Trade shows are valuable opportunities for healthcare IT companies to showcase their products. They are also great venues to network with industry professionals and capture leads. Lead capture strategies uplevel success at trade show events, offering opportunities to fill the sales funnel.
But, capturing leads in an efficient manner can be challenging in a bustling trade show environment. So, having a solid pre-show plan is essential. In this blog we explore different lead capture techniques. We also discuss best practices for gathering and qualifying leads. Finally, we outline follow-up strategies so you miss no opportunity.
Lead Capture Tactics
Lead capture is a manual process for many small healthcare IT companies—especially first-time exhibitors. Traditional methods include writing down names, collecting business cards, or snapping pictures of badges and business cards. While this approach is low on cost, it’s time-intensive and subject to human error. Notes can get lost, and you can miss details. Once back in the office, transforming this information into a digital format and getting it into the hands of the right people takes extra time and effort and slows follow-up.
A popular and efficient solution is renting a badge scanner. These come in various configurations. For example, stand-alone devices or software applications that run on smartphones and use the camera to scan a badge barcode. For healthcare IT companies that are budget-conscious, it’s essential to consider the value of time saved and reliable lead information. In a busy trade show environment, the expense of a badge scanner often pays for itself. It allows for enhanced productivity and more effective and complete capture of lead information.
Another key advantage of a badge scanner on a mobile device is portability and the ability to capture leads outside the booth. Imagine striking up a conversation with someone in the line at Starbucks or a partner’s booth. You can scan their badge, capturing that lead without interrupting the interaction. Having the scanner app on many devices also enables multiple people to take part in lead capture. It provides redundancy in case one device fails as well.
Effective Lead Capture Strategies
Regardless of your method for capturing leads, adopting a strategic approach to qualify them is crucial. A common pitfall is to focus only on the number of leads, which can result in wasting time on prospects that are unlikely to yield fruit.
From a metrics perspective, marketing operations and sales teams may aim to bring as many people as possible to the booth. But, this can attract “tire kickers.” Meaning, individuals who aren’t serious about buying. Scanning badges indiscriminately can lead to inflated metrics that skew your cost-per-lead analysis.
Instead, consider tracking metrics that offer real insights, such as the following.
- Customer visits: How many existing customers came by the booth?
- Invited guest attendance: How many of those you invited actually showed up?
- Qualified leads: How many visitors fit your target customer profile and expressed interest in buying in the next six months?
These metrics provide a more accurate picture of your trade show success than raw badge scan numbers.
What Data Should You Capture?
Most digital badge bar codes only include basic demographic information (e.g. organization, role, contact details). To qualify scans, it’s essential to customize lead qualification questions on rented badge scanning software. For example, asking, “Are you a decision maker?” or “What’s your decision-making timeframe?” can help identify high-potential leads. Train booth staff to ask these questions and collect more details about purchasing plans. This ensures you record valuable information while the conversation is fresh—enabling better lead scoring.
At most companies, many people handle lead capture. So, it’s important to standardize the lead capture approach to ensure consistent data collection. Larger healthcare IT companies often have dedicated personnel for this role. In smaller teams, people who wear different hats may need to pitch in, so consistency is essential.
Post-Show Follow-Up Is Key
Timely and targeted follow-up is essential for maintaining sales momentum gained at a trade show. Digital lead capture systems speed up this process by enabling rapid data export to a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. This allows rapid lead scoring based on company qualification criteria and the separation of existing prospects from net new leads.
Once your leads are in the CRM, prioritize follow-up according to lead qualification:
- High-priority leads should receive personalized follow-up within a week of the show ending. Preferably from someone they already have a relationship with.
- Lower-priority leads can receive follow-up within two to three weeks via phone call or email. Or, targeted marketing emails.
Thanking visitors for stopping by and sharing relevant content based on their stated interests helps build goodwill and keeps your healthcare IT company top-of-mind. It also provides the opportunity to encourage further engagement. For instance, inviting them to schedule a call with one of your clinical or technical experts or subscribe to your content.
For qualified leads, assign them to the appropriate sales representative. Notify sales teams of their continued interest if they are already in the pipeline. Prompt, relevant follow-up nurtures interest and drives leads toward a buying decision.
Leverage Product Marketing for Continued Engagement
After capturing leads, product marketing teams play a crucial role in nurturing them. Consider enlisting an experienced product marketing expert familiar with your clinical, technical, and administrative user personas. These professionals use lead data to create personalized follow-up sequences that address the specific pain points discussed at the event. A targeted drip campaign, delivering subsequent valuable content, can further help sustain interest and nudge leads closer to a sale.
Consider account-based marketing tactics for high-value leads. This involves delivering tailored content aimed at specific decision-makers and influencers within an organization. These personalized approaches help turn trade show leads into genuine sales opportunities, providing sales teams with qualified prospects primed for conversion.
Maximize Your Trade Show ROI
Effective lead capture at trade shows is more than collecting contact information. It’s about capturing enough intent data that enables the establishment of meaningful connections and the qualification and scoring of leads. Choosing the right lead capture tools, focusing on lead quality over quantity, and implementing a structured lead follow-up plan maximizes trade show ROI and sets you up for success in the months following the event.
Are you planning to attend a trade show soon? Our product marketing experts can help. We assist you in planning and ensuring your lead capture, follow-up, and product marketing strategies align. This helps guarantee you get the most out of your trade show investment. Contact us to learn more.
