Trade shows and B2B conferences are expensive to attend, but there are ways to start leveraging the value in the weeks before by using content.
Here’s a content strategy and ideas for what to publish in the 5-6 weeks leading up to the event opening, and how it might help you once you are at the show.
Why create content in the run-up to a trade show or conference?
• Good content can position you or your team as experts and the people to talk to, opening the door to meetings. It can shift your position from simple attendee to authority.
• It can help get the conversation started before you go, and once there, it can give people an easy reference point when meeting up: “I read your LinkedIn piece on…”
• The algorithm rewards early movers, and you benefit from the rising tide of search and interest in the weeks before the event.
• If your LinkedIn profile pic is clear and up to date, pre-show activity on the platform can make you easily recognisable.
What content should you publish/post in the run-up to a trade show or conference?
Make sure your content is specific, and showing a bit of personality can help amplify its effect. Here are some content ideas for any trade show or conference:
Thought leadership series
Harness your expertise or that of your senior spokespeople and develop a series that creates a talking point, for example:
• Something that no one or not enough people are talking about.
• A contested issue or a different approach to solving an industry challenge.
Make sure your editorial stance is clear. You want to arrive at the show already in the conversation rather than trying to start one.
Spokesperson prep & profile raising
Use the run-up to the show to make sure your team is visible.
At one end of the scale, think about pitching an opinion piece in relevant trade press, LinkedIn articles, or a podcast appearance.
At the other end of the scale, support activity on LinkedIn talking about the show – see ‘We’re attending’ below for ideas.
Raising your profile or your team’s ahead of the event builds momentum and familiarity so that people already know who you or your team are and have a talking point.
The ‘We’re attending’ content campaign
So many people stick up a LinkedIn post saying ‘looking forward to attending’, but stand out from the crowd by building a short content sequence.
Tell your audience why you’re going, what you’re there to talk about, and what you think about the big themes on the agenda.
Be specific, not general, as it makes it much easier for people to engage and comment. And adding some personality is a huge point of difference in a sea of similar content.
Here are some ideas:
• What are you interested in talking about/getting perspectives on… make it something that resonates with your target audience.
• What are you looking forward to at the show? Be specific, add in some commentary and personality.
• A veteran of the show? Mention something about the previous year’s show that you are looking forward to beating/matching/doing less of this year.
• Are you going to be wearing something distinctive that you can mention that will help people find you once there?
• Rather than posting the corporate-branded ‘we’re attending…’ image (sorry, but they are a bit dull and everyone is doing it), share a picture of you from the previous year.
This is a great example of an ‘I’ll be attending’ LinkedIn post. It’s informative and fun.
Pre-show survey or poll
Run a quick pulse poll with your audience or wider network on a relevant issue.
You can create something using one of the many survey platforms, like Survey Monkey. Promote regularly as part of your pre-show build-up.
Publish the results in the week before the show. It gives you a data point that’s genuinely yours — useful for press conversations, stand discussions, and post-show content.
Alternatively, for a more simple survey, use LinkedIn’s in-built poll function and talk about the results. You can keep LinkedIn polls open for up to 2 weeks.
Teaser campaign around a launch or announcement
If you have a product, report, or initiative launching at the show, start talking about it now if you haven’t already.
Drip feed hints rather than revealing everything; it creates a reason for people to seek you out during the show.
Final thoughts
Remember to harness the conversations around your content in the run-up. Respond to comments and you can always take the conversation into DMs and use it to leverage meetings at the show.
• Get in touch if you are looking for support with delivering content for the upcoming property show UKREiiF or other content.
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