A lot of businesses realize that trade shows are a great marketing tool, so the ability to stand out from the crowd can be difficult. If you are planning your next trade show, you will need to make a great first impression. Luckily, you can still stand out from the crowd if you follow a few simple suggestions and plan ahead. Below are four suggestions for making your next trade show appearance a hit.
1. Plan For The Future, Not The Present
The assumption that most businesses make when attending trade shows is to showcase their company at this moment in time instead of focusing on their vision and where they want to be a year, two years or even five years from now. But, why should that be the case? It is realistic for your business to show people the company that you wish to transition into and become. Plan for where you want to be and how you will get there. Exhibition stands and marketing materials should look to the future instead of looking to the past. That way you can bring your new customers along with you for the ride.
2. Be Entertaining And Give Away Free Stuff
Whether you like it or not, free stuff and entertainment are the two things that potential customers are expecting at trade shows. Some people only go because they want to scrounge as much free swag as possible. If you don’t provide them with either, they won’t bother coming to your booth. It may be a crude analogy but think of the trade show audience as sharks and the entertainment and free giveaways as chum. As long as you put enough of it into the water, they will gladly come to you. Trade shows, like everything in life, are about incentives. And, the better the incentives, the more chance of snagging a lead.
3. Don’t Forget To Talk
An event like a trade show is a good place to use visuals to attract an audience to your booth. However, your booth isn’t the only tool at your disposal. Don’t forget to use your social and conversational skills and talk to people. Ask questions and don’t read from a script or sound like an automated robot. For the most part, the people that attend trade shows are your ideal client base. Bring your best sales people with you and have them man the booth.
4. The Real Work Starts At The End
The end of the trade show is when you need to put your butt into gear. Just because you have a page of leads doesn’t mean that they will be buying from you the next day or that it is a done deal. In fact, the majority of potential clients that you meet will need some persuading before they make a conversion to your business. By calling them and reintroducing yourself, you keep your brand top of mind. Also, remembering any small personal details is vital. So if people give you their cards make small notes afterwards as to what you spoke about. Small talk, and being able to draw on details from a previous conversation is a great way to make people feel more at ease and not as edgy about making a deal.
No matter how many people turn up to a trade show, these tips will help make you the belle of the ball.
