NSSF retailer education and law enforcement seminars aim to inform
(Original full story by Robert F. Staeger appears in SHOT Daily – Day 1)
SHOT Show isn’t just a place for learning about the latest product innovations and industry news– it’s also an excellent place for professionals to learn vital new information and techniques. The National Shooting Sports Foundation provides a variety of educational opportunities throughout the show as a bonus feature for both retailers and law enforcement personnel.
Retail Education
SHOT Show University is a full day of retailer seminars that takes place the day before the show. Before and after a catered lunch, the day is packed with seminars on the hottest topics and most requested subject matter, ending in a networking reception.
But even beyond SHOT Show U, the show itself features Retailer Education Seminars each day, packed with information that will make it worth your time to leave the show floor for a little while. Topics include attracting and retaining new customers, increasing sales per square foot, and loss-prevention strategies.
Classes are announced in advance to help retailers manage their schedules. Classes generally run in one-hour increments, because with the show as big as it is, time on the floor is precious. Exceptions are classes presented by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), which each year may run as long as two hours. However, in 2014 the ATF classes won’t be offered, but they are expected back in 2015.
Law Enforcement
Retailer Education isn’t the full extent of the educational opportunities at SHOT Show. There’s also the Law Enforcement Education Program, begun in 2009 and managed in partnership between NSSF and Law Officer magazine. The law enforcement area of the show has been growing incredibly, attracting more law enforcement exhibitors. And in order to attract more LE personnel to the show, we added the classes so there would be a great educational component for them. It’s also justification for their agencies to send them to the event.
When law enforcement personnel–which can include people in corrections and military police as well as police officers–register for SHOT Show, they have the option of registering for any seminars in the Law Enforcement Education Program at no extra charge. Instruction in 2014 was provided by the National Tactical Officer’s Association, as well as trainers from such companies as Trijicon, Streamlight, and SIG Sauer.
Burgers available in the traditional favorites beef and turkey, as well as offerings like chicken, buffalo and vegetarian at i♥burgers.
Everybody needs to eat, especially those that are walking for miles each day at the SHOT Show. You’ll need to re-fuel at some point.
Here are a few options for attendees looking to grab a bite to eat during show hours:
The Palazzo and Venetian: Don’t forget that the Sands Expo is connected to both the Venetian and Palazzo hotels. Both offer a ton of amazing dining options. For example, the Grand Luxe Cafe, owned by The Cheesecake Factory, is open 24 hours and the food is great. If you’re looking for a burger, check out i♥burgers in The Shoppes at the Palazzo or B&B Burger and Beer in the Venetian. Another great option is Cafe Presse, which has a convenient location in the Venetian corridor. Click here to see all the casual dining options at both hotels.
NSSF Member Lounge: Yet another perk for members of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the NSSF Member Lounge (sponsored by GunBroker.com) is located in the Lido Ballroom on Level 3 of the Venetian. It’s a convenient place for members to sit down for lunch and take a break from the show floor. Not an NSSF member? Join at the NSSF booth (L221) in the Sands lobby and get instant access to the Member Lounge.
The SHOT Show website also has a restaurant guide to help you find quality meals in Las Vegas for $50 or less. We’ve also included some free Las Vegas attractions.
Three auctions for special-edition items are underway, with all proceeds benefiting programs to further America’s hunting and shooting sports heritage. Bidding has already begun and will close at 5 p.m. EST on Jan. 17, the final day of the 2014 SHOT Show.
2014 SHOT Show Rifle
Henry Repeating Arms recently announced that they have begun production of the Original Henry Rifle for the first time in 150 years – and this rifle was selected to receive very special treatment in honor of the rifle’s designer, Benjamin Tyler Henry, as the 2014 SHOT Show Rifle.
The Original Henry Rifle is back in all its American-made glory. The Original Henry Rifle is virtually identical to its history-making forerunner in all aspects, except caliber. The SHOT Show Henry Tribute rifle will feature serial number BTHENRY0001.
This 2014 SHOT Show rifle is being auctioned exclusively at GunBroker.com. The rifle is available for viewing and bidding now and will be displayed at the SHOT Show in the GunBroker.com booth, No. 15404.
2014 SHOT Show Handgun
Turnbull Manufacturing Co., the iconic restorer of vintage rifles and shotguns, has recently aimed their manufacturing and design skills to the production of high-quality handguns and this first Deluxe Model of their new 1911 Classic–featuring Serial Number 1911001– has been selected as the 2014 SHOT Show Auction Handgun.
The gun will be displayed at the SHOT Show in the GunBroker.com booth, No. 15404, in a custom glass-topped walnut display case. The case will also go to the high bidder to facilitate display in the high bidder’s home or office.
H.H. Buck & Son revolutionized the knife industry in 1964 with the Model 110 folding hunter. A cornerstone of this year’s 50th anniversary observance is the creation of a one-of-a-kind 110 folding hunter by legendary knife maker David Yellowhorse. This special knife will be featured as the 2014 SHOT Show Auction Knife.
As a special addition to the 2014 SHOT Show knife auction package, the high bidder and a guest will be invited to visit the Buck Knives headquarters in Post Falls, Idaho, to tour the facility, receive a special package of Buck promotional items and have pictures taken with their knife and Buck executives.
The knife, being auctioned exclusively at GunBroker.com, will be displayed at the SHOT Show in the Buck Knives booth, No. 14504, and is now available for viewing and auction.
All SHOT Show auctions are administered by the Hunting Heritage Trust for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. All proceeds from the auctions will benefit programs to further America’s hunting and shooting sports heritage.
Social Media Spotlight: Final of a Four-part Series
Some folks aren’t so lucky as to be able to travel to Las Vegas this month for the SHOT Show. You can reach more prospects in real-time and continue to reap the marketing benefits of a video. Leveraging live video to increase market share requires a serious plan of action, though. No one knows this better than Traci Browne.
The author of “The Social Trade Show” has graciously provided us with a series of blog posts that we’ll be posting each week for the next four weeks prior to the 2014 SHOT Show.
I’ll also be giving away the final free copies of Traci’s book this week. The first two exhibitors (and you need to be a SHOT Show exhibitor to qualify) to send me an email (be sure to include your mailing address) requesting a copy will receive one. Ready. Set. Go!
How To Live Stream Your Booth Presentations
You put so much effort into planning your in-booth presentations, why limit who is able to participate? Your biggest potential customers might be sitting back in the office wishing they were at the show. Well, invite them in and turn your presentation into a hybrid event.
Two Different Audiences
It’s not enough to stick a camera in front of your demo area and hit record. That’s not an engaging demo, that’s C-SPAN. You want to deliver an experience to your audience watching from their home or office that keeps them engaged. You do this by enabling your two audiences (the ones sitting in your booth and those who are at their computer) to participate as one.
You need to provide your in-booth audience with a comfortable place to view your presentation. You also need to design your environment, so that everyone can see what is taking place and hear and interact with the speaker.
Your virtual audience is no different. Of course you cannot choose their seating but you can make sure they are comfortable by providing and easy to use viewing platform, a way to interact with the presenter (chat function which is monitored by someone in the booth to relay questions for the speaker), and a camera that that follows the action.
Technical Requirements
You’ll need a streaming provider. These are the folks who capture your video feed, compress it, and stream it over the Internet to the viewing platform. There are free services available such as Ustream. A low cost option is Livestream. After that there are many different providers in the higher-end range.
You will need a viewing platform. A viewing platform is basically the website that your audience goes to view your presentation and interact with your presenters and other virtual attendees. Ustream and Livestream provide both the live stream and the viewing platform.
You will need an A/V or production provider. These are the people behind the camera and those directing the production. This can be an outside company who specializes in this service or Joe from accounting who videos the Pop Warner games on the weekends.
Fine Tuning With Backgrounds, Lighting, and Speaker Tips
The two most important things you need to make sure are covered are sound and lighting. Run a test over the live stream to make sure your virtual audience can hear the speaker clearly and see everything that is happening. All your efforts will be wasted with a video that is too dark and sound that is garbled.
Beyond that pay attention to the background. The cleaner the backdrop behind your presenters, the better for your virtual audience. They are seeing the presentation as a flat two-dimensional image. So that logo positioned behind the presenter becomes a distracting growth coming out of the side of his head. The seam that is barely noticeable to the face-to-face audience becomes a distracting line projecting from the top of the presenter’s head.
Let your presenter know what color the backdrop will be so they can dress appropriately. If they match the backdrop your virtual audience may be frightened by what appears to be a floating head and hands doing the demo. Also, let them know a white dress becomes washed out on camera and is hard to look at. Navy blue and black suits lose their detail and become blobs. Fine patterns like herringbone and checks produce a wavy effect on camera.
And if you are shooting in HD it is considerate to let your presenter know. They may want to apply a bit of cover-up and dab some powder on oily skin, which is enhanced in high definition. Be sure they understand they have an audience online and remind them to look into the camera every now and again so the virtual audience does not feel ignored Especially when they are taking a question from the virtual audience.
Internet Connection
Plain and simple you are going to need a dedicated T1 line in your booth if you want to create a professional, clear broadcast. You cannot depend on the show’s wireless connection to get you through a broadcast. The bandwidth is not intended for uploading video and your live stream could drop in and out.
Live streaming your booth presentations may seem a daunting task and does require a plan.
Virtual Emcee
To create an interactive experience for your online viewers you may want to have a virtual emcee. This person is present at the event and not only introduces your presenters, but also represents your virtual audience as a whole. The virtual emcee becomes the voice of your virtual audience as well as your virtual audience’s eyes and ears in the room.
She is the bridge that connects your virtual audience to the face-to-face event. She’ll be the one taking questions from your virtual audience and relaying them to the speaker. This can be a professional or someone with an outgoing friendly personality from your company. A good virtual emcee is friendly and easygoing and also able to multi-task.
Instructions On How To Use The Platform
Make sure your virtual audience has all the information they need to participate in your live-streamed presentation. They should know what time it starts and when it will end. Also include instructions for the viewing platform including who to contact for technical problems and how to use the chat function. If you are using a Twitter hashtag be sure to let the audience both in your booth and at home know what it so they can participate that way as well.
Include the presenters’ names, titles, bios and contact information. If the platform has the capability you may want to include a graphic called a lower third that runs at the bottom of the viewing window and tells the audience who is speaking at any given moment. Don’t just flash it at the beginning of the presentation. Include it throughout intermittently.
What To Broadcast
An easier question would be what not to broadcast. The world is your oyster; don’t be afraid to try something new. In-booth presentations that can go virtual are (but certainly not limited to):
Product launches
Product demos
Industry education and interviews with thought leaders
Q&A sessions
I hope you can see an excellent way to get more bang out of your trade show budget is to expand what you are already doing for your face-to-face audience by including the virtual audience.
But this is not something you just tack on at the last minute. This audience must be considered throughout the planning process. Presenters need to be prepped and the environment needs to be designed to accommodate extra equipment while not taking away from your in-person audience.
Traci Browne
Author of “The Social Trade Show – Leveraging Social Media and Virtual Events to Connect With Your Customers www.TheSocialTradeShow.com
Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.
Did you know there are 12.5 miles of aisles at the SHOT Show (a little less than a half marathon)? How about that the show’s 630,000 square feet of exhibit space is the equivalent of 10.9 football fields as well as the size of the New Orleans Superdome? These other fun facts about the show are packed into an infographic released today by NSSF.
Social Media Spotlight: Third of a Four-part Series
The mantra “If you build it, they will come” just isn’t enough these days. The good news is that the mileage potential on your marketing effort has grown exponentially in recent years, and you can now reach hundreds, thousands, millions of customers with little effort. No one knows this better than renowned tradeshow industry consultant and thought leader Traci Browne.
The author of “The Social Trade Show” has graciously provided us with a series of blog posts that we’ll be posting each week for the next four weeks prior to the 2014 SHOT Show.
I’ll also be giving away free copies of Traci’s book. The first two exhibitors (and you need to be a SHOT Show exhibitor to qualify) to send me an email (be sure to include your mailing address) requesting a copy will receive one. Ready. Set. Go!
How To Find Potential Customers On Social Media
Before you can decide which tools you are going to use in your social media strategy, you have to find out where your customers are and what tools they are using. Where are they going to be receptive to your messages? And by messages, we don’t just mean advertising and product pitches. Your customers are looking for support and helpful information.
Facebook – The SHOT Show has a very active Facebook page where they post, not just news about the show, but valuable industry information. This is a great place to meet members of your community and see what they are interested in. Just remember, you want to participate in the conversation…not force your marketing messages on the community.
LinkedIn – If Facebook is a casual party, LinkedIn is all about business. The SHOT Show has their own LinkedIn group, but do a group search on LinkedIn for “sport shooting” and you’ll see there are 14 different groups. Some have just a few members and others have thousands.
Start by observing what members are discussing and jump in when you can offer information people are looking for. This is a great place to bounce new ideas for products and services off enthusiasts.
Twitter – Do you think Twitter is just a place for Justin Bieber fans? Think again. The SHOT Show (@nssfshotshow) has over 10,000 followers and the official Twitter account of USA Shooting (@USAShooting) has over 12,000 followers. Start connecting to their followers and share valuable information with them.
Remember, on Twitter you want to practice the 80/20 rule. Spend 80 percent of your time talking about others and 20 percent talking about yourself. In no time, word will get around, and you’ll develop a good following of your own. Also be sure to stay up-to-date with show information by following the SHOT Show hashtag #SHOTshow. Twitter is great during the show, because it’s quick and easy to use when you are on the move.
What’s in it for you?
It’s important to remember that it’s not only potential customers that are part of your community. The media is spending a lot of time in these online communities as well, and they are on the lookout for a good story and/or experts to interview.
Social media gives a voice to many who would never have been heard from before. Someone in your company could be the next industry thought leader just by participating in these social media communities and putting people in touch with valuable educational information.
When the SHOT Show rolls around attendees will know you as more than just a brand, but a provider of valuable information.
Traci Browne
Author of “The Social Trade Show – Leveraging Social Media and Virtual Events to Connect With Your Customers www.TheSocialTradeShow.com
Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.
Social Media Spotlight: Second of a Four-part Series
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s the price of a moving picture? Some video is worthy of high-quality production but you can also get a decent bang for your buck with a smartphone and a quick upload to YouTube. No one knows this better than renowned trade-show industry consultant and thought leader Traci Browne.
The author of “The Social Trade Show” has graciously provided us with a series of blog posts that we’ll be posting each week for the next four weeks prior to the 2014 SHOT Show.
I’ll also be giving away free copies of Traci’s book each week. The first two exhibitors (and you need to be a SHOT Show exhibitor to qualify) to send me an email (be sure to include your mailing address) requesting a copy will receive one. Ready. Set. Go!
Five Tips on Using Video To Generate Excitement
With YouTube being the second most popular search engine just behind Google and 800 million unique users visiting each month, why wouldn’t you want to add video to your marketing mix?
1. Give SHOT Show attendees a sneak peek at new products or services.
Are you introducing a new product or service at SHOT Show this year? Give attendees a little taste of what you are going to present and get them excited about coming to your booth to see the real thing. Don’t give away too much on the video. If it’s a product you could just show the silhouette and leave them hungry for more.
Do you have a new service? Tease attendees with a few key features and invite them to your booth to find out how it can benefit them. The idea here is to present just enough information to leave them wanting more.
2. Use video to tell attendees about a big announcement you are making at the show.
Some companies only need to mention they are making an announcement at the show to generate excitement. Maybe you want to keep it top secret and even a peek at your product is too much to reveal. Create a video that lets attendees know where and when you are making your announcement and then be sure you’re ready for the crowd. For an idea how to do this, take a look at Samsung’s teaser video for their product launch at International CTIA Wireless 2011.
Just make sure your announcement warrants something so secretive, or it will backfire when attendees leave your booth having expected something bigger.
3. Create a video invite to your presentation.
Are you presenting as part of the SHOT Show educational program? Or even an educational presentation in your booth? Give attendees a taste of what they can expect by having your presenter share key takeaways of the presentation.
Keep it short. The object isn’t to give a condensed version of the entire presentation — just good reasons for why they should attend and what they’ll miss out on if they don’t. And don’t forget to include dates, times and locations for the presentation in your video.
4. Use video to live stream or capture in booth presentations
Not everyone is going to be able to attend your live presentation. Have someone capture it on video, so it’s available to attendees later. And not just attendees but once it’s online you have a nice piece of marketing the whole world can view.
Just make sure if you are shooting video of a product demo the camera should be focused on the product — not the speaker. Also be sure to zoom in on key features as they are presented.
5. Capture amazing marketing moments during the show.
You just never know when marketing gold is going to walk into your booth during a show. Have that video camera ready for impromptu interviews with customers who are excited about your company and or your products. No one can sell you better than a happy client.
Otterbox captured a great customer testimonial in their booth when one excited customer stopped by to see what was new. You can view that video, here.
A good video should be representative of your customer, engage the viewer, show not tell, and be shorter than 3-5 minutes. It should also have a clear call to action at the end.
Post these great videos on YouTube and start sharing. Just don’t forget to take the time to include keyword tags when you are posting to YouTube so people can find them when they are searching the Internet.
Traci Browne
Author of “The Social Trade Show – Leveraging Social Media and Virtual Events to Connect With Your Customers” www.TheSocialTradeShow.com
Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.
The SHOT Show may only be a few days long, but its impact is year-round!
When more than 60,000 industry members converge in Las Vegas at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in January for the SHOT Show, millions of people gain the immediate benefit of the greatest show on earth for the shooting, hunting, and outdoor trade. How’s that? You see, the SHOT Show provides NSSF with the majority of its income.
The year 2013 has been a year like no other with record-breaking sales coupled with unprecedented attacks against the shooting and hunting industry. These attacks by headline seeking politicians and their willing accomplices in the media have upped the ante in Washington, D.C. and in an increasing number of states that threatens the very existence of our industry like never before.
NSSF has stood fast as the industry’s trade association in the face of this onslaught, promoting our industry’s lawful position on countless topics such as so called “assault weapons,” high capacity magazines, background checks for private sales, firearms safety in homes, and the shameful failure to put disqualifying mental health records in to the NICS system.
In addition, NSSF invests SHOT Show revenue in customer-recruitment campaigns, such as Families Afield and First Shots. The former has actively remedied legislative barriers preventing family hunting participation, and the latter has offered newcomers the opportunity to learn firearms and firearms ownership fundamentals at member ranges, while actually experiencing the fun of shooting under the careful supervision of qualified instructors. Other NSSF investments of SHOT Show revenue in hunting and the shooting sports’ future come in the form of the Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative (CSSI). CSSI helps strengthen existing collegiate varsity and club shooting programs, and it aids in the founding of new ones.
NSSF also launched Project ChildSafe, a nationwide initiative to promote firearms responsibility and provide safety education to all gun owners. Since 1998, the program has provided more than 36 million free firearm safety kits that include a gun lock to gun owners in all 50 states and five U.S. territories.
These activities of NSSF are only a sampling of the programs that are funded, in great part, by the revenue generated at the SHOT Show, a four-day event in January that’s success is felt throughout the year by millions of hunters, shooters and firearms owners. Thanks for your continued support of the SHOT Show and NSSF in our continued fight for our industry and to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports.
Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.
Would you like to know if your marketing plan is delivering the results you wanted? Need some quick tips on how to drive more customers to your website? Would you like to know about the latest technologies that retailers are using to increase foot traffic in their stores? NSSF is here to help!
This year at SHOT Show University (SSU), the premier educational event for the firearms retailer, NSSF will be a hosting a number of educational tracks to meet the needs of all retailers, no matter their experience or market focus. There are four tracks scheduled for Monday, Jan. 13. The tracks include: ATF Compliance, Retail Operations, Range Operations, and Marketing. Attendees of SSU can jump from one track to another, allowing them the ability to attend the classes of most importance.
The marketing track’s seminars are being hosted by Curtis Jazwiecki. Mr. Jazwiecki is the President/CEO and Founder of Outdoor Business Network, Inc., a firm dedicated to providing e-commerce solutions to the Outdoor Sporting Goods and Shooting Sports industries. His specialties include multi-channel retail, website architecture and development (both B2B and B2C), internet marketing, and online merchandising.
The first session details marketing with social media. The results are in from this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and the winners are clearly the retailers that used social media to help drive customers to their stores and websites. This session will cover the pros and cons of engaging your customer through social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Forums, and YouTube, etc. to educate them about your product offers and services and help build loyalty within your customer base. This session will also highlight the use of these critical tools to reach out and attract new customers.
The second session focuses upon new technologies that can be used to help drive foot traffic to your store. This class will highlight the latest technologies retailers can use to engage customers and bring them into your retail space. Is your website maximized for mobile devices? Is your website registered with the Google and Yahoo so that local users can find your store? Are your ads easily viewable on mobile devices? The seminar will review a number of tactics that you can easily employ to ensure you are reaching your target customer.
The next session reviews the process of creating a marketing plan. The class will cover what goes into creating a marketing plan, critical information that needs to be included and those items that are not necessarily needed. This class will also include a discussion of creating metrics to ensure your plan is delivering per projections.
The fourth class of the day will review Search Engine Optimization of your website. Curtis will cover eight strategies that you can utilize to improve your search engine return rank. This session will cover not only the strategies, but more importantly, the logic behind the each strategy. Studies have shown a direct correlation between a higher search return and increased revenue. Learn how to do both in this critical seminar.
The final session of the day will provide a matrix for determining the return on investment (ROI) of your marketing plan. Session will review what data you need to have to accurately calculate your ROI, what the numbers indicate, how to set a reasonable goal for your ROI and how to achieve that number. Further, Curtis will review a number of other measures that will help determine the “health” of your marketing plan and your overall retail operation.
These classes are provided to ensure that as a retailer, you are provided the best tools possible to succeed in an increasingly competitive and crowded marketplace, to maximize your marketing dollar and that your marketing plan is meeting your expectations.
Patrick Shay is Director of Retailer Development for the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Social Media Spotlight: First of a Four-part Series
Social media has transformed the way companies market tradeshows. No one knows this better than renowned tradeshow industry consultant and thought leader Traci Browne.
The author of “The Social Trade Show” has graciously provided us with a series of blog posts that we’ll be posting each week for the next four weeks prior to the 2014 SHOT Show.
I’ll also be giving away free copies of Traci’s book each week. The first two exhibitors (and you need to be a SHOT Show exhibitor to qualify) to send me an email (be sure to include your mailing address) requesting a copy will receive one. Ready. Set. Go!
Five Reasons for Including Social Media in Your Show Marketing Mix
With all the work you already have on your plate to get ready for the show, why add another task? Social media is a growing communication tool, and if you’re not taking advantage of it, you’ll soon be left in everyone else’s dust. But if you need more convincing, here are just five reasons to get you moving.
1. Reach a wider audience.
As sad as this may seem, there are some very qualified buyers who cannot attend this year’s SHOT Show. They might not have the budget to travel or the time to spare. They might have family obligations that prevent them from attending. They want to be there to see all the new products and services available, but they just can’t swing it. But they can and will be following along with what is happening at SHOT Show via social media.
Savvy exhibitors can stand out from their competition by paying attention to these online buyers. Make them feel a part of the event by:
Live blogging from sessions they are missing.
Live stream or video demonstrations taking place in your booth.
Tweet about new products and services you are seeing on the show floor you think they might be interested in by using the #SHOTShow hashtag.
2. Attendees will pay more attention to you.
It’s likely this is not your first SHOT Show rodeo. Even if you are a first time exhibitor at SHOT Show, you probably have some great advice you can impart on the attendees. Share helpful information that attendees will value before and during the show and your company will stay on their radar. People tend to pay attention more to exhibitors who don’t just market at them but those who are helpful as well. What kind of helpful information could you share?
Tips on great restaurants attendees should check out while in Vegas.
Tell them where to find the best coffee with the shortest lines closest to the trade show floor.
Point out sessions taking place with speakers they don’t want to miss.
Offer to introduce them to industry celebrities you know and who will be at the show.
3. Listen to what your customers are saying.
The SHOT Show is always a great place to do market research. By listening to conversations taking place around the show you can uncover valuable information about what your customers are looking for and what they wish existed in the marketplace.
We’ve always been able to do this in line for coffee, in the hallways between sessions, at the bar or restaurant in the evenings. Now, social media provides you an opportunity to amplify your listening and expose you to conversations taking place even if you’re not in the same room.
Pay particular attention to social media conversations that start with, “I wish…” Where can I find…” and even “I hate…” Chances are you just might have the solution to their problem or know someone who does.
When you are not just pushing your message out on social media but paying attention to what your potential customers are saying, you may over hear things like, “I wish there was a way to connect all my stores’ security systems.” If you are in that business jump on it and invite them to your booth to discuss solutions to their problem. If you are not in that business but know someone that can help them, invite them into your booth to meet that person.
4. Become part of a community.
Social media isn’t a campaign or a tool to be rolled out a week or two before the show. It is a commitment of time and resources undertaken so your company can connect not just with customers and potential customers at an event, but also with your industry’s larger community; a community of other suppliers, associations, media representatives, thought leaders, potential employees, mentors, and mentees.
Being an active member of a community builds your company’s reputation as a trusted solution provider and its employees as thought leaders in your industry. People in your community will get to know your company as more than just a brand. Buyers will start seeking you out and listening to what you have to say. Your company will be put on people’s “must see vendor” list.
5. Expand the length of the show.
Let’s face it, a lot of buyers are coming to SHOT Show, and there will be a lot for them to see and do. Chances are there are a few people who might miss you. By incorporating social media into your marketing and communications mix you won’t have to wait until next year to see them. You can easily continue the conversation and continue reaching out to potential buyers long after the show by doing the things mentioned above.
Just remember, keep your audience needs in mind when communicating on social media. It shouldn’t just be all about you.
*****
Traci Browne
Author of “The Social Trade Show – Leveraging Social Media and Virtual Events to Connect With Your Customers www.TheSocialTradeShow.com
Chris Dolnack is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDolnack.
LinkedIn – If Facebook is a casual party, LinkedIn is all about business. The SHOT Show has their own 
Would you like to know if your marketing plan is delivering the results you wanted? Need some quick tips on how to drive more customers to your website? Would you like to know about the latest technologies that retailers are using to increase foot traffic in their stores? NSSF is here to help!
The first session details marketing with social media. The results are in from this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and the winners are clearly the retailers that used social media to help drive customers to their stores and websites. This session will cover the pros and cons of engaging your customer through social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Forums, and YouTube, etc. to educate them about your product offers and services and help build loyalty within your customer base. This session will also highlight the use of these critical tools to reach out and attract new customers.