The current obsession with selfies proves that people love to share what they're doing with their friends and colleagues. Instagram is a great way to harness this trend and supercharge your trade show exhibit experience with energy and enthusiasm.
If you have any doubts about the value of social media to improve trade show exhibit results, check out EXHIBITOR Magazine's just published 2014 Social Media Study. (The report says 80% of companies are integrating social media into their exhibit marketing programs—versus just 58% in 2012.)
Back to Instagram: Just picture it: Your trade show exhibit filled with happy prospects and customers—all posing for the camera, your logo, demos and exhibitry in the background—shared with hundreds of their contacts.
3D Exhibits just did an Instagram wall for Thomson Reuters at the annual meeting of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). Who ever said librarians aren't much fun should have seen the Thomson Reuters exhibit. There were smiling faces and iPhones snapping away all over the place.
After shooting their images, people sprinted to the Instagram wall and watched to see their photo appear among the constantly-refreshing montage of images.
If you're thinking about adding an Instagram wall to your exhibit, here are a few things to consider:
Ten Things To Consider When Creating An Instagram Wall for Your Trade Show Exhibit
- An Instagram wall will work best with a social-media loving audience. It's important to know your trade show audience demographic to ensure that your customers and prospects are comfortable with social media and therefore likely to participate. For younger audiences, especially those with a good percentage of millennials, participation is a no brainer—almost a natural reflex. For older audiences—or audiences who feel strongly about protecting their privacy—an Instagram wall probably won't work. A good test would be to survey your customers and find out what percentage are already on Instagram. The higher the percentage, the more likely your activity is to be a success.
- An Instagram wall works best if there is an activity in your booth. Thomson Reuters' Instagram wall was a component of a larger integrated trade show marketing program that included an educational game that drove attendees from station-to-station in order to accumulate points and earn prizes. This quest aroused attendees' competitive spirits, heightened the energy level in the booth and got people in the mood for a little photo fun.
- Place your Instagram wall where it will draw attention. Your Instagram wall should be large, bright and where everyone notices it to achieve maximum impact. Thomson Reuters located its Instagram wall along a busy aisle. The wall was positioned at an angle, a few feet in from the edge of the carpet so passers by would notice the images, then step into the exhibit to view them.
- Make sure people know that you have an Instagram activity. With all of the exhibit hall commotion, visitors don't automatically notice every activity available to them in your booth. Thomson Reuters promoted its Instagram wall to attendees via an Instagram Squad—a group of exhibit staffers equipped with cameras who explained the activity and even offered to shoot photos for them.
- Supplement the user-generated images to get things going. Audiences are shy about going first—but you need momentum to keep those photos coming. Get the ball rolling yourself by having your staff shoot a couple of dozen photos for your wall as soon as your show opens. Thomson Reuters peppered its wall with photos shot by camera-equipped members of the exhibit staff.
- Decide on your technology well in advance. There is lots to decide here, so take the pressure off yourself by planning what you want as far in advance as possible—and giving your trade show technology team ample time for programming. Questions to ask yourself include: How will the technology work? What type and size of display? Do you want one photo to show at a time or a collage? How frequently should the display refresh?
- Include a hashtag related to your show or company (link to http://mashable.com/2013/10/08/what-is-hashtag/ ) so people can easily locate your Instagrams. Thomson Reuters used #AALL2014 so the images would be visible to everyone following the show on social media.
- Like your participants' Instagrams. And while you're at it, get other team members to like participants' Instagrams too. It's hard to squeeze another item on your todo list in the middle of a show, but thanking your participants expresses your appreciation and gives attendees the validation of knowing that their images were viewed.
- Consider a prize to spur activity. Thomson Reuters didn't use one, but if you really want to stir up a selfie-frenzie offer a prize for one or two participants chosen at random.
- Start promoting your Instagram activity pre-show. Build excitement and engage your audience before your show through an e-blast that invites them to post photos to Instagram before the event starts. Designate a hashtag and offer a prize or incentive for posting.
Have you tried an Instagram wall? If you have, we'd love to hear about your experience. If you'd like to hear more about what we did for Thomson Reuters, email me at ngenarella@3DExhibits.com.
