Trade shows are a great opportunity to meet with industry leaders and promote your company to potential clients. At your dedicated booth, you can show off your newest products or services. Offer live demos or give away samples of your product to prospective consumers. However, if it’s your first trade show or conference, this guide will outline what to expect.
Before The Show
Find The Right Trade Show to Display Your Brand. No two trade shows are the same. It’s important that you attend the right one to best display your brand. However, it can seem difficult to research all the conferences to find the one that is right for your business.
Since trade shows are all different, it’s vital that you know the purpose of each show. This way, you can better set up your booth for better traffic to gain leads during the trade show. Types of business conferences include consumer, vendor, industry and product trade shows. Registering for a trade show is easy and can be done through the show’s website or mailed applications. These exhibitor applications, in some cases, are only offered by the event organizers.
Research Your Competition
First Business conferences are for businesses to compete with each other for a leading edge in their market. Understanding who your competition is and what kind of customers you may receive will help you adapt your marketing strategy for the big event. Knowing current market trends and customer habits will provide you with valuable information to tailor your trade show marketing strategy. Each industry is unique in its own right, so market research strategies will vary depending on your business.
Create Goals
Setting goals is not only important business practice but is also important to the trade show you’re participating in. It’s important to create realistic goals that will benefit your business at the end of the event. Have your brand stand out from the rest with goals that your business hopes to accomplish during the conference.
Design Your Booth
You should put enough effort into designing your booth to both attract consumers on the show floor and promote your company. Choose the design and be sure to use trade show signs and banners, too. You should also be sure that your booth uses a balanced amount of words and images to display your company in a positive and creative tone. Don’t avoid bright colors or large images to get the point across. It all goes towards your goal of attracting potential clients!
Marketing
There are endless ways to help market and promote your brand at a trade show. The two best ways to help you gain leads before the event even starts are: – Email marketing: Using email tactics to help spread info about your trade show booth – Online content: Create social media posts, blogs, and content across web-based platforms to reach a variety of people who may want to visit your trade show booth.
The Big Day
Setting Up
The big day is finally here! You have made all the preparations and now it’s time to show off your business. It is best to arrive a few hours before the show opens so you have ample time to set up, talk to your staff, and hand out marketing materials.
Trade Show Tips
If this is your first show, it can be a little intimidating. Here are a few tips to help you get through the day. – Be polite, respectful, and professional – Don’t sit down, always be active and engaging – Dress professionally or wear something branded for your business – Turn off your cell phone – Make sure you know your message frontwards and backward – Don’t eat or chew gum while on the floor – Listen to what visitors have to say
Marketing on The Day of The Show
In order to have a successful trade show and increase your ROI, your should create a trade show marketing plan. This may include handing out flyers, brochures, business cards, and using other trade show marketing materials. This will allow you to provide more information about your business to those who are interested.
Branded Swag and Giveaways
One of the best trade show marketing ideas is to have giveaways to draw a crowd to your booth. Organize a raffle and require people to leave their contact information to enter. Give away your product, service, or some other flashy tech toy like an iPad. Giving away branded materials for free can also bring more people into your booth. After all, who doesn’t love free stuff? Hand out pens, t-shirts, USB sticks, or anything else that has your name on it.
After the Trade Show
Contact Booth Visitors
Though the show is over, your work is just beginning. The first thing you should do when you get back from the show is to contact all of the leads you obtained during the show. Simply send an email to thank them for their time and remind them of who you are and what you do.
Evaluate Your Performance
With detailed analysis, you can determine how successful your trade show was and if you reached your goals. Use this data and learn from it so your business can grow and your next trade show will be even more successful.
Attending a trade show has numerous benefits for businesses of all sizes. All of the work, money, and time that goes into preparing will be paid back in new insights, contacts, and customers. For more information on how to make your first trade show a success, contact us!
