Important Steps for Marketing Your Company by Running an Effective Trade Show Booth
At Unique Embroidery & Promotions we know that running an effective trade show booth is an important part of your marketing strategy. Your corporate image is on display and visitors to your booth will remember the businesses that stand out. To help you make effective preparations for the trade show booth we have provided 12 suggestions below.
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- Start Planning Early
Recognize that early planning should be a key factor in effective trade show booth marketing. Don't start planning a few weeks before the show begins. The savvy marketers are planning many months ahead. - Have Clearly Defined Goals
Ensure that you have a definite plan that all the key people in your office have bought into. Make sure that the goals are clear and measurable as you will want to review the metrics. Some of the most common goals include: obtaining leads and clients, displaying products effectively, increased brand awareness, recruiting new employees, strengthening business relationships. Your goals may be different but they should be clear to all involved. - Make an Impression by Being Unique
Finding a way to stand out in the crowd can be difficult. Having all your staff clothed in attention getting clothing specific to the event is one effective way of doing this. Giving away great swag is another. - Budget Appropriately
The cost of the booth alone will probably be 33-66% or your overall budget. However, don't forget that there are many other costs involved including, travel costs, hotels, meals, signage, swag, staffing etc. - Staffing Your Booth
Your booth staff should be well staffed and reflect your goals. If you are looking for more clients, salespeople should be present. If you are recruiting, HR people should be in attendance. - Run an Effective Demo
If you are running a demo, make sure it is interactive and hands on. This allows the potential client to get a real feel for your product. - Have A Raffle
Holding a raffle for a valuable product is a time-tested way to collect business cards. Don't forget to follow up with everyone who took part in the raffle. - Wear Professional Name Tags
Sticky paper name tags are cheap and make your staff look cheap. It should be obvious then, that professional name tags make your staff look professional. - Professional Signage
Your signage should display your company name clearly and legibly. It is also helpful if your display has large images of people as they tend to attract the eye. - Eye Catching Clothing
Your staff should be clothed in quality, eye-catching clothing that displays your company logo on the front and the back. At Unique Embroidery & Promotions we have years of experience in this area. - Memorable Swag
Try to match the swag with the location or theme of the show. For example, if the show is held in the winter, toques with your logo subtly placed will be more effective than any colour of flip-flops! - Post Show Debrief
Gather your staff as soon as possible after the event and discuss what went well and where improvement is needed. This will be invaluable information for the next event.
Sources:
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/sep2009/sb20090911_550656.htm
http://alexisexhibits.com/blog/bid/60096/DOs-and-DON-Ts-for-Effective-Trade-Show-Booths
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31543/The-Inbound-Way-to-Do-Trade-Show-Marketing.aspx