With many marketing channels available to help advertise your company, you may be wondering if trade show marketing is the right strategy to generate greater brand visibility for your business.
Trade show marketing is a type of event marketing in which companies have a unique and personable way to connect with their audiences or other businesses to promote their product or service and increase brand awareness at a dedicated business event.
What is trade show marketing?
Trade show marketing is a strategic approach to outbound marketing in which companies promote products and services at industry-specific events, such as exhibitions or trade shows. This showcases their brand among industry colleagues, rivals, and prospective clients, generating leads and increasing brand awareness.
Yet, this doesn’t mean you can attend trade show events, set up a booth, and expect to make a successful trade.
Effective trade show marketing requires strategic planning on all marketing campaign elements before, during, and after the trade show. Therefore, you must know the tips and tricks for increasing event attendance and following up on potential leads to make the most out of a trade show success.
Through experiential marketing, a trade show presence provides unique, direct, in-person opportunities and a platform to help create a memorable experience for the customer, rather than trying to approach clients using traditional marketing methods and channels.
Your trade show booth design must effectively attract attention, increase booth traffic, and attract more visitors. This aligns with the company's goal of turning show attendees into potential customers.
This means that within a few seconds, your visually appealing booth must provide valuable insight and engaging content into the company's available or upcoming products and services. This will help create a strong first impression and buzz around the company’s brand.
Successful trade show marketing thrives on incorporating interactive elements into booth design for a competitive edge that helps create lasting impressions on the trade show floor.
By crafting a dynamic trade show presence and engaging experience for show attendees, you can use a unique hands-on approach to telling your brand’s story, explaining your brand’s values, building anticipation, and receiving immediate feedback from your desired audience and new customers.
There are several benefits to trade show marketing, such as direct interaction and personalized face-to-face engagement with your target audience to help boost brand awareness and generate potential buyers.
Trade shows also offer access to niche audiences with excellent opportunities to network with industry professionals, showcase new products, and gain insights into industry trends and market research on competitors.
The goal is to stand out and instill a lasting impression that converts leads into buyers.
One notable trade show campaign was during the LA Auto Show when Lexus created a virtual skate park experience to launch its new Hoverboard. The 3D video game, modeled after a skate park in Barcelona, used the Hoverboard as the controller and encouraged participants to share videos of the experience on social media to increase hype around the exhibit.
From small business trade shows to larger franchise marketing expos, every company can benefit from trade show marketing.
How to choose the right trade show for your business
Selecting your trade show circuit can make or break your company's marketing efforts. So before selecting the right trade show for your business, consider outline factors and clearly define your objectives and business goals.
Are you interested in new leads and growing your business? A business-to-business (B2B) trade show would be the right choice, as most attendees are consumers from the right industry and have buying authority.
Or maybe your goal is to meet with industry partners to form strategic partnerships at trade events where only wholesalers and distributors are present. Industry trade shows bring professionals from a specific industry together.
Either way, consider your objectives and business goals. Look for trade show events that align with your target market and have the potential for ROI (return on investment). Consider industry trends, relevance, the number vs. quality of attendees, past exhibitor data, and success stories.
Websites such as the Trade Showing News Network (TSNN) offer comprehensive insights and lists into various industry trade shows to help you choose the right one for your business.
Researching and evaluating trade show opportunities through Google also provides a comprehensive way to gain insight into new or upcoming trade events. You can consult peers and use industry directories to make strategic marketing decisions.
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When preparing your trade show marketing strategy, it is essential to factor in all marketing campaign elements. This includes before, during, and after the trade show.
Pre-show marketing strategies involve creating essential, detailed, effective tactics, such as personalized email campaigns, targeted ads on social media platforms, and leveraging event hashtags to create early engagement, anticipation, and social media buzz.
It is never too soon for exhibitors to start planning their pre-show trade marketing strategies and promoting their next event. Especially when marketing can increase awareness, save money, and continue throughout the year leading up to the next trade show event.
During the trade show, an eye-catching booth design and setup are strategic conversation starters that provide attendees with a lasting impression of a brand’s identity. They also invest in the real value of products or services through interactive presentations that encourage visitors to become potential customers.
On-site engagement, such as interactive experiences, live product demonstrations, and high-value giveaways, helps attract and interact with attendees, creating long-lasting impressions. It also encourages visitors to seek out the brand and promote the company through social media buzz.
Trade shows continue long after the booth design is packed away. That is why after the trade show, it is an essential strategic approach to engage in post-show follow-up to drive sales before the next event.
The best way to do this is through timely follow-up messages and personalized thank you messages to qualify leads offering exclusive discounts to convert trade show leads into loyal customers.
Common mistakes to avoid in trade show marketing
Avoid these common mistakes and critical pitfalls when preparing for trade show marketing.
Inadequate pre-show planning, such as not setting clear goals, not researching the competition, and choosing the wrong trade show for your target audience.
Poor trade show booth design, inadequate staffing, and a lack of interactive components that engage attendees in learning about your products, services, or brand.
Not utilizing social media and marketing to promote your presence before and at trade shows.
Neglecting lead generation by failing to follow up with potential clients or properly measuring ROI before the trade show results in a financial loss.
Essentially, without proper planning and execution of your trade show marketing strategy, you will fail to maximize your reach, lead generation, and overall profit from the event.
Thankfully, through market research, planning checklists, and staff training tips, you can set your business up for a successful trade show and help develop creative solutions to engage your target market and keep your trade show booth ahead of competitor strategies.
To measure the success rate of your trade show marketing, you must collect data from key metrics and evaluate results to refine future strategies for maximum impact.
Lead quality measures how likely a potential customer will convert into a paying customer. Engagement levels measure how engaged someone is with the brand. Sales conversion rates and the percentage of trade show attendees who become new customers or take desired action from the event are also included.
To effectively evaluate the results, you must set clear business objectives with relevant data to achieve your goals, help identify trends and patterns, interpret insights, create action based on findings and implement changes, monitor progress, and continuously reevaluate based on new data.
Maximizing your trade show success
Trade shows offer a unique opportunity to create a lasting impression through personalized connections and interactive product showcasing to increase brand exposure and stay ahead of competitors and market research.
Streamline your trade show marketing and maximize your success with Mailchimp. Our comprehensive suite of marketing tools and features can help you create, promote, and manage successful events more efficiently by optimizing trade show marketing, including pre-show promotions and post-show follow-ups.
Key Takeaways
- Trade show marketing involves promoting products and services at industry-specific events, such as exhibitions or trade shows, to showcase a brand, generate leads, and increase brand identity.
- Effective trade show marketing requires strategic planning on all marketing campaign elements, including pre-show planning, on-site engagement, and post-show follow-ups.
- To choose the right trade show for your business, consider the following factors: outline factors, clearly defined objectives, and business goals.