Trade shows are a great way to bring in new customers, make essential business connections, and even learn a thing or two. They are truly essential for a lot of business types, and thanks to the sheer variety of trade shows, chances are you have an opportunity to go to one. There are a few things that you need to do, however, to truly stand out.
Start with How You Are Going to Measure Your ROI
This isn’t essential to stand out, but it is essential to help you know what is working and what isn’t. From building an email list to using a specific purchase link or code to help track customers, clients, and potential business partners that you earned through your time at the trade show. This way, you can keep better metrics on your success and on the ROI of your trade shows so that you can determine when a strategy works and when you need to workshop.
How to Stand Out at Your Next Trade Show
To stand out at your next trade show, you are going to want to use these tips:
Use Merchandising to Keep Your Employees Visible
If you have a great booth or stall, but customers or clients cannot find the people who are manning it because trade shows tend to get exceptionally busy, then you are failing right off the bat. Start first and foremost with excellent merchandising for your employees and salespeople. Everyone should be wearing the same get-up, it should be very visible, and it should clearly display your brand. You don’t need to scratch your head or start a new side business to do this, either; you simply need a branding and apparel company like Anthem Branding. They’ll work with you to design eye-catching merchandise, and then you can buy the products directly so that your staff always stand out at your next trade show.
Offer an Interactive Experience or Exhibition
There are going to be a lot of low-effort stalls at the trade show. These may have great businesses behind them, but the fact is that after a while, it is all going to end up blending together. This is particularly true if you offer a service rather than a product that people can see and touch. In this instance, you are going to need to offer an experience. Perhaps create an exhibition that highlights the problem that you solve, or alternatively use art to attract visitors visually, and then a great sales and marketing team to seal the deal.
Make it Easy to Continue the Conversation
Offering pamphlets and goodies is a decent idea, but it isn’t really enough. People may get tired of holding your items, and they may end up in the bottom of their bag or the trash. A better way is to seal the deal at the table. This can be done by offering a trade-show discount for signing up with their email, holding a raffle, or even organizing an event or workshop that will appeal to your customers on a later date that they can sign up to later.
