5 Ways to Make Your Next Tradeshow More Productive

10/14/2016

Trade shows are an important part of any lead generation strategy. If handled correctly, in one weekend, you can make more new connections than in months of cold calling. So, how can you ensure that you’ll get more than just sore feet from your next trade show?

Here are 5 key strategies for trade show success that can make your trip a major victory.

1. Practice your message
   Make sure those manning the booth can quickly and clearly communicate your main message. It might even help to practice by preparing and answering some of the most common questions asked. It may sound silly doing a practice run for a trade show, but practice makes perfect. And nothing can hurt your brand more than stammering over a question from your customer or your staff providing different answers to the same question.
   
   
2. Establish your goals
   Do you want to generate a certain number of leads from your booth? Are there people you want to meet? Are there seminars you want to attend? Analyze what goals are the most important and choose the ones you need to accomplish. Next, developed a detailed plan of how you can achieve each goal.
   
   
3. Use your space in a creative way
   Get creative with your trade show booth. When every booth looks the same, nothing stands out. Think about what your customer wants to see as opposed to what you want to say. As with any type of marketing, think about your booth from the point of view of the people you are trying to attract.
   
   
4. Develop a cool booth or develop a POV
   If you don’t have the budget to attract visitors with a visually interesting booth, engage them on a more cerebral level. Take a stand and boldly express your company’s point of view. A provocative theme or even just a banner in your booth can be enough to create a buzz. It will help you stand out and give you a presence beyond the size of your company. After all, it’s easier to convince people to talk to you, if you actually have something to say.
   
   
5. Follow up immediately
   Our guess is that getting qualified leads from your trade show was a goal you set with strategy #2. But like any good bread, leads are best used when they are fresh.  In fact, reports show that 80% of leads gathered at trade shows are never followed up. Why would you not explore something that took so much time and money to obtain?
   
   Develop an internal process for following up on trade show leads. And establish this process before you even leave. Create follow up packets, mailers and emails. Be ready to hit the ground running as soon as the trade show lead is processed. If you receive a lot of leads, you may also need to create a system to distinguish which leads need your attention first.
   
   The most important thing is to follow up as quickly as you can and start growing the relationship.

Of course having the hottest promotional item or quality apparel to give away will also help get people into your booth. And we can help with that too ☺. Just call (603-692-2500) or email us (hello@printedtees.com) any time.