You can boost your chances of success at your next event by following a few trade show marketing strategies that have proven to be effective. On the other hand, you might sabotage your success if you or your employees commit a few common mistakes. Today, I’ll give you three do’s and three don’ts of savvy event marketing.
Do: Train Your Staff
Your booth staff plays a key role in how attendees perceive your company. What’s more, your employees’ ability to approach, communicate and uncover visitors’ needs is critical to qualifying leads. These skills don’t come naturally. Train your staff to act professionally while speaking with visitors.
Don’t: Fail To Follow Up
Surprisingly, many exhibitors don’t take full advantage of the leads they collect at the event. They either follow up after the leads have gone cold or they fail to do so at all. In my experience, the majority of the deals I close happen after the show. Assuming that you’ve qualified your leads properly, following up is the key to more business.
Do: Use Trade Show Giveaways
Trade show giveaways are fantastic for branding your business, spreading the word about your company and even marketing your products. For example, you can have your company logo and contact details imprinted on canvas bags. The bags are valuable for trade show attendees and will promote your business as they carry them. Giveaways offer powerful leverage.
Don’t: Overwhelm Booth Visitors
I constantly notice exhibitors and their employees doing this. Rather than engaging booth visitors in a conversation that helps ferret out needs, they bombard them with a scripted sales pitch. While you should give your employees a script, make sure they can approach and speak naturally with attendees. Otherwise, it’s nearly impossible to qualify leads.
Do: Use Trade Show Attractions
Trade shows are spectacles. Attendees are treated to endless rows of booths. Eventually, every booth begins to look similar to them. You need to find a way to stand out and attract attention with some type of trade show attraction. I’ve used prize wheels with great success in my career. Everyone loves the chance to win something and trade show attendees are no different.
Don’t: Homogenize Yourself
A lot of exhibitors mistakenly take the advice of salespeople who are selling event clothing, promotional items and giveaways. The salesperson encourages them to buy the “popular” items. If they’re popular, it’s likely many other exhibitors are using them. To be memorable, you need to be different.
Remember, effective trade show marketing is found within the details. By following the do’s and don’ts that I’ve described above, you’ll discover that your booth, lead process and business will have an edge over other exhibitors.
