Most of today’s marketers embrace providing an experience for their customers. One of the easiest ways to do that is at a trade show or conference with an exhibit area. This allows you to have face-to-face contact with existing and potential customers in very targeted ways, much better than what you achieve at your brick and mortar location. But mere attendance isn’t going to get you ROI. You need booth traffic for that.
This guide to trade shows will help you make the most of your time by drawing bigger, more interested crowds.
In this trade show guide for getting more traffic you’ll learn how to:
- drive traffic to your booth using social media
- attract attention in a professional manner
- use food to your advantage
Three Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Trade Show Booth Using Social Media
If you have an employee base larger than one, you probably give some thought as to who mans your trade show booth. You want someone who knows what you offer, can make decisions on his/her own, is personable, and can entertain and engage a crowd. You should also add has social media skills to that list because social media is a great way to drive traffic to your tradeshow booth. Here’s how:
Social Media Contests
These are fun ways to get people to interact with you. Hold a special contest through social media for followers at the trade show. Let your audience know you’ll tweet out a special code word periodically throughout the day. Radio stations often run this type of contest.
The first person who comes to your booth who saw the tweet and is following you (booth traffic and followers!!) will receive a special promotional item. Make sure you tell them ahead of time what the item will be and don’t just call it a promotional item. It has to be worth their time to come back over.
Make Special Announcements
Use social media and the trade show’s hashtag to remind customers to stop by your booth for something special.
Consider going live for a report of what’s going on at the trade show. Post the video to your Facebook or YouTube account.
Give Them Something to Smile About
Offer a photo op at your booth. At ThinkQuik we have cool sunglasses we use when for our trade show booth. Our customers and other attendees are always happy to throw on a pair and ham it up for the camera.
There’s something fun about being incognito, don’t ya think?
Share these pictures to your social media outlets and tag as many people as you can. While normally I would advise staying away from tagging because some people are very protective of pictures of themselves, there’s a magic about being in a pair of sunglasses. It’s impossible to take a bad picture. That’s why we call them star makers.
In addition to driving traffic, keep up with the conversations occurring. Listen in for what attendees are saying about you or the conference and join the conversations. Encourage retweets and shares by offering something fun at your booth for those special people. Always use hashtags, including the event hashtag. Many promoters scout the use of their hashtags and will give you some social media love for it.
Now that you know how to use social media to your advantage for driving trade show traffic, let’s talk about your booth and the people there.
How to Get Noticed in a Professional Way at Your Next Trade Show
The title of this section is a little cheeky but let’s face it, there are plenty of ways to get noticed at a trade show if you don’t care about your reputation. But for those who want to be noticed and win over some prospective customers, leave the public spectacles to the other guy.
It’s all About Branding
You want to get noticed but you have to work within your budget.
The easiest, and least expensive way, to make a big impression is through bold and consistent branding. Everything should match and tie together like how the individual bricks make up a larger walkway. The bricks are your promotional pieces and the walkway is your larger corporate brand. And, ideally, that branded walkway leads to a sale.
Branding’s Not What You Thought
Branding is more than just slapping your logo on something. Branding is your promise to your customer. It communicates your message and how you see yourself. It is the platform from which potential customers ask themselves, is this company’s product or service for me.
Ideally, your branding should reflect and attract your ideal customer and turn off someone who’s not a good fit. For instance, a luxury item brand looks very different from a cheap one. A consumer can tell if a product is higher end just by its advertising and branding. Brands help customers self-select, which saves your salespeople time and energy.
All items associated with a trade show must be identically branded – that means look, tone, and message. This includes your promotional items, marketing collaterals, tradeshow banners, even what your salespeople are wearing. Cohesive branding provides a greater impact.
People Matter
Selecting the right crew for a trade show is important as they are a reflection of your company and the only one some prospects will get. Base the number you bring on the number of attendees expected. Don’t bring 5 people to an event of 150 unless you think everyone will be knocking down your door. Be realistic about your prospects and you’ll be more effective.
Bring employees who are friendly and enjoy talking to people, not carnival callers. They should be well-versed in your company and products/services.
Select people who understand a sales funnel and know the difference between dealing with someone who’s never heard of you and someone who’s nearly ready to sign on the dotted line. Since it’s hard to remove salespeople from your business for the length of the trade show, bring a few but also bring greeters.
Greeters are people who draw prospects into the booth and make conversation with them before introducing them to one of your salespeople. Greeters can weed out those who just need a little information, or want your swag, from those who are seriously interested in you. Having greeters allows you to control traffic flow without wasting your top salespeople’s time with attendees who just want the giveaway.
The beauty of trade shows is that most companies aren’t very good at them. Their branding is inconsistent, their staff waits around for people to come to them, and their promotional materials aren’t part of a larger marketing plan. Their errors give you an advantage, assuming you’re not making them also.
So now you have people at your booth, what about the promotional marketing items? One of the biggest ways to draw a crowd is to offer food or a special treat but before you do, you must know a few things.
Using Food to Drive Traffic at a Trade Show
I have mixed emotions about food as a promotional marketing item. Yes, there are hundreds of delicious options in every price range and fitting of any occasion, and yes, food does make an impression, but only for the time that it lingers on the tongue. After that, your branding (most likely on the wrapper) is tossed and your company is but a vague, sweet memory.
Food can make an impression but you need to follow it up with something spectacular. Trade show treats will get them into your trade show booth but it will not keep them there; so here are a few tips to perfect your trade show approach.
Think Cinnabon
Cinnabon lures you to its kiosk or store through delicious smells but it also delivers on its tasty treats once you get there. Don’t lure someone to your booth with great food and then stop short of delivering the conversation necessary to get them interested in your product or service.
The food will get them there but it will also be consumed, leaving them with nothing to remember you by if you don’t make an impression. Food is NOT a standalone promotional item. No deal will be cinched over a candy bar. If it ever is, please let me know.
Know the Trade Show Treats Rules
Some trade shows have rules about food. Some won’t allow you to give anything edible, while others will allow it as long as it isn’t consumed in the exhibit hall. Each conference or show is different so please double-check before ordering your promotional food items.
Don’t Place all Your Eggs in One Basket
Some products and services have a long sales process, a courtship of sorts. A mint is not going to convince them to buy. Food is best used as an icebreaker or a magnet. It’s supposed to lure them in so you can have a conversation about their needs.
As we mentioned before, the food gets consumed and the conversations ends. If you’d like to use food at your next trade show, it’s best to pair it with something else, something you can give them to take home, so they will remember you.
Not everyone who takes a mint gets a promotional item as well. Save those for people with whom you have a good conversation. Promotional products should be tailored to where someone is in the buying cycle. A prospective customer who is just starting to investigate what you do and how you could help is a good person to give food to.
Food is a good conversation starter but don’t miss an opportunity to connect on a deeper level because all you have is a mint giveaway.
ThinkQuik’s team can help you find the right promotional items or trade show displays to help you make the most of your marketing efforts and dollars. Call us today.
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