A trade show is a fair that exhibits stalls of similar organizations and companies to give them a chance to reveal their new products or services to their target audience. It is an excellent opportunity for SMEs to create a brand presence and enter the market. It also allows small businesses to connect with industry professionals and other established companies in the industry.
However, just attending a trade show isn’t enough. You cannot simply set up a booth and expect customers and professionals to walk into your stall. Show up with a kickass marketing strategy that motivates people to pay attention to your brand and ensure that your trade show experience is a wild success.
Here are a few practical tips that will help you gain valuable sales at your trade show event:
Choose The Right Trade Show For Your Business Needs
Trade events are pretty common, and you’ll find one for almost every industry out there. However, it wouldn’t make sense for a bridal service to attend a trade show focusing on technology and digital products. That’s why it is crucial to participate in the right trade shows – those where you can find the perfect place to showcase your service.
Here are a few things that can help you choose the right trade show for your business:
- Know your target audience and their needs/preferences
- Check the internet for upcoming shows to see which trade show will suit your business the best
- Is the exhibit space for the trade show closer to your target demographics? For example, if your business targets the youth, a trade show location near an institute or college would be ideal for your business
Promote Your Scheduled Trade Show Appearance Way In Advance
Trade shows are events where multiple companies set up their booths and stalls. It could get pretty easy for audiences to miss your stall or not know at all if your brand was even present there. To avoid this, mark your presence amongst your target audience – way ahead of the show.
Use social media: Today, people are more connected than ever on social media platforms. So this is the perfect place to create some buzz about your trade show.
Create a social media marketing strategy for Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn and instill curiosity among your customers. Remember, trade shows attract a particular niche, so use platforms that are popular among your target audiences to build up excitement about your presence at the event.
Distribute your newsletter: If your business has a presence in your local community, or you already have a loyal customer base, the chances are that you’ve already set up an email marketing strategy. But if not, now would be a good time to start sending out weekly newsletters to keep your prospects and customers engaged.
Newsletters are a great way to keep your stakeholders informed of the latest development in the industry and your business. Send out invitations by telling people what they can expect to see from your brand at the event. You can even give out coupons that can only be redeemed at your booth.
Do A Live Video Coverage Of The Event
The rise in the popularity of second-screen technology has made it easy for businesses to market to a virtual audience. Take your pick from multiple live stream software you can use to connect with your virtual audience.
Live streams and webinars are a great way to reach customers that won’t be able to attend an in-person trade show. It also shows a business’s enthusiasm and eagerness to connect with customers, making them feel valued. Without live stream coverage for your event, chances are your audience wouldn’t know about your upcoming event, and you’ll miss out on meeting countless new prospects.
Start A Raffle To Get More People To Join You In The Event
Even the most beautifully designed posters and booths need an extra push for customers to attract them. Games, competitions, and contests are an interactive way to attract customers to your trade show booth and make a lasting impression.
Raffle drawings are among the most popular and easiest ways of securing potential prospects and getting their contact information. Have customers leave their contact information at your booth for a raffle draw, or you can go digital and offer an email sign-up. Either way, you are making contact with potential customers, and that alone will do wonders for your trade show booth.
Design Your Trade Show Booth To Attract And Engage
Remember, your trade show booth is an extension of your brand. It represents your business’s values, so make sure you have a booth that goes with your overall branding strategy. Do not use too many bright colors that would distract the audience. Stick with a color palette of 2-3 colors, mainly your brand colors, so your brand can be recognizable from afar. You can also put your business’s posters and standees at the front of the booth.
Another thing to focus on is the lighting at your booth. Since the lighting at trade shows is a mix of white and yellow lights, they might diminish your stall’s design impact. Install lighting to enhance the appearance and design of your booth. Don’t use gimmicks such as a charging phone booth to attract an audience. Such tactics seem salesy, people will show up to take advantage of your offer, but they won’t turn into customers that way. Attract customers organically through showing what your business offers.
You can create your business’s posters through online graphic design tools that offer quick ready-made small business poster templates.
To Conclude
Now that you know how to attract your audience with engaging promotion ideas start making a buzz online and offline about your trade show event. Remember, people find tons of content on their newsfeed daily. So, to secure an audience at your booth, start promoting your event the minute you’ve signed on to the trade show. Engage with people on social media, introduce giveaways and raffle contests and announce prizes for winners on your website.
Follow the tips mentioned earlier, and your booth at the trade show is bound to be a success!