Whenever you get a chance to attend an industry event and network with people who can help your business, it's an exciting proposition. This is especially true when you travel to a trade show that's out of town, as this means an opportunity to meet with new prospects in a place you might not get a chance to visit otherwise.

Roadshows are the next step in this evolution. There's really nothing like a road show for marketing your business – it's a chance to travel from city to city and meet new potential customers everywhere you go. It's like visiting one exhibition, only exponentially more powerful.

If you're considering embarking upon such a trip, you need to fully understand the opportunity at your fingertips and adequately prepare to maximise your marketing successes.

Know the benefits of roadshow marketing

To some extent, every industry event is a chance to showcase your business and make some headway on your marketing activation goals. A roadshow, however, is especially promising. According to the Queensland Government, travelling to road shows offers unique value to your organisation in several ways

• Roadshows are often specifically targeted at a narrow industry. If you're looking to build up your market share among a certain type of client, you can narrow your focus to exactly the right show.

• You will often find shows with a diverse range of leads – some who are already familiar with your business, and others who are fresh faces. This gives you a chance to work both ends of the sales funnel at once.

• Because there are other like-minded professionals presenting at the same road show as you, there may be opportunities not only for customers but also for new business-to-business partnerships. Great B2B arrangements can potentially benefit both parties.

Any event is promising, but with road shows, you get all of the above. Why settle for less?

Ensuring your ROI stays strong

The downside to roadshow marketing is it can get expensive. Every time you travel to a new city, there are new costs that pile up – transportation, lodging, meals and so on. You need to be absolutely sure that your efforts continue to yield a strong ROI.

You want to make sure your investment pays off.

Inc. Magazine advises that road show marketers "plant a seed" in each new city they visit. Whether it's starting a new client relationship or launching a new marketing campaign, you should do at least one productive and tangible thing at each stop. Rather than get lost in the endless travel schedule, focus on maximising the time you're on the ground, making face time with key customers and prospects.

As you get into this, it will almost certainly prove helpful to have graphical elements at your disposal that can help you showcase your business.

Have the right graphics to ensure success

Roadshows are challenging because you're travelling to many unfamiliar places and meeting a lot of new people. A large swath of your audience will have never heard of your company before, and it's your job to create a strong first impression.

Many people are visual learners, which is why having great graphics is important for making that impression a good one. Fortunately, we can provide guidance at Exposure Group that will help you roll out the best possible graphics for your next roadshow marketing campaign.

We have a range of products available – including portable trade show displays, which are perfect for hitting the road in style. If this sounds like something that could benefit your business, contact us today and we can work out the details.