So, here we are. Trade shows are being canceled across the United States and around the world.
For many B2B brands, trade shows are the lifeblood of their businesses. These shows are where businesses of all shapes and sizes pick up most of their leads for the year. So now that we’re facing the possibility of zero trade shows or major industry events for months, it’s understandable if you’re feeling unsure of what to do next.
But luckily, there are tons of ways you can still generate leads and get the word out about your brand—even without that expensive, high-profile booth in a conference center.
Here’s our list of 99 marketing tactics you can deploy instead.
1. Host a Webinar
Webinars can be put together relatively quickly from your existing content. Choose one of your most popular whitepapers or blog posts to base it off of, and repurpose as needed.
2. Host a Webcast
Webcasts are similar to webinars, except that they’re available to watch at any time (and therefore are usually not interactive). Webcasts are a bit more flexible with topics, as well—for instance, you could host a webcast to communicate your company’s response to coronavirus for your clients or customers.
3. Hold Office Hours
Host online office hours to answer customer questions.
4. Host a Twitter Chat
Invite customers to tweet @ your brand with a specific hashtag, and answer or comment in real time.
5. Slack Channel Meetups
Create a Slack channel for meetups with clients and industry colleagues, and host live chats regularly.
6. PR Stunt
Large gatherings may not work these days, but you can still inject some joy and fun into clients’ lives by creating a silly or inspiring video, for example, and posting to your channels.
7. Influencer Marketing
Turboboost your influencer marketing outreach—spend the time you’d be spending on trade show prep doing that instead.
8. Sponsor a Web Event
Sponsor a live-from-home concert, online networking event, book reading, you name it.
9. Write & Publish a Book to Establish Thought Leadership
While you’re stuck at home, why not take some of the quiet time (that is, if you have it!) to write an ebook?
10. Publish a Whitepaper
Write and publish a whitepaper on a current topic or to highlight your brand’s specific expertise.
11. Create an Animated Infographic
Take your infographics up a notch and animate them using an online tool like Biteable.
12. Amp Up Your Content Marketing
Rework your buyer personas, create a solid content calendar for the next month, and start creating!
13. Redesign Your Website
Website looking dated? Update it and email your client lists to let them know about the changes.
14. Conduct a Content Audit
Content audits are a great way to take stock of what kind of content you need more of along the buyer journey.
15. Link Building
Write a guest blog post or two to increase the number of external links to your website.
16. Online Polls
Conduct a poll on Facebook or another social platform to engage followers and gather valuable insight.
17. Establish Yourself on ALL Social Platforms
If you’ve been focusing solely on one or two social platforms, use this time to expand to the ones you’ve been meaning to get to.
18. Increase Your Social Activity
This is no time to go silent on social! Make sure you’re still responding to comments, engaging with followers, and posting timely, relevant information.
19. Personalized Emails
Make sure your email marketing is personalized to customers’ and clients’ interests and activity.
20. Automated Behavioral Triggered Emails
Set up triggered emails that go out every time a prospect downloads a report, for example, or abandons a cart.
21. Develop a Lead Scoring System
Work on scoring your leads so you know which are the most important to follow up with and when.
22. Affiliate Marketing
If it makes sense, do some outreach to popular bloggers and websites to sign them up as affiliates for your product.
23. SEO
Do an audit of your website to improve your keywords and boost your SEO.
24. PPC
Pay-per-click advertising is a must these days—refine your ads, or set them up, if you’re new to PPC.
25. Customer Testimonials
Request testimonials from happy long-term customers and add them to your website.
26. Publish a Case Study
Write up and publish a case study to showcase your expertise in a specific industry.
27. Start a Business Blog
If you don’t have a blog already, start one! And if you do, write up three or four posts to schedule out into the next month.
28. Map Out Your Blogging Strategy
Make sure your blog is helping you achieve specific results. If you don’t know whether it is or not, strategize!
29. Social Listening
Use a social listening tool to see what people are saying about your brand and your industry online.
30. Update Your Marketing Plan
Revamp your marketing plan for these new and uncertain times.
31. Revisit Your Business Goals & Objectives
Are your goals and objectives accurate to your current situation? Are they outdated? Revisit and update them.
32. Create a Digital Brochure
Develop a short, concise digital brochure for your brand.
33. Customize Your Email Signature
Add your logo or headshot.
34. Start a Rewards Program For Your Business
Thank your clients for their business with a rewards program.
35. Check in With Your Past Customers
Send out friendly emails to check in with past customers.
36. Paid Facebook Ads
37. Paid LinkedIn Ads
38. Paid Twitter Ads
39. Paid Instagram Ads
40 . YouTube Marketing
Create video ads or beef up your YouTube channel.
41. Record a Podcast
Record your own podcast, or be a guest on someone else’s.
42. Optimize Your Website for Mobile
Make sure your website is responsive for mobile, tablet, and desktop devices.
43. Reputation Management
Google your brand and see what comes up, and whether you need to correct misinformation.
44. Make an App For Your Business
Hire a developer to create that app you’ve been considering making.
45. Utilize Google Analytics
Take a deep dive into your Google Analytics data.
46. Start a YouTube Account For Your Business
Make sure your brand is represented on YouTube.
47. Create + Upload YouTube Videos
Create a few brief, casual YouTube videos to share with clients and staff.
48. Start an Email List
Gather emails through your website.
49. Create a Fun Contest
Develop a giveaway or contest to generate user-generated content and create excitement.
50. Help Your Community
Donate food or money to local organizations helping out during the coronavirus crisis.
51. Client Appreciation Campaign
Show your clients how much you appreciate them by posting about them, writing short blog posts about them, or sending virtual “thank yous” like gift cards to them.
52. Put Your Contact Info on Every Page of Your Site
53. Make + Send Out Customer Satisfaction Survey
Gather information from your customers with an easy online survey.
54. Modernize Your Office Space
Toss old, dated decor or equipment and order more modern pieces to spruce up the office so you’re ready to welcome visitors once visitors are coming in again.
55. Print Your Logo – Put It On Everything
Don’t be shy about putting your logo on that coffee cup.
56. Establish a Business Hashtag
Create a hashtag just for your business and use it daily.
57. Make Your Content More Visual
Go back and add in images and/or videos wherever you can.
58. Create Templates For Your Business
Create email, video, webpage, and other content templates.
59. Collect Fun & Unusual Statistics About Your Industry
Search for interesting stats that could be useful or entertaining for clients and customers.
60. Post Presentations on Slideshare
Upload your presentations to Slideshare and share them online.
61. Write an Ebook
You can give your ebook away in exchange for customers’ email addresses, or sell it if you’ve already established a dedicated following.
62. Establish Your Business in Local Citation Sites
Don’t neglect your local online presence.
63. Create Memes For Your Business
Humor should always be used with caution, but if you know your audience’s taste and that they appreciate certain types of humor, try creating a meme with a tool like Imgflip.
64. Broadcast an Online Training Course
Develop an online training course out of several of your existing webinars.
65. Google Ads
Develop a few highly targeted ads and deploy them on Google Ads.
66. Create Data Graphs & Charts
Turn some of your data into user-friendly graphs or charts using a tool like Venngage.
67. Handwritten Notes to Clients
Show clients that you’re grateful for their business with a sincere handwritten note.
68. Stay Relevant – Follow Trending Topics
Watch Twitter and Facebook to see what’s trending, and comment on topics that are relevant to your industry.
69. Use Pop-Up Opt-Ins on Landing Pages
Create pop-ups to encourage site visitors to sign up for your email list, view your new product, or try a demo.
70. Have a “Guest Take-Over” on Social Media
Engage an influencer to “take over” your Instagram account.
71. Create Branded Tools
Develop a simple branded app or tool to solve a problem for your customers.
72. Make Sure Your URLs are Clean
Check your site URLs to make sure they contain full words, with no odd letters or typos.
73. List Your Business on Google
Fill out your Google business profile.
74. Ask for Reviews
Request reviews either by contacting some of your longtime customers, or asking for reviews on social.
75. Create a Facebook Group for Loyal Customers
Create a closed Facebook group and invite customers to join. Share insider tips, sneak peeks of new products, and more exclusive content.
76. Set up an Online Referral Program
Give customers who refer someone a discount or special gift.
77. Test Your Site Speed
Make sure your site is running at a good speed with a tool like Pingdom.
78. Go Viral
Share your best content and see if it goes viral!
79. Organize Your Email Database
Clean up and organize and validate your email database to improve your email marketing.
80. Start a Monthly Newsletter
If you aren’t communicating with your customers in a monthly newsletter, start now.
81. Reevaluate Your Target Market
Make sure you’re targeting the right group by taking another look at your target market. Adjust if needed.
82. Print Your Logo on a Sticker
Get the word out about your brand by creating branded stickers for customers.
83. Telemarketing
Improve your sales efforts by implementing telemarketing, so you can contact prospects before they’re ready to actually meet with a salesperson.
84. Respond to Mentions Online – Both Positive & Negative
Don’t neglect any mention of your brand online, and make sure to address both the praise and the complaints.
85. Research Upcoming Technology
Take some time to look for new martech or other technologies that could help you improve your marketing.
86. Encourage User-Generated Content
Host a contest or giveaway to encourage your audience to create user-generated content.
87. Find a New Way to Educate Your Customers
Branch out into a new type of content and give your customers a new way to learn from your expertise.
88. Broaden Your Knowledge – Take Online Training Courses
Brush up on your own marketing skills with an online training course.
89. Cold Calling
Try cold calling some new prospects.
90. Encourage Your Employees to Market Your Business
Remember your employees can be some of your best advocates—encourage them to share your content online with their own followers.
91. Cause Marketing
Dive into a cause that’s important for your brand, and do a fundraiser or awareness-raising campaign.
92. Storytelling About Your Product/Service
Embrace storytelling through video, text, audio, or another medium. You can get even more creative and use a tool like Motionbox to create video memes to keep your audience engaged.
93. Virtual Networking Events
Networking isn’t only for in person events!
94. Simplify Web Forms on Your Site
Make sure your web forms are gathering only the most basic information, so you’re not scaring away potential customers.
95. Partner With Another Business – Gain Exposure
Join forces with another local business or one in your industry to run a joint campaign.
96. Sponsor Something Unique/Different
Try sponsoring a virtual event, forum, or networking opportunity.
97. SMS Marketing
Use a tool to branch out into SMS marketing.
98. Get Interviewed / Featured in a Major Publication
Amp up your PR efforts to secure an interview or feature in a publication.
99. Personalize Your Marketing Messages
Identify your target audiences, and the various points on their customer journey to create personalized messaging for every stage.
