Events

5 Tips For Getting More From Your Next Trade Show Display

Kuza Biashara trade show
SME Trade Exhibition Table

It’s no secret that exhibiting at a trade show is expensive; however when you get your offer right, it can also be one of the quickest and most exciting ways to rapidly grow your business. I know a number of business owners whose entire business model is built on an occasional trade show display.

They generate enough buzz, leads and paying customers at every one to keep them going for months into the future, and every time they exhibit, they grow their business still further.

On the other hand, I hear stories of people who invested hundreds – or even thousands – into a pitch at a trade show only to come away empty handed. Many of these people never exhibit again for obvious reasons.

What is so surprising is just how variable the results seen from exhibiting at trade show displays can be. After all, the obvious question is really what these two groups of people are doing so differently?

What can we learn from the successes, and what are some key strategies you can employ to maximize every opportunity that arises, and benefit from your trade show display for months to come?

1. Offer A Truly Memorable Giveaway

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For best results, you want something that truly offers value.

Competition at trade shows can be fierce, so you need some kind of “hook” or “angle” that can draw in the crowds. Even better, the right giveaway won’t just provide a super-easy ice breaker, enabling you to get started talking to people, it can also promote your brand for months or even years to come.

The sad fact is that giving away a cheap pen or a key ring with your company name on isn’t exactly going to help you to stand out from the crowd. This is, after all, the kind of promotional product that everyone else is giving away at their stalls.

No, for best results, you want something that truly offers value. In that way, not only will you have more interested parties approaching you for one of your freebies (giving you more sales opportunities) but you’ll likely find that a number of attendees keep your freebie for a long time to come. Having your corporate brand floating around a large office can work wonders for your brand recognition.

Quite what counts as “valuable” depends on your niche. Try doing some research before you exhibit, by visiting a few shows to see what seems to be working for others. This insider knowledge can go a  long way to helping you create a truly memorable giveaway product.

2. Start A Social Media Competition

The benefit of social media is its inherent virality. Whenever someone posts on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, a large number of their connections will also see the message. In other words, if you can get social media right then you’re looking at all sorts of free publicity for your brand and your business.

One excellent way to harness this is to introduce a social media contest. One example that has worked well in the past is to ask people to take a photograph of themselves using your product – or holding your giveaway item – and upload it to social media. Ask them to use a specific hashtag so you can track submissions and offer prizes to the most creative photos.

Use your imagination and your knowledge of your industry to brainstorm some creative ways in which you could leverage social media to drive extra eyeballs on your company.

3. Create A Truly Time-Sensitive Offer

If you want to recoup the investment of your trade show exhibition as quickly as possible, one very powerful technique is to introduce an offer that is too good to pass up – but only for the duration of the exhibition.

Drop your margins as slim as you think you can to offer a discount. Alternatively depending on the product you’re promoting, consider creating multi-buys, buy-on-get-one-frees or free upgrades. In essence, you want a deal so good that any genuine prospects will be almost unable to pass up getting their credit card out.

Not only will you therefore generate revenue from your exhibition stand, but hopefully you’ll also be able to get your product into the hands of “early adopters”. It is these fiercely passionate individuals who can help to further your cause by showing your product to their friends or mentioning on the Internet.

4. Gather Leads Like A Boss

A database full of qualified prospects can make or break your business. Before attending a trade show you should therefore have a plan in place for exactly how you’re going to gather leads.

The first question you need to ask yourself is exactly why anyone would be willing to give you their details. Perhaps you’re running a contest to win a valuable prize. Perhaps you’re giving away a free gift to everyone who submits their details.

Maybe you have promised to send out discount vouchers to everyone who leaves their personal information. In essence, you need to create a magnetic reason for people to give you their details.

One super-simple technique some exhibitors use is simply to ask attendees to drop their business card into a box. At the end of the day they pick out a card and give a free prize. This, of course, makes entering the contest very easy indeed, and often gets a very good response.

Related: 11 Ideas for Cool Giveaways For SMEs

Related: 100 Creative Giveaways & Swag Ideas For a Perfect Event

5. Don’t Hold Back

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Approach people out of the blue and instigate a conversation.

For introverts, trade shows can be a rather unpleasant experience. The concept of approaching people out of the blue and instigating a conversation can feel very uncomfortable indeed.

However the very fact that this process is so unpleasant for many people is exactly why you should be doing it yourself. Sit and watch and you’ll probably see all manner of potential customers strolling past, who have questions they’d like to ask but don’t dare to start the conversation themselves.

By being that person who breaks the silence and instantly starts to build rapport you’ll be able to answer all those questions and turn cold leads into red-hot prospects.

If in doubt, offer passers-by one of your giveaways or even just a brochure then instantly follow up with an open-ended question that encourages conversation. Something as simple as “where have you come from today?” or “what are you looking for today?” can be enough to get people opening up and talking to you. And the sooner that happens, the greater your chances of turning them into a paying customer.

Related: Six Simple Tips to Become  a More Confident

About The Author

Ben Smith is passionate about the power of trade shows and currently works with Nomadic Display.



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About Kuza Biashara

About Kuza Biashara

Starting a business is a leap of faith even in the best of circumstances. We at Kuza Biashara are focussed to encourage these daring small business owners who have the potential to innovate and change the world by contributing to the nation’s economy and livelihood.