We're not even through Q1 2020 and life has already thrown us a major curveball. Now, we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic, and it’s impacting our health, mental state, and economy. Even worse, we don't know what next month holds… or heck, even later today.

You’ve explored pre-trade show email templates and templates to send after the show is over (and if you haven't, what are you waiting for?!) to help become more productive and save time reaching out to trade show leads.

Content marketing for manufacturers: Good. Hastily implemented content marketing with no strategy: Bad.

Imagine how frustrating it would be to run a business if you never checked your KPIs. Imagine how difficult it would be if you didn't even know what your KPIs were. Talk about shots in the dark.

So why would it be any different for your marketing success? Much like you want to limit your reject ratio and optimize your take time, you must have a go-to set of KPIs to monitor and optimize your marketing. 

The following KPIs are broken down by stages of the inbound marketing funnel.

Research shows that today’s internet users prefer videos over text and pictures. (As a former print journalist, it kills my soul to say this.)

In 2019, OptinMonster reported that companies using video marketing see 66% more qualified leads per year. We know video is a powerful resource for influencing buying decisions

Videos will drive traffic to your site and keep your visitors there longer. A higher retention rate will be good for your SEO and search ranking. Furthermore, videos boost your conversions and reach decision-makers.

If you’re afraid of getting started because you “don’t know how to do video marketing,” stick to the basics that have proven ROI.

What does every successful marketing strategy have in common? If you look closely, you'll find these five traits in every aspect of the campaign:

1. Pertinent
2. Profitable
3. Practical
4. Provocative
5. Plugged-in

Everything you create, post, publish, and share should follow all of these P's to make your manufacturing business strategy more successful.

1. Create Pre-Show Buzz with Hashtags
2. Post Behind-The-Scenes Teaser Videos
3. Add & Promote a New Landing Page
4. Live Stream During the Event
5. Record Customer Testimonials
6. Connect & Follow-Up

Integrating social media marketing into your trade show presence is incredibly important to promote your manufacturing business. If you want to know a little bit more about each of these tips, keep reading below.

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Do you want to win a $250 gift card? Are you a manufacturer? Have you gone to a trade show in your manufacturing field? Do you have 5 minutes to spare?

You invest substantial time and money to send your team to a trade show. But, if you’re not generating a buzz and driving people to your booth, your money is as good as flushed down the toilet.

We know, we know -- increasing trade show booth traffic and engaging with prospects prior to the show is easier said than done.

That’s why we put together this guide of sample emails to send prior to the show to help your team make the most out of the show.

(Editor's Note: The following is a guest post by Deb Calvert, founder of People First Productivity Solutions, on the "why" and the "how" of driving employee engagement.)

Employee engagement matters in the workplace. In order to encourage and promote engagement, you need to have the right leadership.