It still appears that trade shows are a wonderful marketing channel for brand awareness, especially as face-to-face conversations are becoming harder to coordinate.

Look for shows with enough popularity to make attendance worthwhile. Even if you attend for the interactions and skip the exhibitor booth costs, there are opportunities to find new leads.

Just make sure you focus on the quality of each conversation and follow up with every business card!

Inform fans on your social media accounts that you will be at the show, to give everyone a heads up. A lot of salespeople coordinate meetings with fellow attendees before the show even starts.

Be proactive with your trade show strategy, and you will see tremendous benefits for your network and business.

When someone checks out your website, an email opt-in form can be the exact hook that is needed to start a sales nurture sequence.

Someone is intrigued by the free eBook you’re offering in exchange for their email. They take the bait.

Marketing automation allows you to send a series of emails to further warm up this prospect.

The first email is typically a welcome message to give an introduction to what you’re all about and what they can expect from you.

The next set of emails might educate or inform the prospect using industry knowledge or relevant articles that they’d be interested in.

Eventually, you might send them an email about products, discounts or referral programs. Your end-objective is to make this prospect a lifetime fan and customer of your offerings.

Automation allows you to communicate with prospects at scale and build comfort between both of you. This comfort and rapport is critical for the ultimate sale.