Exhibiting your company at a trade show might seem like a lot of work – and indeed it is. However, it can pay off. Below are 5 of the biggest benefits to exhibiting your company at a trade show.
This is a contributed post. Please refer to my disclosure for more information.
Generate leads face-to-face
A trade show gives you the opportunity to meet many potential leads in person. This allows you to build stronger relationships than you would behind a screen or over a phone – customers will remember your face and you can much more easily react to individual consumers’ emotions by reading their expressions. It’s one of the few situations where you can approach strangers face-to-face without your efforts coming across as invasive.
Build brand awareness
Even if people aren’t interested in buying your product or signing up to your service there and then, you may still form some long-term leads by exposing them to your brand. By investing in an eye-catching display for your stall, you can make your brand stand out – and it will likely stick with people more than any ad. Just what are some ways to create a lasting impression? Firstly, you need to make your brand name and logo stand out by looking into PVC banner printing. Next, you need to consider how to draw attention to your product or service. Videos, in-person demos, free samples, competitions and models are just some of the different ways you can grab people’s attention and make yourself memorable.
Do some market research
Trade shows are a great event for conducting consumer surveys. You could hand out paper surveys and give people an incentive to answer them by entering them into a lottery with a prize or by gifting them with a freebie. Alternatively, you could simply do consumer research by making a record of the type of people browsing your stall (you may get a better idea of your target demographic than you would through web analytics). You can also take the opportunity to do some competitor research by scoping out rival stalls. What are they doing that you’re not? And what can you do to set yourself apart?
Network with other professionals
On top of being great opportunities to build leads and conduct research, trade shows can also be great opportunities to network with fellow professionals. By leaving your stall in the hands of trusted staff members, you can give yourself time to browse other stalls and talk to people who could be potential suppliers or business partners. There could be cross-promotion opportunities that you can discuss or discounts on services that you can grab. Some of the other vendors at the event may even be potential clients. Make sure to bring some business cards to hand out.
Build team camaraderie
Exhibiting your company at a trade show can also be beneficial for your employees. It could be a chance for your sales team to work on an exciting new project and get out of the office. You can get them involved in organising it to reduce the personal burden and they can then enjoy the glory of winning over any clients. Even if you don’t build any leads, you could find that such an event motivates and brings together your team.