If you’re trying to think of new ways to increase the social media buzz from your next trade show, you would do well to start your thinking with why people use social media in the first place. Really. Why has this once niche hobby become a multi-million dollar industry and a staple in many people’s lives? What does social media give us, anyway? All of these questions can be answered fairly simply. Social media allows us to express ourselves to the world and it lets us engage with other people, organizations and companies with whom we feel connected.
So, now that you know what makes social media so appealing, how do you leverage that knowledge to increase the social media buzz generated by your company’s trade show displays at the next expo? Well, you need to make sure that your exhibition design attracts attendees in the first place. Simple pop up displays may work for that if your content, products and presentation are enough to attract this attention, but more likely you will want to go with exhibition design that is more interesting and attractive.
Once you have the design aspect of your trade show displays ironed out, you will need to give your attendees a reason to connect with your company. The best way to do this is to increase the interactivity in your booth. The more engaging your display is, the more likely people will want to engage with it (simple, right?) And once they have invested some time into your booth, they are much more likely to share that fact on social media. Of course, things like contests and games can also increase the chances of generating more social media buzz for your company.
But, to make it even more likely that attendees will be motivated to tweet, post or blog about your company, you should create avenues for them to express themselves through your brand. This is taking interactivity to the next level. For example, you could have trade show displays which feature an interactive game which challenge attendees to re-create one of your products. Or, you could run an interactive booth where you tell the history of your company and then quiz attendees at the end, encouraging them to share their scores on social media in order to win a prize. There are many ways that you can design ways for attendees to express themselves through your brand. Not only is this a great way to encourage social media sharing, but it also educates potential customers about your company, creating a lasting impression.
The goal is to increase the level of engagement that attendees have with your brand. Just simply having pop up displays with information to give out is no longer enough in this day and age. It is crucial that your exhibition design features interactivity and is engaging for attendees.