#kbis2016

There was something powerful missing this year at IBS+KBIS and I stumbled upon it on the last day of the show.

 On the last day of the show, I revisited dozens of building products manufacturers to feature on the Draper DNA “Most” list being posted on Instagram and shared across Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. With each manufacturer I featured I searched for their social media addresses in the booth and on literature with only the icons being shown, if at all. So I asked for these addresses from the people in the exhibits. All but one apologized and admitted embarrassment for not knowing. A few called the marketing dept at the home office for the information.

 There were more than 100,000 attendees this year most of them walking throughout the show with their heads down reading and writing on their smartphones. There were several hashtags dedicated to #IBSVEGAS and #KBIS2016 and the traffic was outstanding. What were missing were the exhibitors, the building products manufacturers, actively participating in these conversations on social media.

Why is this a missed opportunity? Let’s look at a couple of scenarios.

 First, recent research shows a majority of all home building professionals use social media as a resource for information. With 100,000 is these folks attending, exhibitors missed the opportunity to share information with them and they to share this information with their follower. Ouch!

 Second, Forrester Research reports 90% of the B2B buyer’s journey (your customers) is complete by the time they reach out to your sales team. A large part of this discovery is done online and in social media through shared ratings, rankings, and referrals.

 Third, the largest group of home buyers in the market today is Millennials and these folks reply on social media to learn and make decisions. You should be talking with them within the channels of communication they trust. Here are a couple of interesting articles discussing these facts.

 “Why Millennials Are Dominating the Housing Market” from US News and World Reports citing a report from the National Association Realtors research.

  Social Network Demographics from Business Insider citing social media usage.

 Not everyone at IBS+KBIS overlooked social media. Two building products manufacturers stood out for their social media efforts.

 Caeserstone incorporated social media into their exhibit and presentations asking attendees and followers to share their thoughts, experiences, and insights across their channels, those of IBS+KBIS, and Caesarstone. The social media content was displayed in real time within the booth as a part of a contest.

 Panasonic Ventilation, our client, solicited and secured 250 qualified customer leads prior to the show through an event marketing program featuring digital and social media. These prospective customers were in the hands of the sales team before the show started.

 With all that is invested in trade shows and events, missing one of the most powerful and influential sharing tools is a mistake. The same can be said for collateral, advertising, press releases, newsletters, and most outbound marketing. Start taking advantage of social media simply by including your social media addresses just as I have below.

 LinkedIn – DraperDNA

Twitter – @DraperDNA

Instagram – DraperDNA

Tumblr – DraperDNA