Companies spend a lot of time and money on their trade show marketing.
Unfortunately, we see so many of these companies make mistakes that prohibit
them from seeing a solid return on investment.
Maximize your trade show efforts by avoiding these six trade show
marketing mistakes that I unfortunately see all too often.
There are many ways you can block your booth space. Avoid placing tables across the entrance to your area by planning ahead and creating a welcoming and attractive space. In addition, make sure you don’t offer a negative presence in your booth. Welcome people in with a smile. Don’t stand out in the aisle. The booths that look the busiest attract the most attention. Get people in your booth to not only hear your story but also to make your booth look like a hot destination.
2. Don’t Ignore People
Your purpose for exhibiting in a trade show is to grow your brand,
build your contact list, and sell your product or service. You cannot do this
by ignoring the people who are attending the show. Don’t eat, read, or bury
your head in your phone while you are at your booth. These actions will deter
people from stopping at your booth.
3. Don’t Look Unprofessional
Avoid poorly planned and mismatched booth design. Build your booth
using professionally printed banners, table covers, and literature. In
addition, booth staff should have professional and coordinated apparel -
apparel with logos will support your branding efforts.
4. Don’t Send Untrained Personnel
The people at your booth are the face of your business. They represent
your brand and they are gatekeeper to a deeper sales conversation. They should
be trained to ask open ended questions to determine if attendees are genuine
prospects, and they should have an understanding of the marketing objectives of
the show. They need to be able to answer questions from your prospects. Trained
and knowledgeable booth staff will help you reach your trade show goals.
5. Don’t Forget to Create a
Marketing Plan
Before you even decide if a show is the right one for you, you need to
understand your purpose for attending – generate leads, meet with your VIP
customers, build your email address list, promote a new product or service, or
launch a new endeavor. Your marketing strategy should include a plan for your
display booth and promotional item choices, along with how you can best use the
opportunity to achieve your business goals. The branding of your booth space,
from decorations to products or services on display to giveaways, will set the
tone for your show experience.
6. Don’t Let Them Forget You
Make sure you give your trade show attendees something to remember you
by. It’s common practice to hand out brochures or promotional products in trade
show booths but choosing the right promotional product is important so you don’t
waste money. How many times have you left a trade show and tossed a ton of
giveaway items in the trash? That’s because the items weren’t useful or they
didn’t uniquely stand out in some way that made you want to hang on to it. For
your brand to get maximum exposure, you want people to keep your promotional
items so they remember you when the time comes to purchase.
7. Don’t Forget Your Follow-Up Plan
The show is over, and it’s time to relax, right? Wrong! This is the
most important step. It is time to get to work following up on all of the new
leads that connected with the knowledgeable staff in your well-planned booth. Choose
the specific method to communicate the specific offer that works best for your
company. This can be an email, a phone call, or a mailer with a special offer,
a white paper download, an educational video, or a free demo. And in addition
to following up with specific leads from your booth, don’t forget to follow up
with any general attendee lists provided by the show coordinator. They might
have missed you or couldn’t make the show at the last minute but could still be
a good prospect.
By avoiding these all-too-common mistakes, you can maximize your trade
show presence, leads, and profits. We specialize in
helping companies drive more traffic to their trade show booths to maximize
their investment. Give me a call at 847-398-5500 and I’ll help you choose the
right promotional product for your brand or work with you to create a promotion
that drives traffic to your trade show booth.
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