Boost trade show traffic, improve brand awareness, and increase your revenue with these tips to get consumers to come to your trade show booth.
In this article:
- Spread the Word Online
- Hit the Right Target Market
- Have an Incentive
- Use the Right Products
- Don’t be Cheap
- Provide Energy Boosts
- Stand Out From the Crowd
- Engage the Audience
- Look the Part
9 Ways to Steal the Spotlight at Trade Shows
1. Spread the Word Online
One of the first things you need to do to boost traffic at a trade show is to promote the event. One surefire way to get the message across effectively is to post it on social media.
Millions of users are now on the Internet, and there’s a good chance a large percentage of your target market is on social media. You can utilize this by creating eye-catching visuals and engaging content that will encourage readers to visit your booth at the next trade show.
Make sure to determine which websites your audience usually visit so you can create specific content for that platform. Make sure to make the most of what each site offers so you can stand out and catch your audience’s attention.
Here’s one example to help you get started. In this example, we focused on Facebook:
- Provided that you already have a Facebook page for your business, you can post announcements and snippets of your event preparations leading up to the trade show to create hype.
- If possible, you can also create a post specifically to be posted on the trade show’s Facebook page so you can capture the attention of the attendees, who are most likely already following the page.
- Another feature you can utilize here is Facebook Groups. These revolve around one topic or interest so you’re assured that posting here lets you capture the audience that is most interested in whatever you’re offering. Let them know what you’ll be offering at the trade show and how they can benefit from visiting you there.
2. Hit the Right Target Market
No matter what others may say, not everyone in the world is a prospect. If you market to everyone, it’s highly likely you’ll reach no one.
To make your online ads more effective, make sure to tailor them for the right people. For example, it wouldn’t make much sense to target teenagers when you’re selling life insurance, right?
Before creating your ad copy, make sure to understand who your target market is and how you can reach them. Once you know who you’d want to reach, then you can create the right consumer-centered ads.
Tip: To get a traffic boost at your upcoming trade show, get your marketing team to study who often purchases your goods. You can also analyze trends from past trade shows to get a better understanding of who you’re attracting and selling to.
Target Market Definition: The specific group of consumers you would aim your brand at.
3. Have an Incentive
Telling customers to stop by your booth is not enough. It might drive a few buyers to your stall, but it probably won’t get you the numbers you need.
When boosting traffic, you can use incentives such as promotional items, freebies, and discounts. Make your customers feel like they’re already getting their time’s worth just by showing up to your booth.
Make sure the item you’re giving out properly represents your brand. For example, if you create comics, stories, or literature, you can hand out a bunch of custom USB flash drives that contain copies of your work.
In this way, the customers get a freebie and you can further your brand’s reach by giving them a taster of your work.
4. Use the Right Products
Since you know who your audience is, it’ll be much easier to choose promotional giveaways to give out at a trade show event.
If your audience is mostly office workers, USB drives are definitely something they’ll appreciate because of their usefulness. You can even give them a USB pen, which combines two highly-used office supplies in one nifty package.
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5. Don’t be Cheap
When choosing which promotional items to use, make sure you’re fine with the fact that you’d have to invest some money. Try to not be too stingy by distributing cheap, useless items.
Think about it, how many brands do you think will be at a trade show? You have to figure out how to stand out with a well-made and durable item rather than a cheap, low-quality one.
Prepare promotional items you can proudly post online. Make sure these are items prospects will get excited about.
Tip: Think outside the box. Do not limit yourself to conventional items that hundreds of other brands have already given out.
6. Provide Energy Boosts
Veteran trade show marketers know how hard these events are on both physical and electronic energy. After making all those calls, texts, and emails, the attendees run out of battery halfway through the show.
With that in mind, a solid way to boost traffic at a trade show event is to open up a docking station. Make sure it has multiple cables for various devices, brands, and models.
Customers will literally come flocking to you during the event. Of course, make the most out of it by getting some of their information.
For example, in exchange for a few minutes of charging, they’d have to share with you their contact details. That sounds like a fair trade, right?
Another possible way to provide an energy boost if a docking station isn’t your ideal booth setup? Use branded power banks as your promotional giveaway, which gives them the gadget juice they need to finish strong while keeping your brand at the top of their minds.
7. Stand Out From the Crowd
There are a lot of ways for you to stand out from the rest. It all depends on your budget and what you’re willing to spend on:
- If you’re working on a smaller budget and want to invest on something more sustainable and long-term, go all-out on your booth design. Make sure to splash your branding on it, but don’t make it too specific to a certain theme or trend so you can use it several years down the line.
- You can also create mini-games that will encourage more foot traffic to your booth. How about having a spinning game wheel, and having promotional items for prizes? Similar to the booth design, you can also have this in a classic design so you can reuse it at the next trade show.
The goal here is to find a way to separate yourself from the competition. In a busy, fast-paced setting, how can you make your target stop and take a moment to listen to what you have to say?
Tip: Further understand your target market and you’ll know exactly what to do.
8. Engage the Audience
One solid way to make people visit your trade show booth is to engage with them. It shouldn’t be something time-consuming but it should also be exciting.
For example, if you sell gadgets, you can put a few models on display for customers to use. Meanwhile, someone who sells chips can hand out a few free samples.
Basically, if you have something your audience can touch or play with, put it on display for them.
It also doesn’t hurt to greet passersby. The worst that can happen is they ignore you, but it also increases the chances that someone takes a second look at what you’re offering.
9. Look the Part
A solid way to drive traffic to your booth on the day of the trade show is to look good. You don’t necessarily have to come in a three-piece suit unless the event calls for it.
Promotional apparel that proudly shows off your brand name or logo is a great alternative if the event is more casual or you want to convey a more relaxed image. This is also a great way to motivate you and your staff because you’ll really feel like you’re representing the brand.
The same standards also apply to your booth. Put some love into it and make it something people will actually want to visit.
These are just some of the most effective tips on how to drive traffic to a trade show booth. Feel free to explore other ways to increase brand awareness and conversion rates.
Generally, the idea is to stand out from the crowd by engaging the audience. Make them feel that you’re an honest, hardworking entrepreneur that consumers will benefit from and not some sleazy salesperson.
Have you ever set up a booth at a trade show event? Share your experience with us in the comments section down below!
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