Too often marketing gets lost in a trade show environment; businesses end up relying only on their exhibit to bring them incoming traffic or untrained booth attendants that are not able to effectively engage attendees. Success for your business during trade shows starts well before booth set up on the day of the event, as attendees generally know which booths they’re most excited to see and explore before ever setting foot on the floor.
Set your business up for success by ensuring that it has the proper marketing strategies to bring in guests who are curious about what you are selling.
Send A Clear Message About Your Business
Social media is a perfect way to utilize a platform already geared toward promoting your business among like-minded individuals and fellow businesses interested in similar products and outcomes. By identifying your audience and appealing to them, letting them know where to go and what to expect from your booth, you are ultimately showing them the kind of business you run and why they should show interest.
Hosting a webinar, a giveaway, or simply showing a clear and concise breakdown of your goals and what your business can offer already sets you up for success on the day of your show.
Staffing Your Booth With Knowledgeable Attendants
It is a common occurrence for some booths to fail from the start due to the fact that they are improperly staffed by people that do not understand the company motto or aren’t able to engage attendees about what the company does. This can easily be avoided by ensuring that your staff is trained in effectively communicating your business strategy and providing an elevator pitch for attendees interested in learning more. It cannot be stressed enough that the people chosen to man your booth are also the face of your company and your product, at least for the length of the trade show. Remember: first impressions still play a major role in business decisions.
You don’t want attendants that are going to sit back and play on their phones the whole time, and you don’t want overly aggressive salesmen that are going to hound attendees; instead, you want knowledgeable staff well-versed in your product that will leave attendees feeling as though they better understand your business platform.
Creating A Cost-Effective Means of Networking
The best way to ensure that you’re getting the best return on your investment in the trade show is to engage in simple pre-show marketing strategies. This enables people that are interested in what you do and your product to actively seek you, creating networking opportunities that could be mutually beneficial to the future of your business. At the trade show, you have a greater capacity to turn a potential sale into a real prospect. It doesn’t hurt that a lasting connection could be made if properly networking the event!
Don’t Forget To Follow Up
Get feedback from attendees: what did they like, how could you better improve, what is the take away from your booth or display? It might seem trivial to look into an event that’s already taken place, but it can easily help establish how to have a more successful trade show the next time. Following up with those that show interest in your company is also another way to network and further establish lasting connections with potential clients.
For more trade show tips, take a look at our trade show checklist, and see how you can expand your opportunities at the next trade show!
