After weeks of preparation the day is finally here. We want to provide you with the pep talk you will need for a successful day with our 5 insights for a successful trade show event.
1. Be Personable, not Pushy
Nobody likes an obvious sales pitch. Be an ambassador of your product or service without overwhelming the guests. Be genuine and offer insightful and meaningful tips and information to your audience. If that one particular person you are speaking with doesn't seem like a buyer/client, just remember that they may know someone who is. Make their experience memorable and enjoyable by being genuine and engaging.
2. Demonstrate Your Product
Depending on the product or services you are offering a live demo can be an excellent way to show people the quality you have to offer. Ensure demonstrations done are within the rules and regulations of the trade show and venue. Samples are another great way to give leads a sneak peek into your product if live demonstrations are not an option.
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3. Get Social.
Live tweet, post to your Snapchat or Instagram stories, and check in at the venue on Facebook throughout the day. If social media isn’t your forte, hire a professional to manage your accounts for the day. Be sure all these accounts up and running well before the event to ensure you have had time to grow your social media following. Ask booth visitors to be in your photos and ask if you can tag them to create extra exposure or better yet run a social media contest such as the ones mentioned in our Bullseye Branding: How to Effectively Target to Your Trade Show Audience blog.
4. Offer Innovative Incentives.
Many trade show vendors use draws, discounts, or coupons to gain valuable contact information during the event. Think outside the box for a creative and unique way that will stand out from the crowd. Many vendors are drawing attention with guessing games (think: jellybeans in a jar, chocolates in a jar, etc), trivia games with industry related questions, prize wheels, photo booths, hashtag contests and more. What could you do to entertain the attendees while also gathering pertinent information?
5. Track the Value.
Before the event create a system that will allow you to track leads and sales from the event. Ultimately the trade show has to create ROI to be worth doing again. This is the part where you will want to consider how to track the entries from your contests or the ballots you have been collecting. Filling out a spreadsheet after the show is a simple option – but it doesn’t offer the insights you will want for long-term. Consider a CRM (One of our favorites is Insightly – Free for one user) This system allows you to track all lead information and any details associated to that person. You can create a project, follow-up or task associated to them. Having a well structured CRM will make your follow-ups much more streamlined. You can send targeted email campaigns and even manage all of your orders and bookkeeping! Take a look online for the best CRM’s that match your business needs and goals and be sure to have that in place before the show!
Trade shows are the perfect time for business owners and entrepreneurs to get creative about the way they present themselves. Strive for your goals and learn from others mistakes to ensure a successful turn around every time.
We hope you have enjoyed this blog series! Stay tuned for our next series coming soon!
