How to Attract Visitors & Stand Out Above All Competitors at Your Next Trade Show
Are you tired of being just one of the many booths in the crowd at trade shows? Do you want to be the one everyone goes back to the office wow-ing about? These techniques will bring your trade show presentation to a new level, leaving your competitors wondering where you came from.
Axe the Usual and Give Away the Extraordinary
Face it, trade show attendants are going to go home with bags full of personalized pens, business cards, magnets, and flyers. Your giveaway merchandise needs to be something useful and unique to garner attention. Consider upping the budget for your next big trade show and offering items more specific to your visitor audience or items everyone can use such USB flash drives, hand towels, notepads, water bottles, even apparel and more. The possibilities are endless. Choose items that are different and will not get thrown in a drawer and forgotten; they’ll be used and your brand name will be in the potential customer’s mind long after the trade show is over.
Reconfigure Your Booth
Placing tables across the front of the booth is standard practice, but it’s actually the best way to separate you from your target audience. Design your layout with the booth set up behind the staff. Let the staff stand face-to-face with the trade show visitors as they walk the aisle. This allows one-on-one interaction between your presenters and the attendants and helps people remember who your staff is and what you’re about.
Create Goals and Train Your Booth Staff
Too often, companies send workers to trade shows without giving them clear direction on their purpose for being there. It’s no longer good enough to show up, give a sales pitch, and hope people are interested. You need to set clearly defined goals for each trade show, and thoroughly train your workers to achieve these goals. Sample goals could be:
• Create 100 new contacts
• Promote a specific new product
• Inform the public about a specific danger of not using your product or service
• Educate the public about a specific benefit of using your product or service
Having a specific goal empowers you to craft a presentation that the public can grasp, and also gives you a target point to know when you have achieved your goal.
Schedule Worthwhile Events and Promote on Social Media
What do people who attend your type of trade show really want from the experience? Find out what this is and give it to them. Perhaps they need an answer to a common problem, or news about new industry regulations, or new ways of doing things in their business. Determine what attendants need most, and offer it to them in the form of events, such as talks by experts, video presentations, or demonstrations.
Once you develop materials to meet the needs of attendants, make them aware of your solutions through social media. See if you can piggyback on other radio and TV ads for the trade show and mention your scheduled events. Announce your special offerings on your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media outlets. You can generate even more participation by offering special prizes and giveaways at your scheduled events.
Try to avoid the overtly attention-grabbing tactics, such as blaring music or distracting videos, during your trade show. These can backfire and cause people to avoid your booth because it’s overwhelming to the senses. Develop strategies for your trade show that attract the audience you’re looking for. You will be doing far greater than your competitors.
Are you ready and need additional ideas?
Balady Promotions is a full-service promotional products company. Our corporate staff is experts in the field of trade shows. We can help you to provide the best promotional items for your brand along with creating your complete trade show booth. Contact Balady Promotions Today to Get Started!