4 Ways to Promote Your Business in a Trade Show

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Demo

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Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

trade show

If you’ve been to the more mainstream conventions of recent years, like Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Mobile World Congress, and The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), then you know what the experience is like. Right off the gate, you have long lines of participants waiting to get in. Upon entering, you’re greeted with any of the following: booths filled to the brim with products and memorabilia, guests carrying freebies and whatnot from other exhibits, etc. You can hear multiple voices and gimmicks coming from everywhere. There are too many sights ahead and overhead.

Mind you, these are major events, with conglomerates from all over the world sending their representatives for the chance to present in one the industry’s biggest stages. If you’re in a relatively smaller fair, though, do you need to be well-advertised?
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Yes—or at least emulate how the big names draw people to their booths. A primary benefit of this type of gathering is that you can interact with your potential customers face to face—arguably the best way to engage them—instead of through different schemes, screens, and means.

Before that, however, you must get their attention. How? By employing the following.

Grabbing Attention for Your Booth in a Trade Show | Demo vs Actual Games

Demos

When you have a working model of your product or service, you’re in a prime position to show potential consumers a demonstration of how it works: its strengths and unique traits that make it different from competitors’ offers. The best thing is that they get to see it firsthand and up close, if not outright experience the quality-of-life improvement.

Alternatively, you could let them try it themselves. A free trial can give potential customers a taste of how to handle your item and immediately experience the help you’re offering. When you leave them wanting for more, you’ve got them hooked.

Games

Small activities that get the blood pumping and let participants win are good icebreakers for you. The point is enjoying their presence. The more you let them feel that they’re important to your booth—and by extension your company—the more you pique their interest and start and deepen bonds. Even new relationships can go deeper than usual when customers have fun with you.

That’s the main point of this activity. You seek to leave a very good first impression upon your booth visitors. When that release of dopamine, serotonin, and possibly adrenaline hits them, that triggers a connection that they remember from your exhibit and your brand.

Grabbing Attention for Your Booth in a Trade Show | Desktop Presentation vs Projector Presentation

Photo Opportunities

When people visit your booth and have fun, you want to have a record of that. And they will too. Taking photographs is a good way of providing yourself with a good reminder of each customer, but you can take it one step further. Share those pictures on your social media platforms (don’t forget your hashtags) and tag them.

Better yet, ask if they can upload it on their own pages. And lucky you if they do. It’s like a visual representation of word of mouth: the more their personal connections see your stuff and how the poster enjoyed your booth, the more curious they become. They can also become leads given time and the proper attention.

Live Social Media Updates

People usually tweet and post updates about everything, especially when in a state of euphoria. What follows is a long series of statements about how great the event is and how nice the people are, which are often accompanied by pictures to hype everything up.

You could do the same. By giving your online audience a sneak peek, you not only update those who couldn’t come but also give an idea, or at least some level of expectation, on what future participants can experience the next time you’re going to a trade show.

Grabbing Attention for Your Booth in a Trade Show | Trade Show Presentation

Your Afterparty

At the end of the day, you’re going to look back on how and why those people went up to your booth and listened to what you have said. If you’re wondering why so many visited your spot, then think no more. Your attention grabbers worked beautifully. You may soon see more visitors because other attendees saw how fun your booth is. Isn’t that your end goal? To have people know about your venture?

Will traditional means of promotion cut it? Don’t expect your competitors to skimp on the basics—since they don’t expect you to cut corners on the same. When you’re all on equal footing, the deciding factor becomes the extra mile you’re willing to take to hook people in, to show them and let them experience something memorable, and to make them come back.

Are you willing to do it?

Resources:

Biala, Susan. “How to Boost Your ‘Happy Hormones’.” Best Health Magazine. October 2014. www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/mental-health/how-to-boost-your-happy-hormones

Fusion, Jennn. “Trade Show Promotional Ideas.” Chron. n.d. smallbusiness.chron.com/trade-show-promotional-ideas-1444.html

Hovde, Kristin. “5 Trade Show Promotion Ideas for More Engagement.” TSNN. August 24, 2014. www.tsnn.com/news-blogs/5-trade-show-promotion-ideas-more-engagement

James, Geoffrey. “Give a Great Product Demo: 5 Rules.” Inc. May 24, 2012. www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/give-a-great-product-demo-5-rules.html

Kaufenberg, Jackie. “19 Ways to Integrate Social Media into Your Next Tradeshow or Event.” Vivid Image. August 13, 2014. www.vimm.com/social-media-tradeshow

Thimmesch, Mike. “10 Top Tips for Trade Show Promotions.” Skyline. November 16, 2011. www.skylinetradeshowtips.com/10-top-tips-for-trade-show-promotions

Wyse, Susan E. “7 Tips to Market Your Business Effectively at Trade Shows.” Snap Surveys. April 10, 2012. www.snapsurveys.com/blog/7-tips-market-business-effectively-trade-shows

“12 Trade Show and Event Promotion Mistakes to Avoid.” Skyline E3. February 7, 2017. www.skylinee3.com/blog/12-trade-show-and-event-promotion-mistakes-to-avoid

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3 Tips to Consider for Successful Trade Show Presentations

presentation tips

public speaking

Rick Enrico

sales person

SlideGenius

strategy

trade show

Trade shows are sponsored events attended by professionals from various industries, all gathered to demonstrate their products and services to potential customers. Exhibitors don’t only get the chance to showcase their offerings in public, but they also get to face new business opportunities and build stronger relationships with their target market.

Do you want to take your brand to the next level? Here are some things to accomplish before the big day:

1. Map Out Your Strategy

Planning is key to any successful presentation. Skipping this stage opens you up to failure. Though speaking opportunities could come in short notice, you can avoid disappointing your audience or embarrassing yourself by planning ahead. According to marketing expert Jamil Bouchareb, having a set goal in mind as you prepare helps fine-tune your presentation.

Llisting down your objectives, identifying your target attendees, and choosing an appropriate booth location is as important as crafting your pitch because it lets you think of interesting ideas to achieve your business goals with less hassle.

Before you participate in any trade show presentations, put your objectives in place and know how to capture your client’s attention.

2. Think Like a Salesperson

Rejections are common to most sales professionals, but despite this, they still choose to focus on winning the client’s heart. Selling products is easy, but convincing consumers to purchase your offering is a serious task. This motivates salespeople to persuade their target market and develop good relationships with them.

Think like a sales professional who would make a big effort just to achieve positive results. Believe in yourself and in your products so that you can give them valuable statistics and credible information about your company’s strengths to help you achieve your desired outcome.

3. Provide Relevant Information

Identifying your objectives helps you draft a relevant outline for your pitch. In trade shows, you don’t need to share all the details about your business. A brief explanation of what you do and what you can offer is enough, especially with the limited time given.

Give your audience an overview of your product to boost their interest. Tell the crowd how your offering would benefit them by clearly explaining what you’re trying to say. Eliminate filler words, choose the right word instead of fancier but less-specific synonyms, and show relevant data whenever possible. Don’t forget to highlight your best product benefits to make it more appealing in a shorter amount of time so that they pay more attention to you throughout your pitch.

Summing It Up: Sell Your PowerPoint

Aside from informing your target audience with your brand offerings, your goal is to build connections that will eventually convert into sales.

Careful planning, thinking like a sales professional, and providing relevant information lets you accomplish your objective with flying colors. If you’re in doubt, our PowerPoint professionals can assist you with a free quote for your next deck.

References:

Bouchareb, Jamil. “Eight Great Tips for Rocking Trade Shows.” The Huffington Post. www.huffingtonpost.com/jamil-bouchareb/eight-great-tips-for-rock_b_8681590.html

Featured Image: “BIG Show Attendees – What Will It Take to Thrive in the Global Arena” by National Retail Federation on flickr.com