Maximize Trade Show Success In 3 Simple Steps

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If you are keen to enhance your market presence and compete with your industry rivals, then it may be worth your while attending a trade show. Here, many retailers, small businesses, and ventures flout their wares and services to footfall that is eager to secure a good deal. Trade shows range from the generic to the niche. The more niche the trade show, the more likely you are of picking up business. Scout out the trade shows in your area and consider whether you want to go big or small. The larger trade shows that receive more national recognition and publicity tend to cost more. However, this can be money well spent. Take a look at these three simple steps that you can follow to maximize your trade show success.

Get On Social Media

 

Before you even set up your stall at the trade show, you need to generate an online buzz about your presence. A month before, start a countdown across all of your social media feeds. Post to your Facebook page and create an event, asking people to attend to come and see you at the show. Use your Twitter account to post each day, discussing the sorts of products you will be showing and services you will be discussing at the trade show. The more readable and relevant your content is, the more shares each of your posts will enjoy this increase the number of people who see your posts on their timeline, generating more interest in what you will be doing.

 

On Instagram, ensure that you post images of your products and link back to the trade show’s handle. Utilize any hashtags that the trade show recommends to increase the visibility of your content. With any luck, the buzz you generate before the event will enable more people to attend the trade show specifically to see you.

 

Your Space

 

Stall space is at a premium at trade shows, so the chances are that the square footage you have will be minimal. You will have a generic and bland space consisting of a desk, maybe a back pin board, and a gazebo type shelter. You need to bring your brand to the stall and plaster it everywhere. It is crucial that you stand out. To make sure that you are visible from the other side of the hall, consider one of the many lighted business signs available to hook up to the banner of your stall. With a lit sign, you can stand head and shoulders above the competition, who will have regular nylon banners.

 

Ensure that you lay out plenty of free merchandise and goody bags for the people coming to your stall to take away. A branded sustainable bag will be a form of free marketing, meaning that the name of your small business will be displayed across the trade show. When considering merchandise, consider the usual branded keyrings, pencil toppers, and mouse mats. It may seem like cheap tat, but customers and new potential clients love anything for free, especially at a trade show.

 

Dress The Part

 

Attending a trade show can be time-consuming and draining. A trade show day can be long, running from the early morning to nightfall. You need to factor in travel time, fuel costs, and packing away. Don’t attend on your own and work with a team to cover shifts. When you are working at the trade show, ensure that you are suited and booted. You are there to impress potential customers and new investors. Wear a smart suit, shine your shoes, and have a haircut before the event. You want people to remember you as a smiling, chatty, and enthusiastic individual rather than the guy who turned up in scruffs.

 

Talk to people with enthusiasm and passion. It’s all too easy to allow tiredness to wash over you because you haven’t had time to grab a coffee or your feet are aching because you haven’t had a chance to sit down. You need to create the illusion of confidence and business acumen even when it is the end of the day, and you’re keen to get home. Many people attend a trade show looking for deals and discounts, so ensure you have them on offer for people who purchase a product or service on the day. Ensure you have an email list to chase up interested parties and maximize the interest that you have built.

 

Heading to a trade show is not for the faint-hearted, but it can be an awesome way to generate a following and increase sales for your business venture.