Most exhibitors fail to promote their trade show booths. Instead, they show up at an event and wonder why their booth is empty. The problem is nearly always a lack of marketing and promotion. Having the highest-quality products and most creative displays won’t be enough to make your attending a trade show worthwhile.
Successful exhibitors know that they need to spread the word well in advance in order to meet their goals. The promotional wheels need to start turning 7 or 8 months before the event arrives.
Today, I’ll reveal 4 effective promotional activities that you need to perform if you want to make your next trade show a success.
Tip #1 – Let Your Customers Know
Your best leads are at your fingertips. Think about the ways in which you maintain contact with your customers. Are you sending direct mail or mailing newsletters to them? Do you send an email to them periodically? Do they visit your website? Each of these is an opportunity to inform your customers and prospects about your exhibit at an upcoming trade show. Call your customers and personally invite them to your booth. The extra attention will pay dividends at the event.
Tip #2 – Advertise At The Location
There are plenty of ways to advertise your booth in the city in which the trade show is being held. For example, attendees will be flying into town and staying a few days. Advertise at the closest airport; buy ad space on buses or taxis that will be passing the venue; promote your booth at the nearest hotel. And don’t neglect to reserve an ad in the trade show’s directory.
Tip #3 – Secure Local Media Coverage
You might be surprised by the willingness of the local media to provide free news coverage of your trade show booth. Not only is this type of coverage free, but it has an extra level of credibility over paid advertising. Keep in mind that you’ll need to develop a story or angle in order to spark interest from a reporter. Once you do, consider hiring a trade show vendor to create your company’s press kit.
Tip #4 – Plan Your Promotional Giveaway Strategy
Few trade show promotion ideas have as long a reach as high-quality promotional giveaways. If planned correctly, your giveaways can keep your company’s name in front of your prospects for months after the trade show. The key is to avoid trendy items that provide little to no value to attendees. Instead, think about products that people will use for a long time. That way, you can send your company name and marketing message home with them, confident they won’t be discarded.
Your Trade Show Booth Traffic
Remember, exhibiting at trade shows goes hand-in-hand with marketing and promotional activities. If you don’t start promoting your booth several months before the event, you may end up wasting your time and effort. Use the 4 trade show ideas above to spread the word and increase your booth traffic.
About the author:
Jonathan Edelman provides helpful advice about trade show strategies. With years of experience in the trenches, he is an expert on booth displays, follow up techniques, and using trade show marketing strategies to boost revenue.
