Trade shows are popular events, attracting millions of attendees each year. How can you get them to visit your booth, and, perhaps more importantly, how do you attract the right people from that crowd? There are numerous ways to bring visitors to your exhibit, but targeting your efforts may be tricky. Rather than resorting to cheesy gimmicks, use these five great tips to attract more targeted prospects for your next exhibition.
Start Before the Show Begins:
Your marketing efforts should start long before you hit the trade show floor. There are two different aspects to consider:
- Your list of current customers. A few weeks before the show, send out a mailing that tells your customers that you’ll have an exhibit there, and give them a compelling reason to stop by. Maybe it’s a bonus gift, or perhaps it’s an opportunity to meet the company’s executives.
- The list of trade show attendees. Contact the show’s manager and request a guest list. From there, do a bit of research to find potential new customers. Do the same thing you did with your customer list: contact these people, invite them to your exhibit, and give them a good reason to come.
Make Your Exhibit Inviting:
During your time at a trade show, the most efficient way to reach your prospects is to put up a welcoming exhibit. Consider the hard and soft qualities of an inviting trade show display. Does it look attractive and open to potential buyers? Are your graphics and signs clear, memorable, and interesting? Is it readily apparent what your company does? Are your offerings on display so potential customers can see and touch them? Your exhibit staff should not only be welcoming, they should be trained to engage trade show attendees in conversation and gather leads. With a well-trained staff and an attractive exhibit, you’ll have more prospects than you’ll know what to do with.
Hundreds of people visit the average trade show, which is great news for your company. However, there’s bad news as well: you’ll have plenty of competition. If you want to retain your edge, you’ll need an aesthetically pleasing and informative display. It may help to brainstorm ideas to differentiate your display from everyone else’s. For instance, if you’re promoting software, bring a laptop or two so prospects can try it out. By developing concepts that relate to your services and products, you’ll turn your booth into a real standout.
Become Sociable:
Maybe you aren’t the sort of person who lives his or her life on social media, but it’s surprising how many people actually do. Take advantage by establishing a social media presence before, during, and after the show. By posting pictures from the event, you’ll humanize your staff and make your company seem more approachable. If top executives will be there, post their schedules in advance, so potential buyers can stop by and learn what the business is all about. Ask your colleagues for suggestions on how to use platforms such as Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, and Instagram. You may be surprised at the ideas your staff comes up with!
Social media is a great tool to use during an event. Use Twitter and Facebook to announce giveaways at the booth. All your followers will get messages telling them to head on over to your display, which can bring you traffic at otherwise slow times of day. With social media, you can grab visitors’ interest and keep it throughout the show.
Attract Those With Whom You’re Already Connected:
If you’ve done your research up until now, there are sure to be plenty of attendees who already know you. How does it work? Before the show begins, don’t forget to send or call in an invitation, and make it easy for visitors to find you. Signage should be highly legible and visible, and words must be chosen carefully. Not only should your verbiage be precise, but your graphics should also make it clear who you are and what you do. Finally, your trade show display should answer a prospect’s age-old question: “What’s in the deal for me?” If the answer isn’t visible from ten feet away, your potential buyers won’t see it either. During a trade show, you only have four seconds between the time your prospect sees the display and when they decide whether to stop. Make that time count!
Don’t Let Your Potential Buyers Get Away:
Though trade shows are great, they only last so long, which means you only have a short time on the floor to interact with prospective customers. Here, promotional products become extremely useful. Promo products can be used as the gift promised in your invitation (if they’re of high quality), or they can be a way to form a connection with a new customer. Giving a visitor a gift begins a reciprocity cycle: you’ve done something for them, and now they’ll feel obliged to return the favor. Whether that’s an order that day, or the possibility of one in the future, reciprocity gets things started. Before the visitor leaves, scan their badge, take their business card, or write down their information; whichever method works best. The goal is to do whatever it takes to give prospects a reason and a means to contact you again.
In Closing:
Trade show displays can work wonders for your company’s marketing efforts, but before you can reap the benefits, you’ll have to get people to visit your booth. With the tips and tricks in this guide, you will bring in more high-quality leads and turn them into sales.
