How to Promote Your Business at Trade Shows

Last Updated: 

July 26, 2024

Trade shows are some of the most popular outdoor promotions for any business. Given that trade shows bring qualified prospects to the venue, they are excellent opportunities to prospect for business and even close deals with interested parties. However, you need a good set up and the right equipment to get your message across and enlist action. Furniture Packages London stocks lots of prop and other promotional equipment. In addition, here are some of the things to put in mind when promoting your business at a trade show.

Key Takeaways on Promoting Your Business at a Trade Show:

  1. Signage and Banners: With hundreds of competitors vying for attention, an eye-catching banner can draw people to your stall. Engaging themes or digital signage can make your booth stand out.
  2. Branding: Company colors, roll-up banners, and slogans enhance recognition. Consider draping your stall in company colors, using branded glossy paper, or employing digital signage services. Staff uniforms can further reinforce your brand.
  3. Flyers: Concise, image-rich flyers can spur action long after the trade show. They should contain key information about your products and reasons for customers to get in touch post-event.
  4. Business Cards: High-quality business cards can communicate your value proposition and provide relevant contact details. Consider collecting visitors' cards to gather information about potential leads.
  5. Giveaways and Prizes: Running competitions or giveaways can attract visitors to your stall. Prizes don't have to be your products, but ideally, they should relate to your business or carry its message.
  6. Demonstrations: Live demos or concise PowerPoint presentations can showcase your product's quality and usability, as well as address potential objections.
  7. People: Train your staff in approach, negotiation, and deal closing. They should be friendly, knowledgeable about the product, and adept at distinguishing between genuine prospects and information gatherers.

Your promotional methods will depend on your target customers and products. If executed well, trade show promotions can significantly increase prospects, visitors, and both in-show and post-show sales.

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Signage and Banners

There are most likely hundreds of banners and other signage that are trying to attract customers to various stalls, most of which may be from competing firms. Therefore, you need to come up with an eye-catching piece that will draw people to you out of curiosity. Consider a theme that is engaging in order to get people to want to learn more about you. Alternatively to the average banner, you could also purchase digital signage that will allow you to stand out from competitors as it is not your usual banner, overall creating more awareness over your business.

In addition to digital and traditional signage, consider the environmental impact of your trade show presence. Opting for eco displays for your next trade show event can significantly enhance your brand's image while contributing to sustainability. These eco-friendly options not only stand out for their unique design but also demonstrate your commitment to environmental responsibility, resonating with eco-conscious attendees and setting a positive tone for your brand.

Branding

Most people recognise companies by their colours. It is important that your stall has the company colours, roll up banners and slogans. You can have draping in company colours or have branded glossy paper stuck on the sides of your stall. You could look at a digital signage service such as CrownTV or LoopTV to promote your business as a trade show, by entertaining customers with original music, video, news and lifestyle content. Moreover, consider branded uniform for your staff members at the show. This allows visitors to relate the staff to the company and its promises.

Flyers

Flyers can be simple, handy tools to get business way after the trade shows. They give information about your products and how customers can reach you. When designing flyers, make the information brief but offer all the vital information to your customers. Flyers should give visitors a reason to call after their visit. Where possible, make the flyer image-rich as visual content spurs attention compared to plain text. You can have two or three sets of flyers, depending on the customers you are targeting.

When choosing the format for your flyers, consider the popular and versatile A5 size. For a professional touch that leaves a lasting impression, opt for a5 flyer printing from trusted providers. This size is not only convenient for attendees to carry but also offers ample space for impactful visuals and essential information.

Business Cards

Business cards are the most versatile way of promoting a business. Your business card should communicate the solution in one sentence and give relevant contacts. Spend on good quality business cards so that it will stand out from heaps of cards that the trade show goers will get. Moreover, use the opportunity to get cards. You could have a jar where you drop cards from the visitors as a way to get more information about them. Consider writing a few points about the visitor at the back of the card so that you are able to remember the details of the conversation.

Giveaways and Prizes

Everyone loves free items or winning a competition. You could attract people to your stall by running a competition where visitors stand to win gifts. The gifts do not have to be what you sell at your company. They could be electronics, caps, pens and so much more. However, look at the possibilities of having prizes that relate to the business or carry the company message with them. Plan your draws in such a way people find realist chances of winning. There could be draws every few hours or giveaways on competing some task like giving contacts.

Demonstrations

Live demonstrations of various pieces of equipment at work are real crowd pullers. It is also a great time to handle rejections on quality, ease of use and maintenance, among others. Warm prospects are more likely to ask several other questions, depending on their needs. Have the questions answered and the contact details of the client taken. If you sell a service, you can have a Powerpoint presentation to pass a message about your product and its output. Just make the presentation brief and to the point. Depending on the lighting conditions, you may use a projector or an LCD screen.

People

The biggest role of advertising and closing deals at your stand in the trade show will come from your staff. You must train them on the approach, negotiation and closing deals. They must also tell between a genuine prospect and people who are just there to gather information so as to pay more attention to the people who are more likely to buy. Staff members should be friendly, have adequate product knowledge and be pleasing to potential customers.

You may use several promotional methods as suggested above. It all depends on the customers that you are targeting and the products you are promoting. When well executed, business promotions at trade shows may increase the number of prospects, customers paying you a visit along with in-show and after the show sales volumes.

[Image by purplegillian from Pixabay]

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