Even in the digital age, trade shows continue to be an outstanding method to advertise your products and services and really push your brand to a willing audience.
Undoubtedly, your business will gain plenty of exposure, you will have the opportunity meet many prospective clients, and if utilised effectively, you should achieve your marketing goals if you attend the right shows.
What is key however, is maximising your return on investment otherwise your attendance could be a costly exercise.
In this article we will explore 8 proven strategies that will bring you maximum exposure and engagement with incredible trade show displays. If you want to succeed with your next exhibition, follow the 8 suggestions as outlined below.
1. Great Giveaways
One of the most common and best methods to positively engage customers and keep them interested in your brand or product offering is to distribute outstanding giveaways, such as promotional conference bags.
Most trade show attendees get swamped with aggressive advertising, sales teams, marketing messages and more. In most instances, this methods rarely ever gets a positive response.
By providing visitors with a free gift that resonates with them however, will make your company far more memorable during and more importantly, after the show.
Don’t just give anything away. Think of items that will be of use to them but also has a connection with what you sell. Old fashioned giveaways like t-shirts, baseball caps and hoodies are all well and good, but do they really make a difference in the minds of active purchasers?
Try to give away items that will be of use to them and offer a problem solving solution or better still, make their time at the trade show more convenient and enjoyable.
Make sure your branding is clear and present on everything you distribute and you’ll reap the rewards.
2. Create a Buzz
Getting people actually interested and talking about you is extremely influential, especially long before the trade show event. Creating a buzz is one way to achieve this.
A great idea is to advertise that your company will be attending a trade show to generate interest. You can publicise this information via your own company website, social media channels, email marketing, direct mail and word of mouth.
Generating interest long before the event can bring you warm leads and interested visitors will flock to your stand the moment the even doors open.
3. Know Your Competition
It is of vital importance to know everything you can about your competition.
Before the show, you will want to study your competitors and what they plan to do. Find out what is working for them with their booth design or marketing.
Talk to the event organisers and find out where your competitors will be exhibiting in the show.
Discover what giveaways they are planning, their sales team strategies, their booth design and promotional offers.
There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from the successful ideas these companies use to make a greater impact with your own exhibition stand, and gain more business and a better response.
4. Design a Killer Exhibition Booth
Having one of these incredible trade show displays for your booth is of critical importance. The final product will speak volumes about you as a company and your key messages.
During the show, attendees will be overwhelmed by a whole raft of advertising slogans, active sales teams, marketing messages, colours, sounds and visual presentations.
Be sure your exhibition booth design is unique and uses proven techniques that attract attention and speak directly and clearly to audiences. Stand out, be creative and clear with your messages. Avoid fancy slogans that mean little or confuse people. Be direct and concise in your approach.
The design of your exhibition booth will either bring you success or failure so study what is known to work and harness it.
5. Stand Out from the Crowd
Many of the larger advertisers will have all sorts of elaborate displays and gimmicks that are intended to grab visitor’s attention, creating a vacuum effect that pulls everyone away from their competitors.
You will need to ensure you can counteract this effect as best as possible, within your means.
Custom table covers can help enhance the visual appeal of a trade show booth by displaying brand logos, colors, and messaging, creating a professional and cohesive look. They also serve a practical purpose by covering tables, hiding any imperfections or clutter, and providing a branded surface for product displays or promotional material. You can purchase these covers from numerous online retailers, for example at https://www.tablecoversnow.
This is why pre-show research is so critical. It will help you discover strategies that could make you different and offer advantages over other exhibitors.
You can use entertainment, gamification, technology, video screens, motivated sales staff and more to stand out. Be creative and look at the different avenues for advertising and marketing available to you.
6. Harness Technology
Your on year, technology continues to develop and your organisation can really thrive when technology is put into positive action on your exhibition stand.
Large projector screens or television presentations, interactive displays, downloadable smartphone apps, digital games and prize draws work wonderfully well, and have been proven to both engage and attract attendees.
Creating a memorable experience through harnessing technology really does create a buzz during the event, that generates more visitors that stick around for longer.
7. Be Friendly & Approachable
Having a friendly and helpful team of sales experts is a must!
You will want to be sure that your team is properly trained and prepared with set goals, with a clear understanding of what your key objectives are.
You will want your team to be presentable, friendly and approachable. Sales are important but establishing comfort and rapport with visitors will leave a better image of your brand in people’s minds, long after the show has ended.
8. Be Memorable
Making a positive impact at the trade show is essential but that is not the only measure of success.
You will want to create a memorable experience that visitors can take away with them.
Creating an interactive booth that stimulates your audience with a sales team that is friendly and approachable is ideal.
Establishing your brand identity through a memorable experience for your audience is of prime importance. Make your visitors remember you with strategies like great giveaways, having fun, establishing a good business relationship or offering free advice and insight. The payback will be tangible long after the event has ended.
