So what can—or should—a lead gen system do? Pretty much anything you need for it to do.
The 3D Exhibits Technology team has created dozens of custom lead systems for our clients. These range from basic to highly sophisticated. For instance, the system we used in our own exhibit at EXHIBITORLIVE! 2018 was tied to a pre-show appointment registration system. When we scanned a visitor's badge, we could tell immediately whether they'd already scheduled a meeting with us—and what day and time that meeting was scheduled for. And because registered visitors' information was loaded automatically, we didn't need to ask any of the same questions twice.
After the show, the contact data was effortlessly merged into our CRM system for follow-up.
If you're thinking about implementing a custom lead-gen system, our technology team would love to talk you through all of the functionality options. To get you started, here are ten popular functions to consider.
Ten Tasks Your Custom Trade Show Lead Gen System Can Accomplish
1. Visitor qualification. Include questions that verify product interest, budget, and purchase timeframe.
2. Marketing research. Find out the things you want to know. You can ask anything from how customers' needs are changing to what other exhibits they plan to visit.
3. Exhibit measurement. Find out if visitors are satisfied with their experience in your exhibit and how that visit impacted their perception of your company.
4. E-literature/Fulfillment. Set your lead gen system up to enable e-literature selection and delivery—or even to send physical samples. E-literature can include pdfs, white papers, pod casts, videos and animations—and more.
5. Tracking. Track when each recipient opens your follow-up emails and E-literature/fulfillment.
6. Opt In. Gain sign-ups or subscriptions for e-marketing, product trials, and newsletters.
7. Merge to CRM. The best lead gen systems are set up to facilitate a streamlined merge of the information you've collected into your company's existing CRM system.
8. Cross Reference. Instantly match your visitor's information against other lists to identify if the visitor is a current customer, which rep they are assigned to, what hospital the work for, etc.
9. POS. Not everyone takes orders at their shows, but if you do, you can eliminate the need for a second system by integrating POS right into your lead gen. You can even take credit card payments as the system adjusts for local tax rates.
10. Report. Set up the system to organize the data for you. Install a real-time dashboard to view which demo stations are visited most often, number of new contacts, what literature has been requested—or anything else you need to know.
Are there any clever ways you've put your lead gen system to good use? Please share. We'd love to hear!
