Surveys are one of the most common techniques used by businesses to assess the interest of and collect feedback from their consumer base. The post-trade show survey has been around almost as long as trade shows have; and while the scope of conventions have adapted and grown throughout the years, survey styles have remained virtually the same.
One of the best ways to get feedback about your trade show investment is to conduct a survey of your visitors. You can use a survey to find out why attendees visited your custom trade show exhibit and what they found intriguing about your brand. This information will help you make adjustments for future shows such as changing the size of your booth space, tweaking interactive engagements and improving overall ROI by implementing a continual improvement process.
- Have you been renting a small island space but now understand from your survey that a larger custom inline design for trade shows would serve you better?
- Did you glean that the engagements simply weren’t meaningful or memorable to your visitor?
- Were you able to discern that the design of the exhibit wasn’t as conducive to your goals as you had originally planned?
Chances are that your visitors will be inundated with surveys from other exhibitors they visit as well. So how do you avoid getting lost in the shuffle and get the important information you need?
Here are some innovative ways to conduct your trade show surveys.
Leverage Your Social Media Presence Prior to Your Trade Show
Most business owners are well aware of the necessity of having a consistent, engaging persona on their social media platforms. But one thing you may not have considered is the way your social platforms can help you survey your audience before the show even starts.
It only takes a few moments to create a poll on your Facebook page, and with just one click your consumers become actively engaged with your brand, offering opinions that can help guide your decision-making process. This can help you devise a pre-show plan that will ultimately result with visitors who are excited to spend time learning about what you have to offer.
You can also take advantage of the Facebook Live feature, or use a newer app like Periscope to gauge the interest of your prospects in real time. Doing a live Q&A with them shows that you are actively seeking their input, proving that it matters to you, and thus creates a sense of importance and inclusion as a result. This is a surefire way to collect the survey data you need.
Go Digital with Your Next Trade Show Survey
This goes hand-in-hand with leveraging your social media presence, but applies more specifically to using technology during your trade show.
A recent study found that an overwhelming 91% of consumers were more likely to respond if the survey was conducted online. So rather than prodding your prospects to offer up their post-show opinions via email in exchange for a branded pen, try an online approach instead.
Include digital content in the design of your exhibit, such as touchscreen monitors, iPads, or desktop stations. This allows attendees to engage with your exhibit in a tactile way for a higher level of engagement which allow for data capture.
Using technology as part of your exhibit makes the collection of information considerably easier. Include a brief questionnaire that populates at the end of your digital content so that your visitors are more likely to actually respond to the questions you need them to answer while at the show.
Hire an Independent Third Party
Sometimes it is easier for people to respond to an independent surveyor right after they have exited an exhibit experience while it is still fresh. This allows for a timely, unbiased opinion of your audience. The key is to ensure that the survey is brief, social in nature and tackles the most important questions that you want answered.
Be sure to work with a team that can help devise a survey developed from the company’s overall objectives, the specific event goals and the motivation of your targeted audience. This will lead to making the proper adjustments that helps your trade show program soar to new heights.
With trade shows becoming more and more competitive, it’s increasingly necessary to devise new ways to interact with your prospects. Going digital with your exhibit questionnaire, leveraging your social media presence before the event and employing a skilled independent surveyor are fun alternatives to the overused paper or email survey. Including these elements in your custom inline design will make it much easier to get the information you need.
Not sure where to start? Contact Exhibitus today and let’s start talking about how to incorporate these tactics into your next trade show exhibit.