Crawford Greenwald once said, “Every one minute you spend in planning will save you at least three minutes in execution.”
Many people think that taking the time to plan is a waste of time. But this can’t be farther from the truth. It takes a lot of resources to plan a trade show or event – time, money, energy. You want to make the most out of these resources.
Think about the reason you are attending the event. Most likely you’re trying to generate results. Results like increasing leads, followers, or whatever results are important in helping you achieve your goals.
Taking the time to plan your event before you attend is important – not just planning your event, but creating an engagement strategy that will help you achieve your goals. This will save you time and energy and it can also save you money and help you get a return on your investment.
Why you need to plan your engagement strategy
Think about how many events you attended and you were less than thrilled with the results when it was over. Was it because you didn’t collect enough leads because you didn’t think of it? Did you not follow up with your leads? Or, was it because you gave your SWAG away to anyone that passed your booth?
These are the perfect ways to waste money. Sure, you can keep doing the same things you’ve always done, expecting a different crowd will give you different results. But, creating a plan will actually help you get different results!
Planning an engagement strategy
An engagement strategy will outline when and how you will engage your audience and who you’re engaging.
Here are some best practices to help you plan your engagement strategy:
- Decide on one goal you want to accomplish.
- Then, create a plan that describes how you will achieve your goal.
- Promote your event before, during AND after.
- Track your results
There’s more to it than just planning
Taking the time to plan isn’t the holy grail of getting results. Executing your plan is important and following through to the end is also key.
When you take the time to plan, then implement your plan, this is when you’ll look back and feel accomplished. Not only will you see results, but you will also know your hard work didn’t go to waste.
Creating Memorable Impressions For Your Brand 