Are You Maximizing ROI On Your Business Trade Show Displays? Three Key Metrics To Watch

Seasoned veterans of the marketing convention circuit understand that setting up a trade show stand or even simple table top displays at any promotional event can deliver an extensive assortment of benefits. From cold hard numbers revolving around face to face engagements at the function itself to less tangible data like an uptick in online traffic, these advertorial outlets can assist companies in every industry to reap a comprehensive array of positive results that can help justify the fees and expenses associated with these trade show displays.

Businesses Must Carefully Monitor ROI Of Trade Show Displays

While the itemized list of perks gained by engaging in trade show displays proves lengthy, it's still something that business leaders need to stay focused on throughout the year. Not exactly sure how to best determine around your company's return on investment from setting up exhibits and table top displays? You're not alone. Many entrepreneurs struggle with how to monitor the general success of these functions, particularly the more abstract results that are often achieved post-convention. However, maintaining a steady focus on some key metrics can help ensure that your company is consistently considering and analyzing critical success criteria.

Important Criteria To Monitor At The Close Of All Trade Show Displays

At the conclusion of marketing conventions, it's imperative for your staff to convene and compile a post-event analysis. When assembling the data, always consider the following:

Product Demonstrations: Sure, guests may stop by your table stop displays to quickly peruse your promotional literature or (more likely) to grab whatever free handout you're offering at your trade show stand. But how many visitors actually take the time to ask for a personal demonstration of what your product does? Before the opening of each event, create a way to calculate the total number of merchandise demos offered throughout the course of the function. A basic tally will certainly set a benchmark for future events, but being able to jot down quick notes like "one on one" or "group" will give your team an even better idea of how a specific convention went and how it matches up to previous venues.

Leads Generated: It's no secret that collecting leads is a major reason why a business sets up a trade show stand at all. Generated leads are also a key metric that offers tangible evidence of ROI. Rent or procure a machine that automates lead compilation to efficiently streamline the accumulation process and save both time and stress. Also, taking the total cost of the event and dividing it by the total number of leads gathered will deliver a basic cost per lead formula to monitor how this event measures up to previous functions.

Always remember that the only way to convert leads to sales is to follow up with them. Create a plan with the team to connect with each and every lead collected. Be sure to log all contact activity in the company database to monitor the end result/event ROI of each new name collected. How many turned into appointments? How many purchased from your organization?

Online Metrics: Monitoring online activity is a great way to analyze some of the post-event positives delivered from trade show displays. Get a general idea of website visitors that check out your company page in the days leading up to the marketing convention. Once the show has ended, measure any upticks in user traffic. Major boosts in clicks are generally a good indication of convention ROI. Also, always analyze other Internet resources such as social media marketing pages and carefully track increases in your business' online network immediately following the event as well to compile comprehensive analytics of overall results yielded.

Trade Show Display Basics 101

There's so much information on trade show displays that it's overwhelming to sift through a Google search. What I decided was to stick to the basic advertising concepts that I know and apply them to show displays.

Advertising Concept #1: Target Your Audience

Since you've likely meandered through exhausting blocks of noisy, crowded, dimly lit shows like me, you know that the most important factor for an exhibitor is location and space. Where your show display sits, affects who is likely to wander into your exhibit and what kind of design you will need.

Tradeshow Week examined four business sectors reporting that all showed a trend toward increased exhibit space.

Manufacturing and industrial exhibitors looked for larger space or spaces offering product display and more room for exhibitors and attendees to congregate. Information technology exhibitors were also looking for booths that included meeting space or theatre style demonstration areas for their products. Medical and healthcare professionals wanted booths with more open space and more high tech and upscale features. Professional and business trade show exhibitors specifically focused on meeting with trade show attendees rather than selling products. The trend for increased space may create a fundamental shift in the design and features you select in your trade show display. Internet connections and handouts are finding increased importance over product displays. Professional and business services exhibitors sought to bring their unique identity or brand to clients through face-to-face interaction with decision makers and product purchasers. The bottom line is, use your show display to create the space you need to connect with your buyers.

Advertising Concept #2: Design For Your Audience

A cost-efficient portable show display or a razzle-dazzle custom island exhibit will both make statements about who you are. But trade shows aren't about who you are. They are about who your product buyer or service seeker is. When you put yourself in the place of your trade show attendee stopping at your display what do you see?

Do you have enough lighting for them to read your material or are you relying on the light provided by the venue? Can the attendee immediately spot your product or service or is the booth loaded up with too many fun facts, figures, and other text, plus too many small images, and maybe lots of products, too? Keeping it simple is more likely to get your trade show display noticed than a visual plethora of stuff that attendees avoid. Sometimes a few, larger and strategically placed products or information displays present your message in a clearer, less cluttered light where attendees will want to spend time with you in your exhibit.

After you answer that question you can then decide if you need a hardware-oriented display company to construct your exhibit or do you need a design and creative exhibit solution provider to market your product?

If the answer is a little of both consider the ADFab Exhibit Group. ADfab is a single source show display provider and designer who offers a wide range of products: pop up displays, stretch fabric exhibits, modular exhibits, banner stands, portable flooring, hanging signs, outdoor displays and more-but ADFab will get you noticed.

They are the experts in design principles. At ADFab design touches everything they do.

How to Target a Trade Show Exhibit Audience and Hit the Bullseye Every Time

Marketing is all about targeting the right people and saying the right things to convince them to buy, sign up, or follow whatever call to action is desired by the company. Trade show exhibits require the same amount of precision, if not more so, than regular marketing in order to quickly attract and convince attendees. Here are a few hints and tips to help target the right audience and maximize profits:

Know Their Biggest Fears And Problems

Nothing motivates human beings more than fear. They will leap tall buildings, pay millions of dollars, and trip over themselves and others to avoid something they fear. So, if a business has the product or service to eliminate these fears or solve these problems, people should be running to the business' trade show exhibit and lining up by the masses to make a purchase. Unfortunately, attendees don't always make the connection between their needs and the various products and services offered at trade show exhibits.

One of the best ways to help make this connection is to identify their fears and problems and show them how the business can help. And, the more specific the problems and solutions get, the more targeted the campaign becomes.

Identify With The Target Audience, Don't Preach

Anyone who has ever had their mother tell them to eat their vegetables or make their bed, knows being told what to do isn't pleasant. And, chances are pretty good that when you tell someone what to do, they'll ignore you or do the complete opposite. A target audience for a trade show exhibit will work in much the same way. Therefore, use displays that the ideal customer can identify with; show them that your company understands where they're coming from.

For example, a business selling a pacifier might identify with new parents by recognizing the frustrations of being a new parent and dealing with an inconsolable baby. If inspiration is lacking, look at television and magazines for the best audience and make note of which feelings they identify with.

Be Observant And Flexible

No matter how closely a particular type of attendee is targeted, every person has different needs and feelings than the next person. Therefore, to be as effective as possible, every team member working in the exhibit needs to be able to read people and react accordingly.

Trade show exhibits shouldn't 'go live' without a comprehensive plan for dealing with leads, but it's on the staff member to identify which route to take and when to change the strategy. And, the faster the individual can recognize irritation, disbelief, mistrust, or boredom, the faster he or she will be able to make the switch and convert a cold lead into a hot one.

Targeting attendees for trade show exhibits always requires careful observation and evaluation. Once businesses know what makes their customers tick and can act accordingly, however, the ROI of the show will improve exponentially.

How to Make the Most Of Your Business' Trade Show Exhibit

Participating in a trade show is a worthy investment for your business. If you make an effort and properly showcase your business, you will reap financial rewards. Exhibiting your business in a trade show is one of the fastest and most effective methods to showcase your business to a lot of potential clients and build confidence in the customers you already have. Certain marketing strategies will help you maximize the success of your exhibit.

A trade show provides you with the opportunity to market your products and services directly to consumers and give you a chance to make a lasting first impression. In order to introduce your business to the public at a trade show and fully take advantage of the experience, there are certain guidelines that you should follow in order to maximize your business' exposure.

Remember the KISS acronym. You probably invoked it during grade school and you should follow the same motto now: Keep It Simple, Stupid. You do not want to overwhelm an audience with too much text on your trade show displays; the more words you have on them, the fewer times they will be read. The colors you use for your company's exhibit should reflect the colors of your brand or the latest design trends, or some combination of thereof. You need to draw a large initial crowd; people will be lured to your booth by seeing other people already there. Additionally, remember that the more fun attendees have at your booth, the more serious business you will do with them after the show.

At a trade show, you are able to immediately interact and connect with potential consumers, who will appreciate that they are getting personal attention. And, if you offer them fun, interactive freebies such as flashlight pens or glow-in-the-dark Frisbees, they will have a stronger positive association with your business. They will appreciate that you gave them something more proactive than a sticker. And, current clients' faith in your business will reaffirmed with these interactions.

Your employees will also be more inspired to make an effort, if they witness you pitching in and making an effort. When selecting staff to work at the booth, you want individuals have demonstrated that they listen well and are not overly chatty. These expos are satisfying for both attendees and participants; the former get the satisfaction of instant gratification and the latter has a forum to appeal to a new audience. Trade shows are the best way to strengthen old relationships and foster new ones with consumers.

Can Your Trade Show Exhibits Hold Their Own In Today's Digital Commerce?

If you're a business owner, chances are, you've heard the news: It's a digital world that we're living in. Everywhere you look, entrepreneurs in every industry are using the Internet and other technological advances in abundance to help propel their business brand to the forefront of the global economy. From virtual meetings to webinars and a wide range of innovations in between, it seems that face-to-face client/vendor interaction is dwindling at an alarming pace.

Trade Show Exhibits Deliver Unparalleled Benefits For Businesses In Every Niche

While many traditional marketing techniques are beginning to feel the pinch when trying to keep up with the more modern mediums that cater to our digital commercial realm, one promotional resource is still proving itself to be an advertising force to reckon with: trade show exhibits. Regardless of how technologically-centric any given marketplace or niche becomes, today's modern trade show exhibits still deliver a wide range of unparalleled features and benefits that cutting-edge entrepreneurs simple can't ignore, thus solidifying their place in any marketing mix.

At any given event, a business' trade show exhibits can offer invaluable perks that include:

• Face-to-face connection

• Live product demonstrations

• Opportunity to outshine the competition (in both real time and real life)

• Chance to educate your business' consumer base through live seminars and workshops

Recognizing The Importance Of Keeping Your Trade Show Exhibits Cutting Edge

Despite the unwavering relevance of these promotional booths and stands, it's important for business owners to remember that, in order to effectively optimize function ROI, they must continuously raise the bar on what their booths and stands deliver to attendees. Relying on antiquated and obsolete (read, "lackluster") and technologically uninventive booths and stands is a surefire way to quickly disillusion today's savvy consumer. Rather, strategically-minded entrepreneurs consistently find relevant ways to breathe new life into this more traditionally-minded medium to ensure that their booths make a big impact that resonates with the wandering clientele and effectively stands out from the competition. When designing your final trade show exhibits, consider including innovations such as:

Moving parts: Don't let the "stand" in trade show stand fool you - today's booths can include a wide range of moving pieces and parts to effectively grab the wandering eye of the crowd.

Flat screens: Paper presentations are officially passé - incorporate flat screens throughout the stand to loop videos and marketing presentations that will make a meaningful impression on your guests.

Tablets: Who says that digital doesn't have its place in today's business booths and stands? Having electronic tablets ready to connect with the web can deliver a wide range of customer benefits. From instantly grabbing online information to answer questions, to helping visitors link up to your online social media pages, successfully incorporating electronic tablets can help ensure that your business looks cutting-edge and innovative. Leverage the benefits that come with the digital age and you'll stand head and shoulders above the competition.