A new year means new beginnings for a lot of companies. New products, services, advances, and goals are all the talk of the office. Trade shows are the best way to showcase all your new initiatives and educate others on what you plan to accomplish this year.
It can be difficult to make your booth stand out and know what pulls attendees in, which is why we went ahead and did the research for you, finding the top 10 tips to help make your trade show a successful one. Grab your pen and paper and jot these down!
- Interaction is everything when it comes to new products and services for your company. If you can find a way to have your audience interact with what you’re trying to showcase, people are going to be more interested. Bring lots of samples or, if it includes something digital, bring an iPad so that attendees can experience it themselves.
- Provide an experience if you can’t provide an interaction. Find a way to allow your potential clients to connect with your brand and they’ll be more interested in your products or services. Helping your client-base understand your brand better is a key factor in a sale.
- Bring in your brand-loyal customers. If you have existing clients that have loved your products in the past, it’s going to be much easier to sell to them again. Be sure to keep them informed of dates and times. Sometimes buying them a ticket yourself can be the best way to ensure they’ll show up.
- A warm and inviting welcome is more important than you think. Having coffee and free swag is a sure-fire way to gather attention to your booth. Promotional gifts such as pens, water bottles, PopSockets, and more are all great ways to pull in new clients.
- Bring attention to your booth even if it means having your own employees be attendees of the conference. It’s simple really, if real attendees see your booth is buzzing, they’re going to want to know what the hype is all about.
- Teaming up with other companies to gain contacts and leads is something not many take advantage of. Many companies have a similar client-base and it can be very beneficial to share contacts. This is a fast and easy way to grow your list that also provides more sales opportunities.
- Make sure you have your best team on board. Friendly, outgoing employees are going to be the key to your success. You’ll want to be sure that the people interacting with potential clients are fully educated on the objective and goals of the show, as well as how to bring home a sale.
- Have clear goals and objectives written out before show day. Going into a trade show without a plan is not a way to secure your success. Pull together a marketing plan and clear goals for your team. It will improve your booth and ensure you put your best foot forward.
- The look and design of your booth is what ultimately makes is approachable. Bright colors on clear and legible signs will truly make a difference if you want your booth to stand out against the others. Don’t be shy with your decoration!
- Offer different contests and promotions in return for a business card or contact information of some sort. Everyone likes the opportunity to win something, and you can use that in your favor to get more visits to your booth.
There you have it, our top 10 tips and tricks to a successful trade show. The time you put in and money spent will be well worth it when you have a whole new pool of clients looking to purchase your goods and services. Good luck out there!