4 Ways to Get The Most Out of YOUR Next Trade Show
Tips to Get Visitors to Your Trade Show Booth and Close Sales
Exhibiting at a trade show is a lot of work, but it can also really raise awareness around your brand. A good experience at a trade show puts your team into direct contact with vendors, customers, and potential customers, enabling you to connect with your audience and leave a lasting impression. Put these simple tips to work to get the most out of your next trade show.
1. Set Goals and Track Visitors
The point of exhibiting at a trade show is to close sales. Before the show starts, set goals around what you would like to achieve. Define either the number of sales or the dollar amount of sales you would like to close or the number of visitors you’d like to have swing by your booth or something else measurable. Determining these goals ahead of time makes it possible to track this data during the show, so after the show ends you can measure your success.
You’ll meet lots of amazing people, but keeping track of everyone who stops by your booth can be a challenge. You can collect business cards or take notes, but it’s possible information will be lost. How are you going to keep track of the new people you meet and those who have an interest in your brand? One of the easiest ways (and one that attendees are used to) is to utilize scanners. Most shows will offer scanners for a minimal charge in order to scan the badges of prospects and new people you meet. This is a very easy and effortless way to round up contact info and follow up with these people.
2. Have a Follow-Up Plan
Be sure to make good use of all of those names, addresses, emails and phone numbers you collected with your scanner. Your marketing department should have a plan to use them with an email campaign (in the least) and there are many other ways (think Facebook pixel, SMS, direct-mail and more) to continue to market to your new contacts.
Trade shows are busy for exhibitors and attendees, and following up with people after the show can be a great way to keep the conversation going and help close sales. But, in order for that to happen, you need to know exactly who to reach out to.
3. Have Fun and Be Yourself
Smile and create a welcoming environment in order to attract people and get visitors to stop by your booth. Sitting in your booth without a smile and putting up a wall will discourage people from stopping by and the goal is to build relationships and not just be at the show to say you were there.
Don’t laugh! I have seen many people in booths that sit with arms crossed and literally do not even talk to people who come up to their booth and express an interest. Take pride in what you do and in your brand and act like the boss is always watching!
4. Be Remembered
Give away something that highlights your brand (not something gimmicky like an iPad unless that fits in with your brand). One great option is custom reusable bags. Your brand stands a lot to gain by handing out reusable bags at your next trade show.
Immediate and Long-Term Impact
Reusable bags are useful during a trade show. People collect lots of stuff, from business cards, brochures, other takeaways and more while walking a trade show. Custom reusable bags will fill an immediate need and your visitors will be able to put these bags to use right away.
What’s even better, is that these bags will continue to be useful long after the trade show is over. These bags can continue to serve a purpose as your customers use them to carry groceries or to tote items to and from work or for anything really.
Customizable Design
You can customize the look and style of your bag to make it represent your brand and serve your customers. Adjust the size, lengthen or shorten the handles, change the material and more to create a bag that is useful and functional and will be something your customers reach for when they need a reusable bag.
The bags can also be customized from a visual standpoint to showcase your brand and message. Choose the color(s) of the fabric and design the artwork to be printed on the bags. Custom reusable bags work like signs that your customers carry to spread your branding message. Create something interesting and eye-catching that gets your message noticed.
Eco-Friendly Impact
Custom reusable bags can be made from a variety of eco-friendly materials. Choose from recycled or sustainable fabrics to lessen the environmental impact of your marketing. Custom reusable bags further up the green factor by eliminating the need and use of disposable single-use bags.
Put These Tips to Work
All of the hard work that goes into pulling off an effective trade show is worth it when you close sales and build your brand. We can help your brand stand out and make a positive and long-term impression by creating custom reusable bags.
We’ve been helping other brands create custom promotional products for almost 30 years. We’ve streamlined the process to save you time and money and we’ve earned some awards and distinctions along the way, including GOTS, Fairtrade, ISO 9001-2015, and FEDEX.
Learn more about how easy it is to create eco-friendly custom reusable bags by contacting us today or design your own custom reusable bag for your next trade show today!