Going somewhere? Tell the world

Once you have selected which events your company is going to participate to this year, it's time to make sure your customers are going to come and see you. How do you tell the world where you are going?

Here are 7 ways to let your customers know that you are participating at an event:

1. Announce it on your website: The first place where you can make public that you have decided to attend a tradeshow or conference is on your website. If you attend a lot of shows during the year you might have an "event" section on your site, but otherwise you can just use your "news" section, or your blog. Make sure you specify what the show is about, and where you will be located at the event: hall and booth number if it's a trade show, time of the presentation if it's a conference, etc..


2. Customize your email signature: If this is the main event you are going to attend in a while and you really want your clients to know they can find you there, then you can customize your email signature and add the logo of the event, along with the date and details of the event, as before.


3. Advertize strategically: Choose the websites or trade magazines that are most relevant to the particular event you're attending and place an ad in which you will announce your participation. The ad itself won't be about the event, but rather about products or services that you will be showcasing at the event. But be creative and find fun ways to announce the event: for example add a fake post-it or a sticker saying "visit us at XXX, booth XXX".


4. Tell your newsletter subscribers: If you send a regular newsletter to your stakeholders, then definitely include a short section about the events a few months before the event starts. Make sure you include a link to the event so that they can find out more and decide whether or not this event is designed for them.


5. Be listed on the organizer's website: When you are an exhibitor at a trade show, or a speaker at a conference, you are listed on the organizer's website and catalogue. Make sure you send them your logo, a brief description of your company, the right category of products or services, and the link to your website. You can also choose to pay a premium to advertise on their website or in their paper catalogue/show guide, which can be great since visitors will use the guide when browsing the event.


6. Use stickers everywhere: Another creative way to let people know where you are going is to have some small stickers printed "Visit us at XXX show" and add them to all your company's communications for a few months: letters that are sent from sales or admin staff, invoices, etc..


7. Send invites: And finally, the most important one, think about who you really want to see at the event and send a formal invitation, whether by mail or post. We'll be talking more about that this week so stay tuned.

Question: Where else do you publicize for the events you are attending?