This guest blog comes from social media expert, presenter and trainer Zoe Cairns from ZC Media
- Are you exhibiting this year?
- Are you attending one of the
main business shows in your region?
- Would you like to engage with the attendees
and other exhibitors before meeting them?
You can build and establish a rapport, know-like and trust
to accelerate your business relationship with them before attending the event!
This is how……
Pre Event
#Hashtag
Find out what the event hashtag is. The event organiser should
display this on their website.
Once discovered you can then go onto twitter and type this
hashtag into the search bar. This will then bring up all the tweets and media
for this hashtag.
Have a browse through what has already been tweeted, check
out the conversation and pictures being shared. Start to engage back with this
audience as these are the people and organisations that will be at the event.
If you are using Tweetdeck, Hootsuite or Sendible you can
add this hashtag stream to your dashboard and whenever there is a new post with
this hashtag you will be notified and kept up to date with the conversation.
Check the event website for exhibitors and find them on
twitter
A great way to get your brand in front of other exhibitors
to raise brand awareness is to start following them on twitter and engaging with
them.
Visit the event’s website and check out who will be
exhibiting. You can either then find their twitter link on their website or via
the twitter search by typing in their company name.
Once you have found their twitter account follow them and
add them to a twitter list called the event name i.e.: KentB2B.
When you follow someone on twitter they are notified that
you have followed them. They will then hopefully reciprocate and follow you
back. Again this is great for building
brand awareness but also the start of building a business relationship with
someone before attending the event.
Engage
Once you have created your twitter list and added the people
tweeting with that particular hashtag to the twitter list too, you can then
start engaging with these people before the event.
Check your twitter list on a regular basis as to what the
contributors are saying, sharing and posting. Engage with them; comment on
their posts, share their content if valuable and contribute to their
conversation. This will start to build a rapport with those people.
Please note: Don’t stalk them ;-)
Remember to include the hashtag in your tweets and replies.
This then means your tweets and replies are included in the conversation stream
too.
Tweet about the event
Put together 8-10 tweets about your presence at the event
either as an attendee or an exhibitor. Make other people aware that you will be
there and start to build that rapport with them before attending.
Let people know what stand you will be on or alternatively
tell people you will be visiting the event and who would like a coffee with
you?
At the Event
Schedule
If you are exhibiting it is hard to be able to manage your
stand and try to tweet throughout the day too. You don’t want to look rude by
being on your phone all day!
My suggestion is that you schedule 4-5 tweets throughout the
day to post that mentions you, your company and stand and where people can find
you.
Be inviting.
Don’t spam with constant selling messages. Give them a good
fun reason to come and meet with you.
Use tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer and Sendible to schedule
these messages. Remember though you need to be engaging as well. In your
comfort breaks and lunch check out the hashtag stream of conversation on the
event and engage with the attendees and other exhibitors. Share pictures of
your stand, competitions you are running, pictures of your team! Be engaging.
Check your notifications
Make sure someone is checking your twitter notifications
whilst at the event. It could be that someone has noticed
your tweet in the
conversation stream and is engaging back. It might be that they are wondering
what stand you are on, or that they have just met you!
If they have just met you and tweeted mentioning your
twitter handle, make sure you re share with all of your followers and with the
conversation hashtag stream to show other people. This will increase the reach
of your message and brand to the wider audience.
At the Ashford Kent B2B over 1200 tweets were send with over
1.3 million impressions with 800 unique people seeing the tweets. If your
message was sent out with the relevant hashtag for the event this would be
great brand awareness and exposure for your business!
Engage
Try to engage with as many people as you can who are
engaging on the hashtag stream of conversation.
This will get your brand seen by as many of the people contributing to
the conversation and also start to build the rapport with those people and
companies too.
Post Event
Continue to Engage
Many people after an event will stop engaging and following
the people they have engaged with.
I believe this is the most important time to engage with
them.
You have spent the last few weeks online and at the event
building a rapport, know-like and trust.
Now maintain that relationship with that company to develop
into a great referrer, contact or client.
Happy tweeting and engaging!
Zoe
Having found success through his appearance on Dragon Den and the subsequent development and popularity of Reggae Reggae Foods life hasn’t always been so easy for Levi Roots. His talk will cover his childhood and learning how to cook with his grandmother in rural Jamaica to his turbulent teenage years in 80's Brixton to his music career to the building of Reggae Reggae Sauce. Looking at the key themes of entrepreneurship, business and enterprise Levi’s warm and engaging style is why he experienced such commercial success. Helping the Kent B2B to celebrate its 30th year after his talk Levi will cut the birthday cake. 
