For many businesses, marketing at trade shows forms an essential part of getting your brand on the map. In a fast-paced world of profiles, emails, and sponsored posts, trade shows allow providers, consumers, and collaborators to meet in person. A few essential tips help your brand make the most of your meetings, ensuring trade show success, and a convention to remember.
1 – Do Your Homework
Trade shows are rare opportunities to be your best self, but so many things could go wrong. The best way to attain reliable professionalism is through preparation, strategic marketing, and more preparation. Double-check the times, dates, and location of the show and your slot. Assemble your stall in advance, carefully cross-referencing it with your allowed stand size.
Post about your stand on social channels and book appointments with customers in advance. If you have not been to the show before, see if they have digital tours, or look up reviews and blogs about previous years. Research what has been successful in the past and prepare to maximise your trade show marketing.
2 – Business Cards Mean Business
In a busy day marketing at trade shows, you might see hundreds of faces. Your potential customers or collaborators meet heaps of people too, and each meeting lasts mere minutes. Make that meeting permanent with a business card. At trade shows, business cards act like key cards, opening doors to exclusive networks and limitless opportunities. A classy card sticks not just in the mind, but in the hand, in the bag, and in the wallet.
Loaded with your key information, like your logo, strapline, and contact details, business card printing and design becomes essential to make your name stick around. Bring plenty of cards for marketing at trade shows (more than you think you need). It’s better to be safe than sorry, and the last thing you need is for a high-profile client to have to scribble down your details or get put off by unpreparedness.
Ensure that you keep cards in small, orderly containers. Each compact batch suggests that your brand is in-demand, and stops cards getting damaged or jumbled.
3 – Smooth Stand Design and Layout
Trade shows floors are designed to fit as many stands as possible, and your job is to make sure your design is as engaging and effective as possible. With a few tricks of the trade show, you can fine-tune your stand’s design to ensure it stands out. Highlight your brand identity with a two-tone tablecloth and backboard in your business colours. Bring informative promotional displays and consider hiring a graphic designer to revamp your image in time for the show.
Banners prove a classic trade show choice, as they clarify your message, and show up well in selfies and press shots. When assembling these materials, plan the order that your visitors will see them in. Should you choose a large poster or banner to one side, make sure you do not block it and have access to brochures, business cards, and samples to hand out freely.
4 – Freebies and Giveaways: Marketing at Trade Shows That Pays for Itself
Along with essential handouts like flyers and leaflets, branded freebies sell your brand at trade shows. They cost a small initial fee to bulk buy, but pay for themselves in priceless networking opportunities, and well-priced future deals. In a trade show, your stand confines you to one small slot. With branded freebies, your company name, logo, and details travel all across the room and beyond. Consider these freebies as an investment, like paying for ad space or sponsorship.
Depending on your brand identity, aim for an inexpensive yet useful giveaway item, like a pen or a keyring bottle opener. Snacks or packaged goods also come in handy, as the wrappers also provide space for essential marketing information. Find a green marketing solution by investing in eco-friendly branded packaging and make sustainability a part of your strategy.
Conclusion: Mix Your Tactics for Trade Show Marketing Success
Trade shows are all about human connection. However, strong support from graphic design and social media presence cannot hurt. Mix business cards into your chats and mix your social media channels into your business cards. Welcome visitors with a smile, a gift, and a location-tagged selfie. A good working relationship, like a social media post or a carefully handled business card, lasts a lifetime.
Tony Hunt is a seasoned Print Industry Expert with over three decades of experience in the trade. He has been instrumental in helping clients expand their product ranges, secure more business, and ultimately increase their profitability. Tony’s approach is characterised by enthusiasm and passion, balanced with a realistic and tactical mindset. His expertise is further bolstered by seven years of running his own business, fostering a commercially-driven perspective. An excellent communicator, Tony prides himself on never compromising on detail.