Companies must continually look for new ways to drive sales and expand their customer base in today’s business world. To stay competitive in your industry and meet quota, you may decide to invest in attendance at a trade show as an effective way to reach your target customer base.
However, it’s always easy to get the most out of these events. Here are some tips for making your next trade show more profitable.
1. Research and Target Your Ideal Customer
Successful trade show attendance starts with knowing who you’re targeting and why they’d want to buy your products or services. You’ll want to gather information on your ideal customer’s buying habits, demographics, and psychographics.
Use this information to create your ideal customer persona and determine where they will most likely attend a trade show. You can also gather information about your competitors and their ideal customer base to ensure you’re attending events where your target customer will be.
2. Plan and Be Organized
Prepare your trade show booth displays and materials in advance, so you’re not scrambling to set up on the day of the event. Make sure to review your booth materials, including signage and product samples, to ensure they reflect your brand and are clear and concise.
Plan your trade show schedule so you can make the most of each day and not get too burned out. Break up your time at the event with some breaks and time off to relax and recharge.
3. Create A Marketing Strategy
Be strategic about using marketing and sales materials at the trade show. You don’t want to overwhelm attendees with sales pitches, but you also want to make sure you have the opportunity to make your case and close deals.
Decide whether or not you’ll bring a sales team to the event and if you do, decide how you’ll split up responsibilities. Will you offer a free consultation? Will you be focused on networking with key prospects? Will you be focused on generating or closing deals?
Make sure you and your sales team are on the same page about what you want to accomplish at the show and how you plan to do so.
4. Make The Most of Your Trade Show Exhibit
Although you’re at the event to engage with potential customers and brand partners, you’ll also want to ensure your successful trade show exhibit.
Ensure your exhibit is well-branded and clear, so attendees know what you do and how you can benefit them. Keep track of which companies visit your exhibit and what kinds of questions they ask.
It will help you better prepare for visits at future shows. Put a call-to-action on your exhibit so attendees know what action you’d like them to take after visiting your display.
5. Bring Along Influential Employees and Partners
Bring along influential employees and partners to help you make the most of your time at the event. You can schedule times to meet with partners and customers, but you may also want to use attendees as networking opportunities.
For example, suppose you’re attending a conference for real estate agents. In that case, you might want to approach real estate agents who look like they’re attending the event alone and offer to show them around the event and introduce them to other people.
You may also want to invite influential partners and customers to your event to help them feel appreciated and generate leads and brand loyalty.
6. Don’t Neglect Digital Channels During Tradeshows
You should be posting and sharing content while at the show to help generate leads and keep your brand top of mind while away. Post photos and updates from the event to your social media channels and engage with your followers in the comment section to help generate leads and encourage engagement.
Scheduling your posts in advance will save you time after the event. You should also update your website and email marketing while at the event. It will keep your website and email list active, generate leads and raise brand awareness.
A good trade show can be an incredible opportunity to drive sales, increase brand awareness and meet new potential customers. You’ll get the most out of your trade show presence and drive more sales by following these tips.
