Make Your Trade Show A Smash Hit

Transcription

1 Make Your Trade Show A Smash Hit Finding The Right Trade Show Convention For Your Business How to Find The Right Trade Show Convention For Your Business One of the most effective ways to market your business is through trade shows because they allow you to meet your potential clients face-to-face instead of waiting for them to stop by your store or office. With only 3 seconds to grab their attention as they walk by, a well-designed trade show display is critical to your success at the event. However, if you aren t going to the right shows, then you won t be meeting the right people. Here are a few tips to help you find the right trade shows for your needs and increase your chances of getting leads. Have a Goal Do you know what you want to accomplish? If the answer is no, then this needs to be figured out before you sign up for every event that comes your way. Some questions you need to ask your self are: Do you want to reach decision-makers of businesses or would you like to talk to consumers directly? Do you want to network with future partnering professionals or get leads? Once these questions can be answered, you should be able to narrow down what trade shows will be the most lucrative to you and your business. Talk to Your Customers Ask them what events they plan on attending because there s a good chance you will find your target audience at those shows. Once you do plan to participate in a show your customers will be at, make sure they know you will be there. Send out s or direct mail with the location of your trade show booths. A Little Research Can Go a Long Way Know where your competitors are going because, not only will you meet more potential buyers, but it will give you the chance to find out what new products your competitors are offering and what they are doing to drive traffic to their trade show displays. Having an idea of who will be attending the event is also extremely helpful. Ask the trade show organizers for a list of attendees from last year s convention. Go as an Attendee Don t feel pressured to exhibit at the trade show right away if you re still hesitant. Walk the aisles as an attendee to get an idea of what trade show exhibits get the most attention and what types of companies are at the show. 1

2 Successful Planning for Marketing Your Trade Show Booth Making the Most of Your Conference and Event Experience There are many reasons to consider partaking in a trade show. The number one reason is the fact that you will get to meet potential clients as well as network with other professionals. As beneficial as trade shows are to your business, just showing up at the venue and winging it won t cut it. As important as a well-designed trade show booth is, a plan of action must be in place before even entering the event to be a success. Most businesses plan for months to come up with the design of their trade show exhibits as well as what their objectives are. Before you can even jump into designing trade show displays for your upcoming event, it is important you have a plan in place. Knowing the following information will help you design the perfect display booth for your upcoming trade show. Have a Goal Knowing what you want to get out of the event will make it much easier to track your success once the show is over. Do you want to get a certain amount of sales leads? Are you a new business that wants to increase public awareness of your company? Or are you trying to get your newest products or services recognized? Whatever it is you are aiming to accomplish at the trade show exhibits should be clarified and passed along to the rest of your staff. What ROI do you want to obtain? What vendors do you want to visit? One question I often hear is How do I measure my success from the show? By having a clear goal you want to accomplish and documenting everything that happened at the show, you will be able to determine if you met your goal or not. Talk to the trade show organizers and get a list and map of all of the vendors who will be at the show and where to find them. This way you will be able to plan which ones you want to see and where they will be located. Also, make sure a clear goal is set and communicated to your staff. Know Your Target Audience The same portable or modular display design won t work for every target audience. Instead, you will have to personalize your show display and marketing material around the wants or needs of this audience. Whether it is business professionals or young adults who you are trying to get attention from, it is important your trade show materials be designed with them in mind. Let Your Audience Know What Problem Your Product/Service Can Fix Most attendees are going to be more interested in how products/services can help them. Make sure the benefits of your products are clearly stated on all of your trade show booth and marketing materials in order to attract more interested people to your display system. Know How Much Space Will Be Needed Before diving into the design of trade show displays, you need to know how large your booth space is. Once that is determined, decide if you would like to have any activities take place at your display booth, such as demonstrations, presentations, etc. If you would like to have activities take place, more room is going to be needed. Whether you are using portable trade show displays, such as pop up displays, or exhibits with an open layout, such as truss systems, it is important to know the previous information in order to make your trade show display a success.plan Make The Most of Your Display Booth Prepare all of your marketing materials and visual aide ahead of time and be sure to have plenty of marketing handouts on hand. Do your best to ensure your display booth can show off your visual aides to as many visitors at once as possible. Brand your marketing material and visual aides to coordinate with your trade show display and business objectives. Dress for success 2

3 There is a fine line between comfortable and trashy. You re going to be cramped in the trade show venue for hours among hundreds of other exhibitors. Depending on your industry and the standards of the show, it may not be reasonable for you and your staff to wear formal business attire. Nothing makes me more miserable than wearing a business suit in a 100 degree building. However, wearing shorts and tank tops won t cut it either. It is important to look professional while still being comfortable. If the employees at your business wear uniforms, have the booth staff wear uniforms. Comfortable shoes are also a must, since many venues have hard concrete floor. Adding trade show flooring to your display will be a godsend to your feet, since most flooring is padded, enhancing the comfort for both your staff and visitors. Don t forget the business cards! Bring a stash of business cards to the event to hand out. If you will not be at the event, make sure you have a booth staff that will be outgoing and not afraid to introduce themselves to other professionals. Also, don t lead other professionals on by making them think you will be doing business with them. Try to only talk to businesses that will be doing business with you, or vice versa. For those of you who like the word free, you are sure to walk away with a heavy load of free stuff by talking to these other business professionals. Trade shows have been proven to be an effective marketing tool, whether you have a small or large business. One of the best parts of an exhibit is the fact that all participants will be equal competitors and they are coming to see you! The ones that will stand out the most are those with well-designed trade show exhibits that are willing to introduce themselves without being too pushy, are knowledgeable and excited about what they sell, and who are well prepared. Go in with a plan and what you want to take away from the event. Your company and your bottom line will be happy you did. Common Trade Show Mistakes Common Trade Show Mistakes To Avoid Conventions are a great way of putting yourself out there and meeting your target audience face-to-face. As much as trade shows can help expand your business, many exhibitors aren t properly planning. Here are a few common mistake exhibitors are making that is hindering their chances of getting the results and traffic to their trade show booths they want. Wrong Show Registering for every trade show that comes your way can be a huge waste of time and energy if the show is unrelated to your industry or your target audience will not be there. What you should do is take the time to research every show you are considering setting up a trade show booth at to find out what attendees will be there and who the other exhibitors are. No Plan Would you show up to a final exam without preparing for it first? Probably not. However, that s exactly what happens with most exhibitors. Without a pre-show marketing campaign, your target audience won t know about the event. About a month prior to the convention, get your hands on a copy of the registered attendees from the trade show organizers and send out direct mail pieces that lets them know where your booth will be. Also, let your social networking community in on your display booth information. Posting it on Facebook and Twitter, writing blogs about the upcoming event, and posting videos on YouTube are all excellent and inexpensive ways to get the word out. Bland Trade Show Booths Attendees are more likely to stop by portable displays that have giveaways, drawings, demonstrations, presentations, or any other attraction instead of a bland display booth with no incentives. It s alright to bribe people to your display system with free promotional products or the chance to win prizes. Once they are in your booth display you ll have the chance to let them know just how wonderful your products are. Staff is Unprepared 3

4 Knowledgeable and happy staffers are just as important as the design of your portable display. Do not staff your convention booth with people who aren t familiar enough with your products to answer any questions attendees may have. Some companies hold a training seminar a day or two prior to the event to refresh the employees memories on the products or services sold. Also, have some role playing exercises to prepare your staff on the tough questions they may be asked on the trade show floor. No Follow-up Strategy Once the show is over, you probably have collected the contact information from several interested buyers. Don t let that information go to waste; instead have a strategy in place so that you know exactly who or what department will follow up on leads after the show. Some businesses prefer the people who got the leads are the ones who follow up, while others rely on certain departments to follow up on all of the leads. If you aren t contacting them, there s a good chance your competitor will. There will be a variety of trade show displays side-by-side, some of which will be competing against you. With these tips and the right trade show exhibit, you are sure to be a hit at the show! Boost Trade Show Display Success How to Boost Trade Show Display Success You may have the friendliest and most knowledgeable staff at your trade show booth and giveaway items, but that doesn t mean anything if no one is stopping by your display system. The look of your trade show display should answer 3 vital questions: who you are, what you sell, and why everyone should buy from you. Here are a few tips to help you gain traffic at your display exhibit and generate more leads. Quality, Not Quantity Throwing a ton of pictures and text on your trade show displays may sound like a great way to let everyone know who you are, but it may actually repel people from coming to your booth exhibit. The reason being that if there is too much on your trade show exhibit, it could get confusing as to what products or services you offer. Focus on one or two products to promote and have no more than a couple photos of that product. This will be much easier to understand from the aisles than having too many photos. Also, keep the text on your display exhibit minimal by using bullet points to list 2 or 3 of the benefits. Add Lighting Most convention venues are dimly lit, making it difficult to tell the difference from one show exhibit to the next. Lighting will make your portable display glow and stand out among the other trade show displays. It s very inexpensive, yet can make a huge difference. Offer Food and Beverages 4

5 The scent of food and beverages will get noticed by everyone at the event, even if they are in a different aisle. After hours of being at the trade show, attendees and other exhibitors would love a snack or something to drink. Some popular food and drink options are cookies, popcorn, coffee, tea and water. Follow up This is a very important step, but is rarely followed through. Once the trade show is over and you have collected your leads information, it is time to follow up with them. About a week after the event, either call them or send thank-you cards to thank them for stopping by your trade show booth. If you call them, ask if there are any more questions they have about your products or services. If you send a thank-you card, include your business card. These tips should help you have a successful display booth at trade shows and generate more new customers and leads. Create A Great Trade Show Display How to Design an Attractive Trade Show Booth That Will Attract Visitors As attendees are walking the trade show floor, they only take a few seconds to glimpse at the trade show displays until they find one that catches their eye. Whether you have a tabletop pop up display or a 20 x 20 truss system, your trade show graphics are going to be the first thing the attendees notice. There are some important graphic tips to keep in mind, but there s also some that you want to avoid. Here s a list of the do s and don ts of exhibit graphics to help you become a hit at your next event. Make Your Company s Name Stand Out The name of your company should be much larger than the rest of the text on the graphics. Be careful what font and color you use. You may want to use a fancy font, but it may be difficult to read from a distance. Create an Easy-to-Remember Headline Short and sweet headlines are going to be easier to remember than a long, drawn-out headline. Just get straight to the point because no one wants to stand there and read a paragraph of text. With an effective headline, you are more likely to attract your target audience instead of bringing in every single person that walks by your booth. Obviously you want a trade show booth that is visually appealing and will draw in a crowd, but if you are bringing in visitors who have no intention on purchasing your product, then your efforts are being wasted. Do: Keep it Simple Use one or two large pictures of the products you would like to promote, a couple short sentences that clearly states what you do, and your contact information. These graphics will be much more memorable than having too much information. Use bullet points Don t get too technical Get straight to the point Use Simple Images One large image that will get your message across is more effective than several smaller pictures. When designing your trade show graphics, think of billboards that you see alongside the highway. The billboards with the most impact are those that use one effective image. Don t: Overdo it 5

6 There may be a ton of info you want to relay to everyone who walks by your display system, but less is more. No one is going to stop and read paragraphs of text or look at a collage of pictures, especially when there are several other trade show booths vying for the attendee s attention. Display systems with these over-the-top graphics can be overwhelming and tend to get overlooked. Less is More When Writing the Description You may feel the urge to write a lengthy description of your company and products, but this is a big mistake. You have 3 seconds to attract potential buyers to your booth, and these attendees are not going to want to waste time reading a couple paragraphs. Writing too much text will get overlooked, whereas short, simple text that gets straight to the point will grab their attention. Consider the following when preparing to write the description. Keep the text short and to-the-point. Your marketing message should be communicated in 1 or 2 sentences. Use no more than 2 or 3 images Bright colors are much more attention-grabbing than neutral colors. Some colors to consider are red, orange, and yellow. Do: Add Color Bold colors make display booths stand out and make it that much easier to spot against the other convention booths. Colors such as red, yellow, orange, and green will definitely get attention. Colors such as brown, tan, and taupe should be avoided, since they blend into the background. Don t: Use Fancy Font Fancy, colorful text may look attractive on paper, but may be difficult to read on a trade show booth. Use clear, sharp text that is large enough to see from down the trade show aisle. Arial font is probably the easiest and most popular font used. The text on your trade show exhibit should be easy to read from the aisles, so using fancy fonts like Bradley Hand ITC will be difficult to read. Sans serif, Times New Roman, and Ariel are popular choices since they are simple and clear. The size of your font is also important; it should be big enough to read without problems. Do: Think of Billboards When you see a billboard along the highway, what are some things you notice? They are simple and clearly state what they do in very few words. Your trade show display graphics should be designed very similarly to these signs. Don t: Think of Brochures Brochures are designed to inform the readers with in-depth information. Your display booth should only contain a tidbit of this information. If attendees would like to know more about your products or services, having some brochures available are a great idea. No matter what size your trade show booth is, successful trade show graphics can make or break your display. Table top trade show displays can be just as effective as larger displays with the right images and wording. These tips should help you create eye-catching trade show graphics that will still be remembered long after the event. How To Attract Prospective Customers to Trade Show Booths Tips For Attracting The Right Visitors to Your Trade Show Display Attendees could be attracted to your trade show displays if you have free food and coffee, amazing giveaways, and drawings, but are you really attracting the right people to your display system? Take a look at these points to help bring in your target audience instead of people who are just there for the free stuff. Pre-Show Advertising 6

7 Give your customers a heads-up that you will be at the event by either sending out invitations, direct mail pieces, or phone calls. Offer an incentive to get them to stop by your booth, such as a discount on your product or a free gift just for stopping by your booth. Another great way to get the word out is through social media. Let your followers and fans know when and where the big show will be taking place. Use hash tags to get the attention of those who are interested in the same show or industry. Good Signage If you signs don t clearly state what your company does, it could be drawing in the wrong crowd. Not only should your signs have your company s logo, but having a catchy tagline could make your trade show booth remembered long after the convention. These sentences should be short and sweet, while still giving your audience a glimpse into what your company does. Hanging banners will definitely draw in a crowd from across the trade show floor by hanging directly above your display booth and comes in a variety of sizes and shapes to really make you stand out. Having banner stands along the aisle is another excellent way to get the attendee s attention, especially if your trade show exhibit is tucked away and not easily viewable from the aisle way. Presentations Hold a presentation at your display system to talk about your product or service in more detail. After the presentation, those attendees that were truly interested in what you had to stay will stick around and ask any further questions they may have. If this is something you want to do at your convention booth, there s a few rules to remember 1) keep it short (no more than 5 minutes), 2) stay away from technical or industry jargon because your audience may not understand it as well as you do, and 3) Visual aids will help your message sink in even more (for example, power point presentations and pictures of your products/ services). Staff Your Trade Show Booth with Knowledgeable Sales People I ll let you in on a little secret attendees like talking to staffers who are knowledgeable of the products being sold. Many exhibitors decide to hire professionals to staff their portable display, but be sure you have your most knowledgeable sale people on hand to answer in-depth questions related to your products or services. Color code The Staff s Outfits Make it easy for visitors to your trade show exhibit to pinpoint who works there and who is just looking. Matching shirts and pants will not only make it easy to find you, but will also look more professional. Set up Appointments on the Trade Show Floor Following up with leads is an important step after the event if you want to turn them into potential customers. Set up appointments at your convention booth to decide on a time when you can talk to them one-on-one after the trade show is over, either on the phone or in your office. Having private areas in your display system to have these one-one-one meetings may also be convenient. For example, some custom exhibits have private areas built in for this very reason. Give Everyone a Reason to Stop By Entice attendees to come to your portable display through eye-catching giveaways, drawings, demonstrations, or games with prizes. Your audience will definitely remember you long after the trade show if you have something going on at your display booth. Creative trade show exhibits will draw in a crowd, but these tips will hold their attention and leave them with a positive impression of your company. 7

8 These tips should help you weed out the attendees who aren t interested from the ones who could be your next customer. Once you have reeled in new leads from the trade show, don t forget to follow up with them about a week after the event. By doing this, you ll be fresh in their minds when they are ready to do business with you! Staffing Your Trade Show Booth How to Choose the Right Trade Show Display Staff for Your Event You only get approximately 3 seconds to catch the attention of the attendees before they walk past your display. That is why it is so important to have a trade show booth that will pop and intrigue the potential leads to stop at your booth and find out what you have to offer. Once your convention exhibit stops them in their tracks, it is up to your trade show booth staff to hold their interest and make them want to buy from you. As part of the LinkedIn community, I have seen so many questions about how to properly staff your exhibit. Here are just a few of the questions I have repeatedly seen, and hopefully my answers will help clear the air. How many people should I use to staff my display? This is a question that only you can answer. How large is your trade show exhibit? How long will the show be? Once you can answer those two questions, you should be able to come to some sort of acceptable number. Also, remember that you will need enough staffers to allow every one of them to take a break outside of the booth. Is it more important to have a booth staff with a positive attitude or product knowledge? Your booth staff should be up-to-date with all of your new and existing products, but you need people who are excited to talk about your company and products/services. Filling your booth with people who could care less about the business they work for, are lazy, or have body language that clearly says they don t want to be disturbed, may push the attendees away. Product knowledge can always be taught, but a positive attitude can t. Cheerful, extroverted employees that enjoy their job will definitely draw more people in. What s acceptable dress attire? Well, let me start off by telling you what s NOT acceptable t-shirts, shorts, and anything else that makes it look like you just got back from the beach or mall. Your staff should have a somewhat professional appearance. This doesn t necessarily mean business suits, but dress shirts and ties for the guys, and dress pants or dresses for the girls will look very professional. If the employees at your store wear uniforms, have the booth staff also wear uniforms. It is not just what you wear, but also how you wear it that matters. Pants should not be dragging on the ground, your clothes should not be wrinkled, and your shoes should not be completely scuffed up. I know this may seem like a big list of SHOULD NOT s, but this list of things to avoid will only help you. Should you use prospecting agents or salespeople? Prospecting agents are trained to know how to turn leads into sales, but no one knows your products/services better than your employees. It is inevitable that attendees will have questions about what you have to offer, so who better to ask than the people who work with your products everyday? Turn Attendees into Sales Tips on How To Turn Attendees into Sales 8

9 There s nothing like the thrill of setting up your trade show exhibits, displaying your products and promotional items, and standing there with a big smile on your face waiting for the attendees to just flock to your booth. In reality, that s not going to happen. It takes more than bells and whistles to get the attention of attendees and help turn them into sales. Here are a few things to keep in mind the next time you are at a trade show. Small Talk Goes a Long Way Your booth staff should be willing to go out to the aisles and strike up a conversation with anyone who will listen. When I say strike up a conversation, I don t mean bombarding them with your sales pitch. All that will do is scare them away, which obviously is the complete opposite of what you want to do. Ask questions like: Is it still beautiful outside? Are you enjoying yourself at the trade show? How s your day going? Small talk is the best way to get the attendees to open up to you and feel comfortable with you. Once you have them engaged in a conversation, then you can ease into talking about your company. Always Ask Open-Ended Questions Don t give them the opportunity to close off the conversation with you by asking yes or no questions. The biggest rule of thumb is to LISTEN to the needs of these visitors before telling them why they should buy your products/services. So many times I have seen exhibitors who have a script memorized of all the wonderful things their products have to offer, but not everyone has the same needs. Ask questions that will allow them to talk about what they are looking for and what problems they may be having that they are hoping your products/services will help with. In this case, it is so much more important to be a great listener instead of a talker. The attendees want to feel like you genuinely are concerned about solving their dilemmas. Not only will this help close the sale, but it will help build long-term relationships. Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up In case the title isn t clear enough, you need to follow up with the leads if you want the sale. Most exhibitors think that they will be contacted after the event, but that s usually not the case. Think about all of the trade show booths the attendees visited that day, they may not remember the conversation they had with you. After the event, call them or send them a thank-you card for taking the time to talk to you. If you prefer to call, it will give them the opportunity to ask any questions they didn t ask at the show. If you would rather mail a thank-you card, make sure to include a business card so that they know the best way to contact you. This little gesture will keep you in their minds when they are ready to buy. You only have between 3 and 6 seconds to grab the attention of the attendees, so make it count. A unique trade show booth with well-designed graphics will intrigue them to see what your booth is all about. The Best Trade Show Giveaways Finding the Right Giveaways at Trade Show Displays 9

10 Giveaways at trade show displays can be extremely effective because you re giving potential new customers something to take with them that have your logo and company info on it. They will be able to remember your display booth at trade shows every time they use the product. If you think you have found the perfect promotional item to hand out, ask yourself these questions first: Is it Unique? Pens are a very common product handed out, but attendees are not going to remember the numerous show displays they received the giveaway item from. Think outside the box. One business at a convention in Las Vegas opted to hand out decks of cards with their company info on one side. It s very unique and will be remembered long after the event. Are They Disposable? If you decide to use cheap giveaway items that can easily break or thrown away, you are wasting your money. Even on a budget, there are plenty of products available that will fit into every budget. Do you research to make sure you find a high quality product for your dollar. Can They Be Used Daily? The most effective giveaways at exhibits are those that can be used frequently. Magnets, mugs, and coasters are just a few examples of products that are used daily. Whether you are using table top pop up displays, banner stands, or 20 x 20 island truss systems, the right giveaway item will help promote your company and possibly gain some new clients out of it. Promoting Your Trade Show Booth With Social Media Social Media Marketing Tips for Your Next Trade Show Exhibit Social media is a dream for following up with leads from trade show displays after a convention. It s the ideal way to keep visitors informed about your business without making them feel overwhelmed or pressured. Social media keeps your banner stand just on the fringe of their memory, reminding them of everything that your company has to offer without making them feel bothered by your constant presence. There are no phone calls to make, no mass s to send out instead, there s just a steady, constant contact. Social media isn t just useful for follow-up after you ve taken down your trade show booths. Most companies find it best to start using social media marketing before the first banner stand goes up. Get people excited to come visit your show display at the convention. If you can successfully launch a campaign that begins online, you can see huge benefits. Do your homework and find the social properties the trade show will be using. They will have a presence on Twitter and Facebook. Watch and participate. Remember social media isn t about selling your products and services, it s about building relationships. Always follow the rule, 80% informational, 20% promotional. Implement Quick Response Codes and add them to your trade show displays. This unique bar code on the lower right of the sticker (known as a QR code) lets customers and potential customers instantly learn more about your business. If you re not yet familiar with QR codes, they re similar to the barcodes used by retailers to track inventory and price products at the point of sale. The key difference between the two is the amount of data they can hold or share. Once at the trade show have a staff member responsible for tweeting in real time. Make use of show hashtags on twitter to widen your reach and increase engagement. Post photos of your display and staff and talk to your visitors, they may have interesting stories you could share. When using social media, build an audience for your show. Introduce your staff and share information about them, it will go a long way in building new relationships. 10

11 The Top 5 Social Media Sites To Use For Your Trade Show Marketing 5 Essential Social Media Websites and How to Use Them for Your Trade Show Promotions Trade shows allow you to increase brand awareness for your company, while social media is used to increase your internet presence and reach a larger audience. Combine the two advertising channels and you get explosive results that will help your trade show display traffic and customers. So, what are some ways to effectively use social media to promote show displays? I have targeted in on the 4 main social networking sites in order to give you some tips on how to use them to gain traffic at your next event. Twitter You have minimal characters to use, so give quick updates to your followers on what is going on at your trade show booth (giveaways, presentations, drawings, etc.) Follow industry-related hash tags to reach out to people who will be attending the show or people who may not be aware of the event, but would be interested. Engage with other tweeters. And No, I do not mean promote your business. If someone you follow asks a question, answer it. You can also ask your own questions to get your followers to engage in conversations with you. Use Hash Tags! Hash tags allow everyone in the Twitter world to find you by typing in a certain word. Here s an example of a hash tag I used on my own Twitter page: Become more green at your next #trade #event with a #tradeshowbooth made entirely out of green materials So, now every time someone is looking for tweets with the keywords trade, event, or tradeshowbooth, they will find me. Use the name of your event as a hashtag in order to get attention from people who are interested in that trade show. Don t just do this during the event, but also before in order to inform everyone of the trade shows you will be attending. Facebook Take advantage of the Questions tab that allows you to ask poll questions by either giving your readers choices, or letting them submit their own. Post press releases or blog articles that discuss your trade show display. Not only will this inform your fans of your display system, but these articles should give them enough all of the vital information needed to attend (contact info, hours of the show, and where your convention booth will be located.) Shout Out Your Promotions and Giveaways Let all of your fans know of any promotions or giveaways you have going on at your display system. Are you having a drawing? Are you offering special discounts only at the trade show? Tell your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn communities about it. Create a sense of urgency by saying something along the lines of Only 1 hour left to receive our giveaway item. LinkedIn If you haven t done so, create a company page on LinkedIn. Once this is done, post updates of your display booth. 11

12 What makes this website different from the previous two I mentioned is the fact that LinkedIn has a more professional setting. Join groups related to your business and begin answering posts or asking questions. YouTube Be sure you have a YouTube account and take a video camera with you to the event and capture all of the action on camera! Interview your trade show booth staff and let them talk about what your business has to offer and why people should make their way to your booth. Keywords, just like hashtags, can be added to make it that much easier for people to find your videos. Again, make sure to use the name of the show as a keyword. Blogs In the weeks leading up to the event, write blog posts that will keep your audience updated on what you are doing to prepare for the upcoming show. For example, you can write a post that describes your exhibit booth, as well as including a few photos. Once the trade show is over, write a blog article that summarizes the entire event. Social media costs little to no money, yet will help you get the results you want at trade shows. With these marketing tips and well-designed trade show displays, you are sure to get the results you want! The Advantage of Using Facebook for Promoting Your Trade Show Booth How to Use Facebook to Promote Trade Show Booths Whether your company sells cutting-edge computers or sweaters, social media allows you to reach out to a larger audience and connect with customers in a way you aren t able to do with other marketing tools, like print ads. One of the most popular social networking websites is Facebook and can not only be used as a way to promote your business, but also to promote your trade show display. Most attendees have an agenda of what trade show exhibits they are going to visit at the trade show. In order to make their list of must-see display systems, use the following tips to increase your booth traffic with Facebook. Begin Your Campaign at Least 2 Weeks Prior to the Trade Show Don t wait until last minute to kick start your marketing campaign. Give your audience enough time to plan on attending and visiting your display booth by advertising it at least 2 weeks before the show. Give Incentives Give your audience a reason to stop by your show display by informing them there will be drawings, demonstrations, presentations, giveaways, etc. This will give attendees a bigger reason to see your display system. Post Pictures and Videos Take plenty of photos of your finished convention booth, as well as the staff that will also be at the trade show booth and post them to Facebook. Also, interview the staff and managers so that they can discuss their booth display and any other activities that will be taking place. Use Promotional Codes On your Facebook page, post a promotional code that readers can use at the trade show to get a discount on your products/ services or a free promotional item. Not only will this intrigue more people to visit your convention display, but it will also help you track just how successful your Facebook page was at promoting your portable display. 12

13 Make Use of Mobile Apps to Enhance Trade Show Marketing Efforts Using Mobile Apps to Enhance Trade Show Booths and Exhibits Increasing traffic to trade show displays is no longer limited to only social media and print ads, but is now done through mobile applications. Flip cell phones are now being thought of as dinosaur -phones because an overwhelming number of people prefer smart phones, like Blackberries and iphones. With the demand for these phones also comes the demand for mobile apps, since they make it more convenient to do business, shop, and use social media with the touch of a button. Here are a few of the mobile apps that are available for exhibitors of show displays in order to bring in more traffic and connect with attendees and other exhibitors before the event even begins. FollowMe from Core-Apps The information is downloaded directly to the phone, so there is no need to have coverage in order to view it. This mobile app allows attendees, trade show booth exhibitors, and organizers to connect, view trade show schedules, view interactive floor maps. Brochures can also be downloaded. It is also an effective tool to use in order to keep your audience alert on any information regarding your display stand. Snipp This application is based entirely on text messages, allowing you to receive any documents or information from certain exhibitors by texting the Snipp ID code. All of the items you requested will be stored on Snipp s website and can be viewed whenever you like. Pathable Pathable combines their online community with social networks in order to help sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees meet and connect. This is an excellent app to use if you want to integrate your social networking accounts and meet people with similar interests in order to increase traffic to trade show exhibits. EMA Engage and meet attendees before the event even takes place with this convention app. Attendees are able to get any information in regards to the trade show. Some of the information they d be able to get is schedules, conference alerts, hotel information, and attendee messaging. Tomorrow there may be a new batch of mobile apps available to choose from, but for now these 3 seem to be effective and is a great way to meet and greet attendees, organizers, and exhibitors long before the event takes place. Attracting Powerful Decision-Makers to Your Trade Show Booth How to Attract Powerful Decision-Makers to Your Trade Show Display Trade shows will give your business the exposure it needs to thrive since there are hundreds or thousands of people at the event that may not be aware of your company until they see your trade show display. Not only can you expect to see consumers at these events, but there will also be plenty of executive decision-makers walking the aisles and scoping out trade show displays, looking for a new product they may be interested in. Getting these big wig executive s attention is not always easy, since they are usually very busy and don t have time to sit down and talk to every exhibitor they meet. Here are some ideas that would help you get noticed by these high-power businessmen and women. Send out Pre-Show Mailers Over 70 percent of attendees know what trade show booths they will be visiting before even getting to the show. One way to make sure you are on the minds of these decision makers is by sending out direct mail, especially to all the businesses you would 13

14 like to meet at the convention. These mailers should give your audience a taste of what they can expect to see at the show, as well as discuss a little bit about your company. Have Special Giveaways for the Executives Have special gifts set aside for the big executives at your show booth. This will give them something to leave with, as well as something to remember your display booth by. Make sure to include either a business card with these gifts or imprint your company s contact information directly into the gift. Incorporate Demonstrations into Trade Show Displays Let everyone see firsthand how simple your product is to use or how effective it can be at solving a problem. By showing your audience how to use your product, they will be more inclined to buy from you since they will know exactly how to use it. This is also a great way to educate your audience on your company s products or services. Keep Your Booth Exhibit Relaxing Trade shows can be a little bit stressful when you have people running in and out of your show exhibit all day. It can be very overwhelming, especially for the big wig executives who are constantly getting bombarded by business owners who are fighting for their attention. Keep your booth space open and relaxing. If there s enough room, set up chairs that would allow your booth visitors to sit down and take a break. Some display systems have private one-on-one meeting rooms that would make it especially simple and calming to sit down with these execs and have a meeting away from the busy trade show floor. One booth that does incorporate one-one-one meeting rooms is the Ranbaxy Custom Displays. With these tips, you ll be able to gain the attention of high-power professionals who may be interested in what your company has to offer, without making the situation stressful. Impress Your Audience at International Conventions Tips to Prepare You for Impressing Your Audience at International Conventions When it comes to international exhibiting, it can be a little scary. Should I shake their hands, bow, or a kiss on the cheek? Should I wear pants or a skirt? Depending on the country you are planning to exhibit in, one preference may be a no-no in one country while acceptable in another. Thanks to Exhibitor Magazine, a few tips from Terri Morrison s book Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, are listed on how to impress without offending the attendees. Mexico City Women typically wear short skirts and high heels. It is common to hug and kiss a business colleague. Dubai Keeping it casual at these exhibits is the norm. You set up your own trade show booth since there are no labor unions. Shanghai No clock-themed giveaways should be used since clocks are associated with death. All booth staffers should present business cards with two hands. Dusseldorf Punctuality is extremely important and it is considered insulting if you arrive even one minute late. Tape up your pockets to keep your hands out of them because the locals will think of this as a lack of respect. Tokyo Business cards should be exchanged with everyone you meet. Also, there should be no writing on the backs of these cards. Paris Tattoos and body piercings should be covered. Since this is the fashion capital of the world, dress in business clothing that will reflect that. 14

15 There are so many advantages to international exhibiting. You can broaden your customer base and grow your business, network with international businessmen and business women, as well as have a better understanding of the cultures and regulations of the different countries. However, the last thing you want to do is offend the local residents by being unaware of what is acceptable and what is frowned upon. Most importantly do your research and take into consideration the different exhibit regulations for the different countries. 15