Trade shows and professional gatherings such as Meetups can be great for your business. You get access to a lot of potential customers in one place and they are usually there to do business. So what’s the next best thing to going to a trade show? Ranking at the top of Google for searches for that trade show.
Now this isn’t always easy to do as some of the more popular shows are quite competitive. But there are likely many more shows that are easier to rank for. For example see my post on the Kelsey Group’s local search conference in Seattle. Thanks to this post I am now at the top of Google for searches for “kelsey conference seattle” and other variations.
If you are a plumber maybe there is a home show that is happening in your area. If you are an out of work ex-Governor maybe there is a dominatrix convention. Whatever you’re into, achieving a ranking for a relevant show can help expose you to potential customers when they are in buying mode and generally increase your visibility in your industry.
For some ideas of which shows to target I recommend checking out Confabb, the convention and trade show directory.
More info on Drilling Down on Local 2008: Marketplaces.
SEO note of the day: Jonah Stein is now open for business at ItstheROI. Jonah is a proud member of the East Bay SEO Meetup.
11 Response Comments
I have a post similar to this brewing in my head with a bit of a different spin. I like this idea, though.
Most home show organizers have no clue about SEO. It’s not hard to beat them.
Man Andrew, you let out all the secrets. I may just have to begin getting users to create scores of pages featuring location based events in my industry. That would be cool. 😛
I love it!
Thanks Andrew for this great post! I will surely keep this in mind!
Hey Andrew you kinda screwed up the links to “Meetup” and “kelsey”. Seems you forgot the “http” so they are treated as internal links.
Oops. Thanks Malte.
I organize a seo meetup in Pittsburgh, PA. It’s a great networking opportunity and a great place to meet possible business partnerships.
“If you are an out of work ex-Governor maybe there is a dominatrix convention.”
LMAO, a popular profession for ex-state wide officials? I find the competition for getting clients at tradeshows is fierce–you’re competing with dozens of similarly minded companies but it is a great way to get your company name out there and brand brand brand.
The competition is always fierce David so anything you can do to stand out from the crowd is a move in the right direction.
I agree, corporate events or industry events can be a great opportunity to expand your business. Thanks for sharing these tips!
No matter how much you click place to place it will never replace face to face. The internet is a wonderful thing but nothing beats good old fashion networking.
Or good old-fashioned comment spamming Houdini 🙂