Top Reasons You Should Use Giveaways As Part Of Your Trade Show Exhibit Strategy

When it comes to utilizing giveaways as part of an overall trade show exhibit strategy, there are two very distinctive schools of thought. Some organizations firmly believe that the handouts at trade show booths seem wasteful and useless and have dismissed them as the marketing convention equivalent of a wedding favor. However, other business leaders have determined that these items deliver more than just a passing "freebie" thrill to visitors of their trade show displays and continuously add to the mentality that they are a classic for a reason.

At some point during the strategizing process, you will also find yourself faced with the decision of whether to handout or not to handout. If you're leaning toward eliminating these giveaways in favor of investing your available finances in other convention resources, read on. There are three very compelling reasons why you may not want to ignore the promotional potency of the exhibit.

Trade Show Exhibit Success Requires Visitors

It's no secret that, ultimately, the overall success achieved when setting up trade show booths is directly proportional to the number of guests that visit the stands throughout the show. The more people that can be effectively enticed and compelled into checking out your displays, the more likely your team is to generate leads and close business. While pre-event marketing and advertising as well as state-of-the-art displays may lead you to believe that you've effectively stacked the odds in your business' favor for drawing in a crowd, it's important to remember that your competition has probably done all the same preliminary legwork. Come event day, you may find you need a simple but effective differentiator that helps your organization stand out from the competitive crowd. Enter the giveaway. Offering crowd-pleasing gadgets and other items can truly make the difference between passersby stopping in for a closer look or walking by your stand altogether.

Handouts: Effective Well Beyond The Initial Consumer Encounter

In addition to helping your business initially connect with the wandering masses at the next promotional function, these giveaways also deliver some undeniable fringe benefits as well. Strategically emblazoned with your company's motto and logo, a handout offers potential consumers brand recognition reinforcement beyond your trade show booths and other collateral handouts. Whether they've purchased from you in the past or have never heard of your company before the event, the giveaway will help them mentally connect your brand with your services and wares even after the convention has concluded.

Finally, not only do handouts help keep your brand fresh in the minds of visitors to your trade show displays, it also holds the potential to deliver portable promotional punch to everyone your booth guest comes in contact with. Pens, mugs, executive notebooks, flash drives and the like all have a tendency to make their way around the office. Each time a colleague of your visitor borrows a pen, your company name and logo will appear, offering the ultimate ROI for your team: a potentially endless marketing cycle.

Blast To The Masses: Important Ways To Get The Word Out About Your Company's Trade Show Exhibits

Making the critical decision to purchase trade show booths to participate in marketing conventions brings with it tremendous executional responsibility for any business. In order to consistently justify the expenditure associated with trade show exhibits, companies must connect with the greatest number of clients possible at every event. Thus, companies engaging in these promotional outings need to strategically devise a plan of action to effectively get the word out to their targeted demographic and ensure that their business displays see a steady stream of interested consumers engaging with staff throughout the convention. If your company has upcoming marketing conventions, now is the time to go into shameless self-promotion mode and consider incorporating some (or all) of these budget-friendly resources to guarantee a healthy turnout of consumers on function day.

Free Methods To Get The Word Out About Your Trade Show Exhibits

Naturally, you'll want to tap into the free resources that allow you to send a blast to the masses about your upcoming trade show displays. Always start with your own internal methods first as they will usually only require your time. When signing up for any advertorial event, always ask the function organizer for a link and/or logo that can be displayed on your business website listing all the details of the event. Be sure to include any relevant internal information such as new products being unveiled, booth giveaways, etc. to start to build buzz and excitement. Also, many venues have their own marketing resources for the event - ensure that your exhibiting price of admission grants you the right to have your businesses listed on their promotional tools as well.

Once your website has been appropriately updated, it's time to connect with your past, current and potential list of clients. Create an email template letter that can be tweaked and customized as needed for each recipient letting them know about the upcoming event exhibits. Remember to always include personalized reasons why you think the function will be exciting for them as well.

Next, hit the social media marketing scene. Don't have any online networking pages? It's officially (past) time to set some up. Social media marketing sites provide an excellent means for your business to connect directly with the consuming masses. Once your business pages are established, start posting and tweeting about how excited your team is about the trade show exhibits you'll be at. Be sure to include pictures of your trade show booths and products so your network understands why these are must attend events!

Budget Friendly Method For Promoting Trade Show Exhibits

Still looking for an effective way to draw the crowds to your trade show booths? Try an optimized press release. While creating a press release with a professional copy service will incur a cost, a reputable vendor will offer various options sure to work with any budget. Best of all, not only will a press release help get the word out based on determined key word phrases for optimal target audience impact, it will also entice visitors back to your website for a closer look at what your business does. A virtual and literal traffic building win/win!

Key Ways To Garner The Crowd's Attention And Interest In Your Business Trade Show Booths

Any business leader that has ever engaged in a marketing convention knows that this promotional medium delivers an unprecedented array of benefits and overall return on investment. However, the results yielded at an industry function do require careful forethought and planning to successfully grab the attention of the crowd and steer them clear of the ever-present competition. But how? Oftentimes, these marketing events resemble the corporate version of a new cul-de-sac development. Lots of similarly constructed structures (aka - trade show displays) that all look pleasant enough, but don't really pack the advertorial wallop need to make a lasting impression.

If you want your business' exhibit for a trade show to stand out like a custom Cape in a sea of cookie cutter Colonials, it's time to start thinking outside of the box (or in this case booth!) and start getting creative with your convention image and displays for optimal impact. Understanding a few critical event rules can help ensure that your displays make the entrance you need to show the crowd that you are the only business at the event worth their precious time.

Rule #1: Trade Show Booths - Be The Round Peg In The Square Hole

Gone are the days when every business at an event was required to have square, boxlike trade show booths. Today's trade show booths literally come in every size and shape. Partner with a cutting edge design team who can help create finished exhibits that offer a distinctive final look that instantly differentiates your organization from the competition. The crowd will immediately be encouraged to visit your stands to get a closer look at what your organization has to offer.

Rule #2: Don't Be Afraid To Demand A Little Attention

Once you have finished trade show booths that are visually inviting, it's time to employ some other proven tactics. Most businesses offer free handouts to encourage visitors to check out their trade show exhibits. While effective, these promotional giveaways can prove a bit too reactive. Companies that want to get noticed can't be afraid to employ some proactive attention-getting tactics to stand out from the opposition. Bring your own sound system to be able to connect with the crowd throughout the day. Announce a raffle, ask trivia questions for prizes, hold a bidding auction for exciting merchandise, etc. In short, do whatever you can to be the (fun and exciting) squeaky wheel at the event!

Rule #3: Know What To Do With All That Attention

Of course, all the attention in the world is virtually pointless if your organization doesn't know how to effectively propel it forward into a lead or sale. While keeping the creative juices at a function is critical to success, it's also important to work closely with your team manning the trade show exhibits to ensure that they can best manage the influx of visitors and appropriately represent your organization. Consistent training sessions, either internally or through a partnership with a professional provider, can help ensure that your staff is ever-ready to engage, connect and close with every visitor that checks out your booths during the function.