Don’t Just Hide Behind An Ad Campaign: Take Your Business To A Show
The best way to make your business a success is to get your message out to customers. Once customers know what you offer, they can then make up their minds about whether they want your service or not. The problem, of course, is generating that level of familiarity that customers need to make decisions. Customers won’t just seek out your business by themselves. They need a certain degree of visibility and availability to be able to make their decisions. Trade shows are a great place for you to show off your brand. Here you’re able to engage with people, face-to-face, rather than behind some advert. And you’re better able to generate trust. Check out the following tips on how to market your brand at a trade show.
Publicity
Businesses attending trade shows should advertise the fact that they will be there. Get an email list of all the people who are visiting and advertise that you’ll be at the show. Then do everything you can online to get the word out. Send out an email campaign, make an announcement on your site and social media, and get the word out through your blog. Make sure you mention in your blog whether you intend to hold a prize draw. And include information on exactly where your booth will be located.
It’s also a good idea to make sure that your booth stands out. If you’re going to a consumer-facing show, it’s a good idea to invest in visual marketing materials, like banners. Find out more here.
Preparation
At the tradeshow, people are going to want to find out more about your business. It’s a good idea, therefore, to take as much literature, banners, brochures and giveaways as you can. Do a bit of research too. Think about how many people will likely visit your booth and how many marketing materials you’ll need. It’s also important to prepare your staff well in advance. Staff need to be trained in how to be proper ambassadors for your company. They need to be able to engage with potential customers and deal with their questions and concerns. And most of all, they need to be knowledgeable about what it is that you do.
Registration
Trade shows tend to be very popular events. That’s why it’s so important that you register early in order to secure your spot. Many trade shows sell out well in advance. As a result, a lot of lesser organized companies miss out.
It’s also important to check whether trade show organizers offer discounts for early registration. Some do, and given the cost of reserving a spot, these savings are most welcome.
Set Your Objectives
Even though it’s a fun day out of the office, each member of your team should be clear on what you are there to achieve. Before setting up your booth, agree with your team what your objectives are for the day. Your objective could be to get twenty new leads or five new customers. It could be to snoop on what your competitors are doing. Or it could be to perform a certain number of sales demos.