Exhibition marketing is often a great way for your business to market products to potential customers. Instead of waiting for the customers to come to you, you meet them where they’re at.
When looking at an exhibition or a trade-show, you’re going to want to find ones that are specific to your industry. For example, if you specialize in luxurious cat products, you’re not going to want to go to a trade-show focused on reptiles.
If you have an exhibition that is of interest to you and matches your industry, there are certain steps that you can take to make sure that you reach new customers and sell your products.
Here are five strategies that are going to help you rock your next trade-show.
Pay attention to the location
Location matters! You want to choose locations that lend themselves well to your audience. Think about the population that lives in that area and whether or not they would be interested in your products. This is where having an existing business plan and knowing your audience will benefit you.
Equally importantly, you’ll want to consider whether or not the exhibition is inside or outside. An inside trade show is much different than an outside one. You’re going to want a proper set-up. Consider whether you need a trailer, tent, or stand. A company such as Showplace Ltd can help you figure out how to stand out from the crowd.
Start marketing in advance of attending
The most successful businesses start marketing before they even get to the exhibition. They slip teasers about what sort of products they’re going to be featuring and let customers know where can find them at the show. If they’re doing a raffle at the show, they’ll announce the prizes in advance.
Get creative with marketing and let people know you’ll be there! This will let your existing customers know that you’re going to be out in the community. Loyal customers are likely to stop by themselves to check out new products or to offer general support. They may even tell their friends and family, you’ll be at the exhibition.
Plan your booth carefully
Before going to the exhibition, start planning out your booth. With advanced planning, you can help your booth stand out, which will attract more customers to your booth. Most of the time, you’ll be able to select your location before the event. Choose a visible location that is near the main entrance.
Think about ways to make your booth appealing, whether it is large posters outside the booth or a display of your products. Then, put some thought into how you’re going to sell those products. Practice your sales pitch in advance. If you have others working for you, make sure that they have enough knowledge to sell the product.
Draw customers to your booth
Think about other exhibition shows you’ve been to. Did you visit the booths of the vendors that were passively standing around or did you visit the booths of those that actively engaged with the crowd? Chances are if the vendor talked to you first, you more likely stopped and chatted with them.
The key to drawing in customers is to not immediately start with your sales pitch, but make casual conversation. Once they’re chatting with you, you’re going to want to slip into your sales pitch. You don’t want to wait too long to start selling, but you also don’t want to hit them with it immediately.
Follow up with leads
A mistake that many businesses make is not following up with leads after the event. They attend the event, talk to potential customers, and then the customers fall off their radar. However, these potential customers are talking to many other vendors. If you don’t come back to their attention, they’re likely to forget you.
Try to gather email addresses at the event. For example, if you’re offering a raffle, make them write their email address down so that you have a way to contact them if they win a prize. You’ll gather plenty of email addresses and you can email them even if they don’t win a prize with a subscription link to your newsletter.
Final thoughts
Attending an exhibition is a great way to meet potential customers, but if you want to maximize your leads, you’re going to need to be strategic about your marketing techniques. Find ways that all you to stand out from the crowd and actively engage with the crowd. Customers are out there—you just have to draw them in!