Trade shows are the first step toward making a splash in a larger market. Beneficial for launching new products, networking and more, exhibiting at a trade show is an integral piece of marketing that brands often forget. Planning is not easy, it gets busy, and every misstep can be detrimental to the goals you’re hoping to achieve. Here we’ve detailed five ways to overcome obstacles for trade show success!
1. Use trade shows as an opportunity to make good first impressions!
First impressions are everything, and at trade shows, this starts with booth design. If your booth backdrop doesn’t hook show-goers, you’ll have slim chances of getting them to your booth to learn about your company and/or product. Make sure you have an easy-to-read and comprehensible message that tells potential customers who you are and what you do. Also, you may even want to add a few lights–anything that’ll attract extra attention and draw people in.
For more tips on booth design, check out our latest blog: https://upraisepr.com/trade-show-booth-backdrop-design-part-one/
2. Put your best foot forward, or in this case, people.
Since trade shows are a great opportunity to showcase your company, your booth staff should include people who are extremely knowledgeable about your brand and product/service. People are going to have a ton of questions, and it pays to have seasoned employees around to provide accurate answers. This is also a great opportunity to interactively train junior staff, allowing them to participate in real, on-the-job experience which is one of the most effective methods for succession planning.
3. Start early to cover all bases.
Because there are so many moving pieces when it comes to trade shows, procrastination will be your biggest downfall. We recommend starting as early as possible, so that factors like booth design, media kits and your budget don’t get the short end of the stick. Keep your exhibit graphics clear and concise, and refrain from all the clutter. As for media kits, take the time to include all the important details, including recent press announcements, product guidelines, case studies and more.
Don’t know what to include in your media kit? UPRAISE has you covered: https://upraisepr.com/media-kit-inclusions/
4. Use social media to your advantage.
Social media is powerful for all parts of a trade show. For pre-show posts, make sure they help to generate excitement and set up onsite meetings. During the show, we recommend live tweeting–this can help direct people to your booth right away! For your post-show social media strategy, this is an opportunity to recap all of your event highlights to drive traffic and engagement. Whatever your goal, social media should be leveraged!
5. Follow up with your leads!
Companies spend so much time focusing on what’s happening in front of them, that they forget about what they need to do in the future–building on those connections that they’ve made at the trade show. Make sure that you have a plan to handle the leads before heading to the show. Leads are nullified if you don’t follow up on them.
Working on your trade show strategy and marketing plan should be a priority before, during and after, and can always be tweaked for improvement. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or exhibiting for the first time, these tips can increase your chances of success at the next trade show. Make sure to stay tuned for more of our trade show-related blogs, for other helpful advice to take with you!