When June arrives and United Fresh is around the corner, for the team at DMA Solutions, the summer tradeshow season officially begins. This year, with the virtual show, our team has been motivated to change our mindsets and our approach to the show, that we usually peruse with ease, and find time to connect with our colleagues from around the country.  

Knowing that the association is expecting a record number of attendees and exhibiting companies, it is clear that the fresh produce industry is feeling optimistic about the first virtual show. We can’t help but notice where marketers are putting their efforts (or not) to drive traffic to booths that will be showcasing on the virtual United Fresh LIVE! tradeshow floor.  

With 660 million members, LinkedIn is by far the largest B2B social media platform available for marketers today. Of the total, 250 million are active monthly and only 3 million share content on a weekly basis making this platform a wide open space for marketers seeking to connect with buyers.

As we enter three consecutive weeks of pre-show, during the show and post-show marketing opportunities, look no further than LinkedIn to make your connections, drive traffic to your booth and nurture new contacts.

Following are a few tips for optimizing LinkedIn to help get you started:

1. Engage with Customers

Don’t wait until the show opens on Monday, June 15, to start engaging with your customers on LinkedIn. Start now by making connections starting this week! If you haven’t already, follow your customers. Reach out on LinkedIn to let them know you’re available and you’ll be at the show if they want to talk more. You might even take a call before the show to make way for other visitors that you are likely to meet in your booth! After the show, continue to use LinkedIn to share company news, product information that you shared during the show and be sure to start following the new leads you met.

2. Share Visual Graphics

Using visual graphics and content is an excellent way to engage with your customers prior to and during the virtual tradeshow.  Whether you create a post from your own account or your company’s main LinkedIn profile, sharing graphics is an optimal way to garner engagement simply because of their visual nature.  

For this show in particular, we recommend that when designing your visual graphics for LinkedIn, you include search terms that will help customers find your exhibitor listing in the United Fresh LIVE! portal.  Search term examples might be but are not limited to:

• Your company name (e.g. DMA, DMA Solutions)
• Products you sell (e.g. berries, strawberries, fruit)
• Services you offer (e.g. creative design, graphic design, public relations, pr, social media)
• “New” or “New Products” (e.g. new, what’s new, new products, new services, launch)
• “Value Added” or “Organic” (e.g. value added, value-added, organic, convenience)

3. Consider Advertising

Consider procuring an advertisement on LinkedIn to elevate key messages and information you want attendees to know before and during the show. You will expect to pay upwards of $1 per click, but your investment in driving the right people to your booth or your company will be worth every penny.  

4. After the Show, Continue to Promote What’s New

Just because the show is officially closed, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work to capture the attention of those that visited your booth and those that didn’t.  Use LinkedIn to continue to share new products, your services and the value that you bring to customers during United Fresh LIVE! and beyond.

The team at DMA Solutions is available to connect with you before, during or after the show as well!  Search “DMA” when looking to connect with us at United Fresh LIVE! and let’s talk about amplifying your company and your products beyond the show.