| Greetings!
Trade shows are an invaluable tool for making contacts with prospects and building stronger relationships with your current customers. With solid pre-show marketing, creative booth impact, and thorough post-show follow up, you can turn your trade shows into new and real growth for your bottom line. Our helpful articles will give you many tools to make your next trade show bring in more new customers and get more business from your current ones. | | Pre-Show Marketing |
You may be asking "Why do I need to market before the show? Isn't that what the show is for??". The simple answer is that your goal is to gain new business through your trade show booth. The best visitors to your booth are those that are already interested in what your business has to offer them. In order to drive that pre-qualified traffic to your booth you need to let your prospects and customers know that you will be exhibiting and what's in it for them if they come see you. You will be competing with hundreds of other exhibitors for the attention and business of show attendees.
Your current customers and hot prospects
are ALWAYS being courted by your
competition. Make sure that they
have a reason to visit your booth
and stay loyal to you.
Do you know your target audience for your trade show? Who are your most important customers, clients or prospects? Contact them ahead of the show through direct mail postcards, "lumpy mail", newsletters, emails or a personal call - preferably a combination of these methods. Always make sure to include an incentive to visit your booth in your pre-show marketing. This can include a promotional item in "lumpy mail", a discount coupon redeemable only at the show, 1/2 of a 2 part gift, or the enticement of some "show only" specials. Timing of your pre-show marketing is also important. You want it to be early enough so that your prospects save the date to attend, but not so early that they forget by the time the show rolls around. Ideally there should be at least 2 pre-show contacts - once several weeks before the show and a second time about a week before the show. Now you're ready to host your booth and WOW! your customers and prospects even more. | | Top 10 Tips For Successful Booth Staffing | - Don't sit, read, smoke, eat or drink in the booth
- Don't use the cell phone in the booth
- Don't gossip or badmouth competitors
- Don't leave the booth unattended
- Don't be late for booth duty
- Don't use negative body language
- Don't have hands in pockets, arms crossed, or behind
your back
- Don't let the booth get cluttered, untidy and
unorganized - Don't wait for prospects to stop at your booth. Once
they look at your booth, ask a question, such as "Can I show you
something new & unique?"
- Don't pretend to know the answer - If you don't know
the answer to a question, say so and use it as an
excuse to follow up after the show
| Make Your Booth Work For You
|
Okay - you've done your pre-show marketing and now it's crunch time.
Your exhibitor space needs to say a lot about your business in one quick glance. Is it neat and appealing? Do the prime attention points make it clear what your company is about? Are samples of your products displayed prominently and attractively? Is your booth staff neatly dressed, friendly, attentive and knowledgeable? Are they ready to invite people into your booth rather than just stand and wait for people to come in? Do you have promotional products and information to give out that will WOW! your customers and prospects and make them remember you?
Look at your booth from the point of view of your prospect. When they approach your booth will they feel a welcoming atmosphere - or indifference? Will your displays attract their attention and make them want to see more? Will their questions be answered knowledgeably? Will there be information, catalogs, samples and/or a promotional product for them to take along? And - most importantly - when they walk away - will they remember you positively and want to do business with you? Or will that be the last you ever see of them....?
As an exhibitor, you pay a lot of money to be a part of a trade show - make sure you take advantage of it through solid planning. A cheap looking booth or promotional product giveaway will tell your prospects a lot about your business. Staff that are not engaging and knowledgeable will reflect your standards of business. A classy booth with solid, friendly staff and great giveaways will reap you your desired results - solid leads and increased business!
Okay - your pre-show marketing brought lots of solid leads to your incredible show exhibit. Now what? | | The Show's Over - Now What?
|
I've got all these great leads - now what do I do with them?
There are 2 things that a lot of businesses fail to do effectively after exhibiting at a trade show - 1) They fail to follow through on the leads generated at the show, and/or
2) They send them a catalog or call them once and then fail to continue to market to these leads on a regular basis.
It almost always takes anywhere from 5-9 positive contacts with a prospect before you have established enough credibility for them to do business with you. Hopefully your pre-show marketing and booth contact touched them at least twice already. Begin your post-show marketing with a call to your prospects as soon as possible. They have already shown their interest by stopping by your booth. Then begin marketing relentlessly. Contact them onat least a monthly basis through a pre-determined marketing campaign ofpostcards, newsletters, calls, "lumpy mail" and all of the othermarketing tools in your arsenal. Your efforts will not be in vain. Each contact builds your credibility and moves you closer to that all important sale. Given time and solid follow up, your marketing will pay off by turning your trade show leads into loyal customers.
| | "Annual Matthews Chamber Taste & Trade" March every year, 3-7 PM | Come find out about all of the many fine businesses in Matthews, North Carolina. The annual "Taste & Trade Event" is sponsored by the Matthews Chamber of Commerce and is held on the campus of CPCC in Matthews.
The show includes over 100 booths and many restaurants from the Matthews area. Everyone is welcome and visitors may sample great food and find out more about the local business community.
We'll be there, too - so come on by our booth and check out just a small sampling of all of our great promotional products.
PLUS - we'll give you a FREE GIFT just for stopping by our booth!
| Promotional & Engraved Gifts offers creative promotional solutions to your marketing needs. From a simple order of pens to full-blown creative marketing campaigns, we have the keys to driving more business to your doorstep. Let us help you market your next trade show. With our creative marketing ideas and access to hundreds of excellent suppliers with over 500,000 customizable products, we can help you WOW! your customers and prospects and increase your business. Sincerely,
Linda Behrle
Promotional Products & Marketing Advisor
Promotional and Engraved Gifts
704-814-9006 ~ Fax: 704-847-5502
Email: promo-nc@carolina.rr.com
www.promo-nc.com
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