How to prolong trade fairs with social media

Appearing at trade fairs is a highlight of the year for many small and medium-sized companies - above all at the interlift. But how can the trade fair investment be better exploited? The answer is making targeted use of social media.

By Robin Heintze

Here are five specific approaches for integrating social media meaningfully in your trade fair planning – even without a big marketing team.

Before the trade fair: develop attention and secure appointments

A frequent error is waiting for the trade fair to start communication. But the trade fair already began weeks before "in the heads" of your target group.

What you can do:
• Give early notice of your participation in your channels (e.g. Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook).
• Provide added value: what can visitors expect if they visit your stand? Therefore, show what you have to offer: new products, innovations or also in-depth discussions.
• Offer your visitors an appointment – via a form, an e-mail address or direct message.

Robin Heintze. Photo: © morefire GmbH

Tip: Photos or short videos about the preparation (e.g. stand construction or first product tests) create an impression of approachability and arouse interest. Demonstrate that things are happening in your company – this enhances the anticipation and reduces inhibitions about visiting the stand.

Important: Make the number of appointments a clear priority (KPI). The more specific discussions you arrange in advance, the more effective your trade fair appearance will be. Ideally, the diaries of sales and account management should be fully booked for the trade fair period. In addition, employ a central CRM system to make a structured record of the trade fair leads. This will ensure that no contacts are lost – and follow-ups can be tackled immediately after the trade fair.

During the trade fair: be present, involve people

A lot happens at the trade fair itself – and this is just what you can document online.

What you can do:
• Post brief updates daily of the stand: discussions, product demos, impressions.
• Show faces: who is behind your company? Who advises visitors?
• Use a recurring format with a clear name, such as #interlift2025 to create visibility – mark out the relevant people and the organiser.

Tip: Even small impressions – such as a look behind the scenes or the morning setup – create intimacy and reinforce your brand.

Show faces: Personal posts often have the greatest effect. Who was there? What did the colleague take away from the trade fair? Who did they meet – and what expectations were perhaps not met?

Such honest insights make a particularly good impression in social media – they create trust, make your company easier to relate to and contrast positively with pure product communication.

After the trade fair: stay focused and cultivate leads

After the trade fair is before the deal. Those who remain active here on social media remain present – including among those who did not visit their stand.

What you can do:
• Share a brief conclusion or thank you to all visitors.
• Highlight special moments – for example, what surprised or pleased you.
• Continue to use your contents: convert your photos, videos or presentations into brief posts.
• Stay in touch with new contacts via LinkedIn or your newsletter.

Tip: Those who express their thanks immediately after the trade fair leave behind a positive impression – often a door-opener for the first follow-up discussion.

Share the moment: If contacts are visible in photos and videos of the trade fair, share the images with them. Perhaps the latter will also make a post about the trade fair on LinkedIn that presents you in a positive light.

Remember: "Do things that don’t scale." Personal commitment is worthwhile – especially for SMEs. Standard mass mailings quickly seem to be indiscriminate. By taking time for individual communication, you stand out positively and lay the foundation for long-term customer relationships.

Use sector influencers

In most sectors, influencers exist who have a significant social media range. Check whether any from your sector are at the trade fair. If yes, invite them to your stand, e.g. for an interview. Normally, they provide for additional range and attention.

Preparation begins in your own team

Post brief updates daily of your stand! Photo: © Frei nutzbar gemäß Adobe Firefly-Lizenz

A successful trade fair appearance depends on good team work – also behind the scenes. Make your plans early on: who will be at the stand – and why? A mixture of product knowledge, advisory competence and communication strength would be ideal.

Involve your colleagues too when it comes to social media at the trade fair.

Assign clear roles:
• Who will make photos or videos?
• Who will post directly from the stand?
• Who will collect ideas for later posts?

A brief post before the trade fair will help to get all those involved on board – and ensure that a convincing impression is created both at the stand as well as online.

Conclusion

A trade fair like the interlift offers many opportunities – also digitally. Those who make intelligent use of social media can prolong the trade fair appearance beyond the stand and remain in touch with their customers. And best of all: some planning, a smartphone and a little time will often be enough to achieve noticeable effects.

Robin Heintze is the co-founder and managing director "morefire". The 130-strong team advises customers on online marketing strategy and implementation and helps them achieve more leads and sales via channels such as search engine optimisation, Google Ads, content marketing, social media and marketing automation.

More information: https://www.more-fire.com/