook….link to your video
- Send an email or newsletter to your database….link to your video
- Apply a QR code to business cards and trade show graphics….link to your video
- Distribute the link to your sales team to share with prospects & customers
The Bottom Line
The name of the game is to keep your audience engaged. Creating fast-moving, interesting content is a great way to extend your event, post after post after post.
excerpted from Skyline Trade Show Tips