Imagine that you could have a targeted audience, an audience that is looking for a product or service in the area you offer. Not only is this audience delivered directly to your doorstep, they are interested in what you have to say! This is the power of trade shows; they provide a venue for sellers and buyers to come together on equal ground.

However, you can’t just set up a booth and dive in; you have to take the time to develop a targeted marketing strategy that specifically appeals to your audience and encourages them to want to learn more. But is it really worth the effort? Here’s why you should consider investing in trade show marketing:

Efficiency

Rather than (or only than) advertising over the airwaves or through print mediums, where you will only hit a small amount of your target audience, why not go where everyone is your target? For example, as a caterer who specializes in weddings you could advertise in a local newspaper where a percentage of readers may be brides, or you could attend a wedding show where a huge percentage of attendees are looking for your exact services.

The more you advertise, the more it costs to capture leads – particularly when you have no guarantee of reaching a large target audience. Trade show marketing may appear to cost more on the surface, but in reality they are delivering the public to your door in large numbers.

Leads Ready to Buy

At a typical trade show, you won’t encounter as many “lookee-loo’s” as you would in a store setting; people specifically attend trade shows to look for a particular product or service that they are aiming to purchase. Most attendees are looking for an easy way to compare products and prices for their selected product, without having to drive around or spend hours on the phone collecting prices. What a trade show provides is focused, isolated leads that let you cut through the noise and get direct access to ready and willing buyers.

For this to work your business needs to do two things. First, it has to find trade shows that attract the particular type of buyer you are aiming to influence. Second, your trade show marketing plan needs to be able to be noticeable amongst the crowd of other suppliers, so your product or service is remembered after attendees leave your booth.

Low Risk, High Return

What are you risking by exhibiting at a trade show? Sure, made an investment in a booth, marketing supplies, and exhibition fees, which are all part of marketing your business. Other than that the sky’s the limit, only held back by your ability to promote your product efficiently, collect qualified leads, and have your sales team follow up on those leads after the trade show has ended. There’s really no risk involved; as long as you are properly prepared you can expect to succeed.

On the flip side, if you don’t exhibit at trade shows that are frequented by your competitors you are automatically losing out; odds are that one of them will get the sale. Typically attendees aren’t going to leave a trade show that had a range of suppliers, return home, and then contact additional suppliers for quotes – your lack of attendance is certainly costing you sales.

Marketing Power

As mentioned, the cost to market via trade shows is much lower on a per-lead basis than other forms of advertising, if you market effectively. It is also vital to track your results from start to finish so you can see exactly where your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to trade show marketing. Here are some tips:

  • Look at the big picture: How many trade shows are you attending each year? Which trade shows give you positive results? Could you improve your marketing investment by attending less trade shows, or more?
  • Develop a process: From lead gathering to follow-up and final sale, your team needs a clear process to follow. How soon should follow-ups occur? Is there a script to follow? Clarifying these details can result in improved closing statistics.
  • Communication is key: For the process to work all of your employees need to be on the same page, not just the sales staff.

Finally, don’t overlook the importance of a good trade show booth design and how it meshes with other marketing materials. Looks may not be everything, but first impressions certainly count, so it can pay to have a professional designer work with you to communicate your company’s brand and message in a sophisticated, yet simple manner.