Exhibiting at a trade show booth is a great way to draw eyes to your brand in a meaningful and effective way. It’s tangibly more engaging than anything you can throw out online, and it can be a real boon for the growth of your business. But just like you do anywhere else, the only way to get real engagement from a crowd filled with different and interesting brands is to do as much as you can to stand out above the rest. Use these eight ways to improve your trade show booth and attract more of your target audience.
Strategize, Strategize, Strategize
No one successful has gotten and stayed there by “winging it.” If you want to make sure your trade show booth stands out, it’s best to strategize how you will approach the day. You need to be prepared with displays, interactive offerings, and a whole host of things you don’t want to have to search for 20 minutes before the show starts.
Research the big players in your industry, and find out what they do to attract customers. Find out what content you need to implement to improve your brand awareness and the impact of your trade show displays. Planning out a meaningful strategy is the first and best way to ensure a successful booth.
Discuss Brand Origins
Everyone loves a good brand story. Don’t be afraid to tell something fascinating (and true!) about how your brand came about. No matter what story you tell, make sure it shows customers what they can trust about you, your mission, and why it matters to you. You’re going a long way toward drawing in new customers if you can get attracted visitors to feel connected with your brand.
Hype It Up
Why wait till the event to surprise everyone with your brand? Get as many eyes on your company as possible. Leverage social media to announce pre-show campaigns and use hashtags to boost your awareness. Allow attendees to book time with your booth, guaranteeing booth space for them and guaranteeing that you’ll have attention on your booth. If you want to be creative, let trade show attendees know that they can vote on special items they want to see or receive when they attend the event.
Invest in an Engaging Design
We’re all attracted to engaging designs, and if you want to surprise trade show guests, an eye-popping exhibit design is a great way to draw attention to your booth. You’ll have guests asking about your creativity and thoughts, and you might have some that post your booth to their social media accounts. You never know how you can benefit from attendees’ eyes, so do what you can to draw them in!
Give Away Fun Items
No one wants a basic mug and pen that every company gives away. Why not give your attendees a meaningful item as they walk by? A small pair of headphones, stickers for laptops or phones, or a cool protective phone case with a small logo are great options for eye-catching, useful, and fun items. If you want to really take it a step further, get a Rubik’s cube with your company logo, give them away, and offer fun prizes to guests who get them right! By giving away unique prizes and freebies, you will definitely drive more traffic to your booth as other attendees will be asking, “Where did you get that?”
Give a Bag That Stands Out
A tote bag is not only an expected gift but a great way to stand out with more than one out-of-the-box gift. Tote bags can come with all kinds of useful items, but you don’t have to be limited to just what you put in a tote. Lunch bags can help visitors during the day or at work, and company-branded socks and hats are accessories that look good and help your brand stand out. Portable phone chargers or charging stations are a small price to pay to individuals giving your brand attention on social media.
Offering attendees a tote bag is also a great way to make a personal connection with potential customers and clients. As they walk about the trade show, they will collect business cards and trinkets from other booths. They will appreciate having a bag to carry all these items and remember your business fondly.
Create a Virtual or Interactive Asset
We all remember the cool designs, but why not stick in the memory bank even more by offering a free virtual or interactive asset? An experience should be the goal here, and associating your brand with fun and excitement attracts attention and makes for a successful trade show event. Plus, even something as simple as a video on a TV monitor can benefit your booth because video is faster and easier to digest than a verbal pitch.
If you decide to use technology, remember to keep the event long and engaging enough that guests want more, but don’t make it so long that only a few can interact or view your asset. A well-thought-out product or service can only benefit from an experience that makes it even more memorable.
Push Methods of Following Up
Don’t force your guests to reach out to you or contact you at a later date, but make sure that there are ways for them to find you that are visible and easy to use. Many marketers forget to offer a way for customers to interact with the brand after the trade show. Plenty of people go home from a beautiful presentation asking what the brand was. Never forget to provide a means of closing the deal for your prospective customers.
Need to Book a Venue for Your Trade Show?
Another way to have your trade show booth stand out? Attend a trade show! Without a successful show, you can’t have a successful booth, and we have hosted plenty of shows for numerous clients. We offer you the peace of mind of a well-run convention space from our experience with anything from corporate events to public and trade shows in Philly. Contact us today to get one step closer to drawing new eyes to your trade show booth, or check out our calendar of events.
