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Is_a_Trade_Show_for_You
| Is a Trade Show for You?
Are you considering taking part in a trade show for the first
time? It can be quite an investment in time and money, so get
the answers to the following questions first.
1.Is the trade show focused?
You want to make sure it will be attracting your target market.
Talk with the people who are putting on the trade show and find
out.
2.Ask the promoters how they plan to promote it.
Billboards, TV, radio and newspaper ads, trade journals? Make
sure its going to be well publicized.
3.Get the history.
How many trade shows have they done in the past and how
successful were they? They should have numbers to show you.
4.Get the names of people who have participated in the trade
show in the past and make some phone calls.
You’ll get a lot of un-censored information from actual
participants, but do talk to several.
If you decide, from your research, that you want to participate
in the show, do the following:
1.Visit a couple of trade shows to become familiar with what’s
going on.
Observe the displays, how the people work their booths and
attract people to come visit, the giveaways, etc. Take a notepad
and make notes. Observe what works for you – what makes you
approach a certain booth. Is it the display? The person? The way
the person is dressed or how they’re standing or sitting? 2.Plan
to work with a partner.
Running a booth is a two-person proposition, for many reasons.
You’ll need relief to take breaks, one of you can walk around
meeting other people while the other person staffs the booth,
people are more comfortable approaching two people than one.
Also your equipment can be cumbersome. One of you can drop the
other off at the door for setup and go park the car. 3.Prepare
your booth display and materials.
You need something eye-catching that can be see from15-20’ away.
There’s whole industry supplying these materials, which include
displays, booths, portable trade show exhibits, pop-up displays
and exhibit booths in various sized (20’ – 6’), and
floor-standing or table-top models. Check them out on the
Internet. Here is one: http://www.showstopperexhibits.com/. It’s
a sizeable investment, but you will need to be competitive.
4.Prepare an ample supply of brochures, flyers and business
cards. 5. Decide your goals. Just to meet people, try and close
some sales, get names and email addresses, or do your first
trade show and learn?
6.Have some way to capture names, addresses and emails.
Most of the literature people pick up at booths (or anywhere
else) is discarded shortly thereafter. You can have a giveaway,
where they drop their business card in a fish bowl, or a sign-up
sheet for a free gift.
7.Prepare your “elevator speech.”
Many people will only stop by your booth for a minute or two and
you need to have prepared quick descriptions of what you do,
what services you offer, or information on a certain product or
program you’re promoting.
8.Don’t forget that the other exhibitors are your audience as
well.
They may need your product and services or be in a position to
refer you to others. Visit around and network within the show.
Remember that your work is only half done after the trade show
is finished. Process after the trade show so you know what went
well and why, and what you would do differently in the future.
Then follow up on all your leads. Get the names on your
newsletter list, mail out flyers, make the phone calls.
Lastly, analyze the response rate vs. the time and money you put
into it. Take into account any residual business you may get. It
can take up to 7 “hits” before a person will buy, and you may
have made the first “hit” on a large number of people and gotten
a lot of exposure.
About the author:
©Susan Dunn, marketing coach, http://www.webstrategies.cc .
Ebook writing and launch, web strategies, marketing and
promotion, press releases, web design, article-writing and
submission. Full-service, consultation and implementation,
advice and resources. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc.
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