Inside Real-Time Content Creation at ASD Market Week, a 50,000-person B2B Trade Show and Retail Conference.
Although traditional trade show marketing once focused on simply driving pre-show registrations, the rise of event content marketing has led to an exciting new role for trade shows — that of year-round digital resource. Identifying top trends and industry issues, trade shows can now create an ongoing library of fresh, up-to-date insights on the topics that matter most to attendees, keeping their show top-of-mind year-round.
Event day (or week) now therefore hardly signals the end of show’s content marketing campaign, but rather an opportunity to report on highlights and results, setting the stage for new trend reports and other insights that will fuel the a new year of helpful content for attendees.
At the recent 50,000-person retail trade show ASD Market Week, which took place last week in Las Vegas, real-time event content posted on the show’s guide, ASD Insider, Over the last six months, we’ve delved into the retail world, helping to create an ongoing stream of advice from e-commerce gurus, small business owners, merchandising pros and industry experts in fashion, smoke & vape and more, providing ASD attendees with a complete picture of all that the ASD trade show can do for retailers.
In our next post, we’ll highlight some best practices for posting during an event, but before that we have some tips for creating crucial pre-event content. Real-time online editorial content helps to drive offline traffic to certain show areas, while giving attendees a taste of what they’ll learn at the show through interviews with speakers.
What are the components of good pre-event content? Follow these three examples, and you’ll have your bases covered:
Tip #1: Showcase Industry Trends
Example Content from the ASD Insider: 8 Men’s Accessories Trends and the Influencers who Wear Them
Retail stores rely on stocking the latest trends to stay in business. Knowing that they can count on ASD to not only have those trends — but to know exactly what those up-to-the-minute styles are — makes ASD an invaluable resource.
Tip #2: Offer Show Planning Advice
Example Content from the ASD Insider: How to Navigate the ASD Trade Show
Trade shows can seem overwhelming even to organizers! The easier a show is to navigate, the more likely it is to attract more attendees. Guides that show how to find specific booths, seminars and other resources, along with general guides about accommodations and city information, make a world of difference in giving attendees the confidence that a show is worth the trip. ASD took show planning to a new level with matchmaking services, digital maps and a personalized online show planner for attendees.
Tip #3: Provide Industry Resources
Example Content from ASD Insider: Polyvore: A Retailer’s Secret Weapon for Trendspotting
To promote ASD as an ongoing resource, we posted a series of digital marketing tips to educate their B2B audience. The simplest way to turn a trade show into a year-round virtual resource is by creating ongoing industry-focused content. By creating and distributing product trends, breaking news, expert advice and industry interviews, we were able to help ASD’s retailers source product trends ahead of the show. Content about emerging tools that help retailers source trends, like Polyvore, a visual platform that shows retailers what’s trending across fashion, design and home decor, are especially popular.
Tip #4: Real-time event content + paid content delivery to event attendees
An often-overlooked part of event content marketing is actually one of the most critical components to reaching new potential customers. Paid campaigns allow you to target a specific audience with a refined message. We launched a real-time, on-site paid content promotion and Facebook advertising campaign, running paid Facebook content distribution ads each day while delivering day-of content, updates, incentives and important information to attendees’ Facebook feeds.
Follow the ASD Insider for more trade show content throughout this week, and check back next week for tips on posting effecting content during an event!
Have thoughts on trade show marketing? Send your insights to our editorial team, and we may use them (and of give you lots of credit) in our next post!
818 Agency provides creative B2B content marketing and social advertising campaigns to Fortune 500 companies and growth-oriented startups. Purveyors of real-time event content marketing.