Follow these four steps after the trade show to ensure you’re getting the most out of your lead generation efforts.

This is the third installment in our three-part series about generating leads around a trade show.

After some busy days, the trade show has finally wrapped up. It is easy to get caught up with unanswered emails and other tasks you have neglected by being away from your desk, but this is the time to follow up with the prospects you met at the trade show.

Strike while the iron is hot

The faster you follow up with your leads, the better. Trade shows are busy, and you want to capitalize on the one-on-one time you had getting to know new prospects. The quicker you get back in contact, the greater the chance they will remember you and will be more likely to respond favorably to your follow-up.

Here are four additional tips to help you navigate post-trade show contact with leads.

Winning at follow-up

1. Connect and engage on social media

To convert leads to customers you need to be proactive. Entering leads into a database, or placing the stack of business cards you were handed in the top drawer of your desk, is not proactive. You need to really engage with prospects, and one way of doing so is to connect on social media. Follow prospects on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Create dialogue with them and ask them to follow you on social media as well.

2. Create more content

Trade shows provide great fodder for content. Think about the questions you were asked during the trade show and the challenges that prospects identified. Use this information to create a list of topics that can be addressed in your blog, white papers, eBooks and social media posts.

Similarly, create a list of industry trends that you identified during the trade show. Create fresh, innovative content around these trends, and link your company and products into the content. How does your company fit into these trends? Make sure to highlight any new products that were introduced at the trade show and how they incorporate into these trends.

3. Create a lead nurturing campaign

Companies that nurture leads have a 47% higher profit margin than companies who don’t. Create a lead nurturing campaign that is targeted at your trade show prospects. These campaigns should be relevant, informative, and should provide value to prospects. They should also capture the trade show buzz and move prospects down your sales funnel. Use the content you’ve created from tip #2 to incorporate blog posts and webinars into lead nurturing campaigns.

4. Get on the phone

Don’t be afraid to follow up with prospects on the phone. So many companies rely on email and social media that your personal phone call will go a long way. Keep the call conversational and make sure to address any issues that your prospect identified at the trade show. This will show you were really listening and make a personal connection with the lead. Highlight the new products you introduced at the show, and make the connection between your prospect and your products and services. Tell them how your products and services will work for them.

Attending a trade show is significant investment of time and money. If you want to maximize your trade show ROI and convert leads to prospects and prospects to sales, you need to be proactive and timely. Carve out time as soon as you are back from the show to reach out to those that you met. By engaging your leads, you’ll be getting the most out of your trade show attendance, growing your business and increasing your sales.

Other posts in this series:

• Lead Generation Strategy: Preparing for the Trade Show
• Lead Generation Strategy: Attending the Trade Show