When it comes to running a successful business, it is very important to market yourself as much as you can. Through marketing, you will spread the awareness of who you are, which then has the knock-on effect of bringing in new customers, increasing profits and raising the profile of your business. One way to market yourself which is very effective and something that every business should consider is exhibiting.
By showcasing at an exhibition, you will be putting yourself in front of customers who are already interested in the market that you are in, allowing you to show your product or service to them. It’s also a way to strengthen your connection with current customers, learn more about what your competitors are doing and speak directly to your target market. If you are considering booking yourself into an exhibit, below are some of the top tips for showcasing at your next exhibition.
Select the appropriate location within the venue
Where you are located can be key to the success of an exhibition. If you are the first thing that people see when walking through the door, the likelihood is they will visit your store and discover more about you. If you are located at the back in the corner, you may not get noticed, therefore not gain many leads. When booking an exhibition ask for a map of the venue and if there are any preferred locations for your stand to be. The last thing you want to do is spend lots of money to be at an exhibit for no one to notice that you are there.
Bring Your Best Sales Member with You
Exhibitions are all about selling to potential customers. Chances are you will need your team to be active on the floor, reaching out to customers as they walk past your stand. With this being the case, it’s important to bring your best salespeople with you. Try to be very approachable, not too pushy and make sure you are as knowledgeable about the product or service that you are selling as possible. The people visiting these exhibitions will have good knowledge about the industry and will be out to ask you a whole plethora of questions.
Follow Up with Your Leads
It may sound silly and obvious, but make sure you and your team are following up with the leads you make from the day, the next day. After all, what’s the point of exhibiting if you are not following up with the potential customers that you are meeting on the day. You will be surprised by how many people exhibit and then don’t bother following up with their leads until a week or two after the event. By this time, all your other competitors may have already followed up, meaning they use them instead of yourself.
Make Your Exhibition Stands Design Is Enticing
The whole idea of an exhibit is to bring in new customers and reconnect with old ones. The more enticing and creative the stand is, the more curious customers may be to visit and find out who you are. Get some design t-shirts printed, have a designer create your stand and make sure your marketing materials are eye-catching. Always have business cards to give out and if you are a product business, samples may be very useful. When creating the design, it is important that it matches your current branding to not cause any confusion.
Give Yourself Time to Plan
As with everything in life, when it’s rushed the outcome isn’t as good as when you’ve spent plenty of time planning it. Therefore it’s important you never book a last-minute spot at an exhibition. Instead, book and plan well in advance. Have a few KPI’s for the exhibit that you will strive to achieve and spend some time planning how best to use the exhibition. It is always a good idea to know what exactly you want to achieve from the event, is it new customers, brand recognition or are you simply there because all your major competitors are?
Use Giveaways Tactically
Who doesn’t love a good giveaway? Giveaways are a great way to attract new customers to your stand and to get them talking about your brand to others, which then has the knock-on effect of more people coming to your stand. When deciding on what prize you will give away, make sure it’s exciting and something your customers desire. If not, they may not be bothered by the prize and not come over because they don’t think it’s a very good one. The prize doesn’t have to be expensive, just something that has a good value to the people visiting your stand.
Promote Yourself Before the Show
If you are attending an exhibition, then make sure you promote yourself and shout out about it before the event. Let your customers know through your email marketing, and use social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share with your current customers. The more people that know you are attending the event the more likely they are to find your stand if they are attending. If you are planning to run a competition during the event, this could be a great way to make people aware of the prize and to create some excitement about the event. Plus, you may find that the event organiser will share on their social media channels.
There are so many different tips and tricks that we could include to help you prepare for your next exhibit. That said, we have tried to include as many of the key ones in our article above. It’s always important to plan for your exhibition and your marketing materials for the day are extremely important.
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