Capture Footage of Your Trade Show Display in Action and Share, Share, Share.

According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), 56 % of companies hold some kind of education-based customer or prospect event during the year. We all know that trade show exhibits in New York City are a treasure trove of content marketing opportunities, but some event marketers forget to capture content during the event. Follow these strategies to make your trade show appearance a marketing gift that keeps on giving.

Shoot Photo & Video Footage While On-Site

Cover your booth as though it were a news story. You can hire a professional or assign the task to someone on your staff. Getting great footage is an achievable goal, even if you’re not a professional camera operator. Perform some Internet research on how to shoot great photos and video. Develop your shot list before you leave for the airport so you’re prepared to execute on-site.

Here are some suggested shots. Be sure your company logo, branding and signage is visible in every shot possible.

• Establishing shot of the venue from the outside
• The buzz, the crowds, the show floor from above
• Customer testimonials or interviews
• Product demonstrations
• People interacting and conversing inside your booth
• Beauty shots of your tradeshow display

Edit Your Video Clips

If you’re the type to do-it-yourself, there’s no better time than the present. With many smartphones and tablets offering HD video and photo capabilities, and the expansion of simple editing software like iMovie and Windows Movie Maker, anyone can create and edit professional content. You can add titles, incorporate photos or images, and seamlessly edit footage from your event to create a great looking promotional or educational video.

Upload your Content to Social Media Sites

Once your video is produced, you’ll want to upload the file to your favorite social media sites (and of course, your website.) Don’t be stingy, upload everywhere – like Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo and Instagram to name a few.

Share, Promote, Extend, Leverage

Your video is online, now let the games begin! There are tons of ways to promote your content and extend your reach, such as:

• Publish a press release
• Write a blog post
• Post status updates on LinkedIn and Facebook
• Send an email or newsletter to your database
• Apply a QR code to business cards and trade show graphics
• Distribute the link to your sales team to share with prospects & customers
• And always remember to link or embed your video!

The Bottom Line

The name of the game is to keep your audience engaged. Creating fast-moving, interesting content is a great way to extend your event, post after post after post.