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Turning Manufacturing Tradeshow Data into Something Actionable
Businesses that generate vast amounts of data in a short amount of time need to keep up with the data trail. For example, manufacturers that attend trade shows may walk away with upwards of 25 thousand people’s contact information. But how do you turn that data into something significant and actionable? That’s where Communications for Research (CFR) comes in.
CFR helped a manufacturer with a deal network business model
CFR recently partnered with the marketing agency of a large manufacturer with a national footprint. This manufacturer works through a deal network to sell their end product. The manufacturer provides trade show presence, handles online and print advertising and manages a website. But the end sale is a transaction between the purchaser and an authorized dealer. The marketing agency that hired CFR specializes in software to make this hand-off seamless.
Turning contact information from trade shows into valuable research
While our marketing agency client is extremely savvy in software and database set up, they are not research experts. When there is a flood of thousands and thousands of inquiries, they do not possess the capability of turning a prospect’s contact information into valuable trade show research information, and moving quickly.
The process for tackling trade show research
This marketing agency hired CFR to turn around the research quickly. We first learned their research goals related to the trade show. We then created a short survey with boiled down, effective questions.
Next, we moved fast. Starting just 48 hours after the trade show ended, our team of experienced and well-trained callers started dialing. We always aim to finish within one week of the trade show, so the event is fresh in the minds of the participants.
Finally, we handed over the data to the marketing agency. This agency has in-house researchers on staff, so they were okay with raw data files. But our team could have taken things a step further and provided analysis.
Key insights at affordable prices
This marketing agency was able to deliver key insights to their client in an extremely quick, seamless turnaround. They leveraged big research company experience at affordable, competitive rates. Many larger research companies would have passed this engagement over, especially without a large research commitment.
An easy way to clean up a database
A side benefit of CFR being able to churn through so much data so quickly is that the end client, the manufacturer, can have confidence in its database. Performing research post-trade show is a natural way to clean up data and confirm that someone is actually who they say they are.
If you are a marketing agency that is trying to do all the trade show research in-house, know that you have resources available to you. CFR can work on your research project on a national or local level. We have the resources and expertise to act as an extension of your team, whether by performing research so you can hit your deadlines, or joining your client meetings as an on-hand analyst. If you have a client need that you’d like to discuss with us, we’d like to hear from you. You can contact us here to tell us more.