A big part of trade show marketing is deciding the right products to show. Inevitably, to narrow down the possibilities ask yourself, “What is the most important to me? What is the most important to my customers?” Rarely is that answer on the tip of your tongue. Like many trade show participants you probably want to seize the opportunity to show off ALL of your products to get the biggest bang for your buck.
Your Indecisiveness Confuses Your Visitors
This is a big mistake but it happens all the time. Tradeshow booths are often over-stuffed, over-loaded with variety, and entirely chaotic. They can be so chaotic in fact that a visitor isn’t interested to spend his or her time trying to figure out if you have anything worthwhile to offer.
Consider this from a psychological standpoint. When the brain encounters too many options, it becomes confused, tired, and starts to shut down. When the fatigue sets in, the brain looks for a resting place and moves away from the confusion – in this case, the chaos of your booth.
There are a couple reasons an exhibitor may make this mistake. Maybe they haven’t taken the time to create a solid tradeshow marketing plan and determine one specific area to place the focus. There may also be selfishness involved. The exhibitor has not thought of what their target audience is looking for at a particular event, and they have made it about themselves and showing off all their wares at one show.
Make Your Booth Inviting To The Human Brain
An uncluttered, attractive booth will provide the resting place you visitors’ brain seeks. Remember that visitors are at the trade show looking to see the latest and greatest, and they want to find it fast – give them just that. Feature your latest product or service in a focused, manageable format and tell visitors exactly how your products will benefit them.
Allow visitors to comfortably walk around your booth and check out your products and services. Avoid setting tables up in a way that creates a barrier, and don’t provide chairs for your staff to lounge in. Your staff should be knowledgeable and engaging and able to assist visitors with questions and product demonstrations in an organized manner.
Use Advertising Specialties To Attract Your Target Audience
Always keep your main purpose in mind – attracting visitors to your booth so that you can present your products and services. Advertising specialties are a great way to do this. But be sure that they fit you’re your tradeshow marketing plan by representing your featured product or service, your company brand, and the ultimate goal of trade show. Advertising specialties are a way for visitors to remember you long after the event is over. So choose wisely and make sure the item you pick will really speak to your target audience.
Advertising specialties not only promote your company, but can highlight a new service, product, event or achievement. Pens, mugs and key chains are popular items, but a company may also choose more specific advertising specialties like MP3 players or clocks.
Your trade show marketing strategy should be focused and cohesive, and so should your trade show booth. Cluttered and unfocused trade show booths counter tradeshow marketing efforts by confusing visitors. Avoid confusion by presenting a clear message and using advertising specialties that keep the focus on your target audience.
About the Author
Jon Edelman provides exciting trade show marketing ideas, including advice about prize wheels, customizable scratch-off cards, money blowing machines, and other exciting trade show attractions. With years of experience in the trenches, he is an expert on booth displays, lead generation techniques, and networking with trade show vendors. Helping to build a referral-generating system, his ideas continuously lead to a boost in sales and revenue.
