Trade Show Secrets

Trade shows are one of the best staging grounds for enticing new customers, attracting prospects, and generating leads. But in order to be as effective as possible, one’s presence at a trade show must be carefully crafted. More likely than not, if you’re at a themed trade show, you’ll be competing against a variety (possibly hundreds!) of competitors, all offering a product or service very similar to yours. For this reason, it’s important that you stand out from the crowd. So what are the best methods for accomplishing that?  Below, we’ve rounded up our top tips for hitting it out of the trade show park. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to make your trade show presence work for you - read on!

1. Work That Booth
   
   The trade show booth is, by far, the most noticeable aspect of your trade show presence. Booths, as the old saying goes, are all about location! Many trade shows will allow you to pick a premium location if you’re willing and able to pay a premium price. Be strategic and think about this early on. Prime trade show spots sell out quickly, and if your event recurs every year, some spots may be well known to established companies. Negotiate to get the best spot you can possibly afford!
   
   Given the amount of space it consumes, it stands to reason that your booth should be the first thing to capture your audience’s attention. Once you’ve got the best spot possible, ensure that you continue to work your audience by capitalizing on your booth’s good looks. Customers are drawn to booths that look professional, with a keen eye toward colour and design. Even if you aren’t in the business of visuals, pay particular attention to what your booth looks like and the story it tells. You want to ensure that not only is your booth bright and attention-grabbing, but that it conveys a clear message as well. Make your product or service obvious and be sure to use clear, easy to read signage. Proper lighting and attractive design is the difference between people stopping to look and passing you by.
   
    

2. Smile For the Audience
   
   While your booth’s design may get people to approach you with curiosity, you want them to do more than give you a passing glance. As such, your booth needs to be approachable, with warm, friendly, professional booth attendants available to answer questions. When things get very busy and booth attendants are otherwise occupied, be sure to have plenty of visual materials (pens, brochures, pamphlets, videos etc.) on hand for your customers to glance over. This may encourage them to stick around to ask questions. Even if they do decide to leave your booth, if they walk off with a pamphlet or business card in hand, there’s the potential that they’ll contact you at a later date.
   
    

3. Show Specials - TODAY ONLY!
   
   Let’s face it. Most of the audience at a trade show is prone to impulse purchases. Highlight your show specials to encourage customers to act while at the show. Provide incentives like deep discounts for purchases made same day or buy-one-get-one-free offers. Ensure that the offer available is clearly marked at your booth, whether a product or service and make sure your entire promotional staff is well aware of your incentive program.
    

4. Get Social!
   
   Social media presence is king (or queen)! If you do not already have a social media presence, ensure that you build one prior to your trade show attendance. This, of course, is part of a larger, longer term social media strategy, but you want to think carefully about your place in the digital world.
   
   While at the trade show, savvy marketers encourage customers to use social media. They may engage them by encouraging them to “check in” at the venue or to use a featured #hashtag on a social media platform for a chance to grab a freebie. Not only does this promote your brand at low cost, but it does so in a way that reaches beyond the confines of the trade show itself.
   
   

5. Everyone Loves a Freebie!
   
   The free promotional product giveaway is a staple at most trade shows, and this hasn’t gone away. People have come to expect that at most booths you’ll be given something small (a pen, a bag, or a notebook, for example) that will serve as useful to the customer and provide you with advertising in the long-term.  If you haven’t already thought about ways to strategically incorporate promotional products into your trade show marketing, now’s the time to do so! Promo products help improve your marketing ROI!