7 smart ways to spend your trade show budget when the exhibit hall is closed

With much of the world living under some level of shelter in place guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic, chances are some of the trade shows you usually attend have been canceled.

For years, B2B marketers have depended on in-person trade shows to build brand awareness, generate new leads, and connect with current and potential clients, customers, and partners. 

Nothing like a global pandemic to get the creative juices flowing. Marketers, it’s time to make lemonade with this once in a lifetime supply of lemons and redistribute your trade show budget. 

Media consumption skyrockets

Your target audience might not be traveling to trade shows anytime soon, but they’re consuming more media than ever. You’ve never had a captive audience like this before.

Check out these media consumption statistics: 

• Google searches are up 8x
• Viewer engagement on Twitter is up 196%
• Instagram and Facebook Live views doubled in a week (as of March 24 as compared to the prior week)

Get more stats about the rise in media consumption since the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Consider how you can pivot your marketing strategy to reach buyers whose media habits have likely changed drastically within the past few weeks. 

Reallocate your trade show spending

Here are seven smart ways to reallocate your trade show budget to connect with your target audience: 

1. SEO strategy: Your audience is Googling more than ever, make sure your website ranks on the first page of the search results.
2. Google and Bing ads: Remarketing and other targeting strategies can get your ads in front of your audience, even when they’re reading the local and national news. 
3. Build your content library: Offering educational information is one of the easiest ways to drive relevant traffic to your website and to start a relationship with new top of the funnel leads.
4. LinkedIn direct sponsored content: Target buyers and influencers at the companies you want to reach and send them to personalized landing pages that speak to their specific problems.
5. Revisit your messaging framework: There’s no better time than a global pandemic to ask yourself if your messaging reflects your company’s values and why you do what you do.
6. Company logo and graphic design refresh: If your corporate look is feeling a bit stale and dated, maybe now is the time to rejuvenate your brand to show where your organization is headed, not where you were five years ago.
7. PR and media partnerships: With so many people online who have the time to read, now is the ideal time to pitch stories and partner with trade industry media to get your company’s case studies and white papers in front of your target audience.