Attending a trade show is a great way to really drive leads and improve your company's visibility in the industry. Here are five trade show marketing tips to help you get the most from your next trade show.
Location, Location, Location
Where in the trade show's exhibit hall will your booth be? Very few people will walk to the furthest corners of the exhibit hall in the hopes of finding the right business. Your booth must be both visible and conveniently accessible. The fact is that many attendees will wander into the hall and immediately look for the closest and biggest booth. Unfortunately, these prime spots tend to be expensive and are snapped up quickly. You will need to plan ahead to get the best booth location. In most conferences and trade shows, the best booths are reserved over a year in advance.
Make sure you plan far ahead, and consider working booth location into your contract if you plan on attending a certain trade show for an extended period of time. Yes, these booths are more expensive, but they are definitely worth the extra foot traffic.
Make It Pop
Is your company's booth boring? You had better hope not! No one wants to come to a dull-looking booth. So make it interesting and make it pop! Not all of us are gifted with creativity (or the time to put into designing a trade show booth), so if you don't have an in-house graphic designer, look for other avenues. For example, hire a freelancer to create a professional banner and interesting design for your booth.
You'll want to make sure that your booth is brightly colored, well-lit, and adheres to your business branding. In any case, the key here is that your booth should be interesting, attractive, and engaging to draw in foot traffic and pique the curiosity of every attendee in the hall.
Remember the Swag
Let's face it, people come to trade shows and they want swag. They want swag to be spilling out of their bags. And everyone else exhibiting at the hall will be giving away free stuff, so make sure that you blow everyone else away. Be memorable and stand out! Don't just give away free pens.
Consider the following ideas:
- Toys. Many of your visitors and the show's attendees will be parents who would love to bring their child something home from the show. Can you find a way to create branded, child-friendly swag that parents will remember to bring home?
- Battery chargers and power banks. Many companies are doing this, but that's because it's a great idea. Take it a step further and have someone walk around the building looking for people sitting by power outlets charging their electronics, hand them a free charger and take the opportunity to chat with them if possible.
- T-shirts and clothing. Everyone loves free clothing, and you get free advertising every time they wear it around.
Market Your Booth
You won't get many visitors to your booth if they don't know you're there. So make sure that you market yourself and make sure that everyone knows that you will be set up at the trade show. Before the show, send out a marketing email asking your local subscribers if they will be there. Try to get a list of attendees from the trade show if possible, and email them with a special offer or tease a tantalizing treat if they come by your booth. Make sure that you include your booth's location so they know where to find you, though!
Talent Is Key
Who is manning your booth? Your booth staff should be polite and approachable — there should be plenty of smiles and welcoming greetings to go around. Staffing is the most important part of a successful trade show experience. After all, people need to interact with you! A poor experience with your booth personnel will leave a bad taste in attendees' mouths and you know they will tell everyone what an awful experience they had. So don't let that happen!
Offer an astounding service experience for everyone who comes to (or just by) your booth. Your booth staff should be engaging, friendly, professional, approachable, and polite. Consider hiring professionals from an event staffing agency. We're happy to help you find the best staff possible, so if you're looking for more tips or help, please contact us.