With 93 percent of American adults using the internet, you might be led to thinking digital marketing is where you should invest your promotion budget.
Of course, that’s a space you definitely need to be in. But savvy companies know the payoff is in a careful balance between online and offline marketing. And that doesn’t mean taking out an ad in your local print newspaper.
Offline marketing needs to be carefully targeted to reach a specific audience or customer base. And there’s no better place to do that than in carefully curated trade show exhibit booths at an industry-specific trade show.
Read on to find out why a well-designed trade show booth guarantees a return on your investment.
They Promote Your Brand
According to science, it takes anywhere between 11 and 27 seconds for someone to form an impression of a person they’ve just met. (The jury, it seems, is still out on the exact timeframe.)
Imagine, then, how long it takes a passerby at a busy trade event to form an impression about your trade show displays? Hint: probably less than the lowest of the figures above.
Good booth design not only makes an impact but also clearly explains what your company does and why. It essentially distills your brand development into a bite-sized chunk of visual information that makes a visitor want to stop… and lean in to learn more.
Use your logo strategically, plaster the walls with bold, eye-catching signage and visuals, get creative with your product layouts, or even escape those four booth walls altogether. If that’s on-brand for your company, of course.
They Get You Quality Sales Leads
Trade shows offer an unrivaled opportunity to get up close and personal with your customer base.
There are very few marketing channels that allow you not only to collect direct customer details, like phone numbers and emails, while also letting them interact directly with your products or services at the same time.
Embrace exhibit booth ideas that help showcase your products and services, grab people’s attention, and stand out from your competitors. You’ll have new clients beating down your door–er, booth walls–in no time.
To make the most of your investment in high-quality trade show booth design, make sure your in-show customer data collection system is efficient.
Collect all your customer details, including where they’re from, how to contact them, and what they’re interested in. Then follow up with them once you’re off the trade show floor to work out how you can continue your relationship.
They Define Your Product or Service
Many companies, especially those in the B2B sector, don’t need a permanent retail space. And other than pop-up shops, your own showroom, or traveling to a client’s office, trade shows offer one of the only ways to showcase your product or service to customers in full.
When someone is right in front of you, you can demonstrate the capabilities of what you sell more effectively. Use the walls and other fixtures in your booth to attract passersby inside. Once they’re there, you can wow them with the benefits and features of what you make or do.
Jumping on trends can be a great way to showcase your products or services, but only if those trends emphasize your selling points. If you go this route, make sure the direction aligns with your company’s objectives.
They Create Opportunities for Interaction
Exhibit booth designs allow you to offer booth attendees a chance to interact with your brand directly.
Food industry companies might set up a cafe or bar experience, inviting people to come and hang out, have a bite to eat or sip on a cocktail. A garden tools manufacturer might create a living garden inside the exhibition hall, where visitors can test out tools in a real-life setting.
If it suits your brand and offerings, embrace new technologies that encourage interactions like VR, QR codes, apps, geo-location services, and tablets. Take the booth experience to your audiences online with webcasting and via your social media accounts.
They Give You a Reason to Scope Out the Competition
Of course, you primarily invest in trade show booths to meet new customers. But that’s not all a trade show is great for.
Think about it. All the companies and people directly or indirectly related to your industry are gathered in one place. There’s never a better moment to make new connections, form fruitful partnerships, find a mentor, and take stock of how you stack up against your competitors.
Most trade shows have an educational program where industry leaders share their expertise. It’s typically free for vendors to attend. And if you can get a spot as a speaker, you’ll boost your profile at the show.
They Let You Gather Instant Market Research
Just as you get a chance to gather customer contact and sales lead information, a trade show booth offers you the opportunity to get direct feedback on your product or service.
Nothing beats showing a customer your newly launched product line and hearing their initial thoughts on what they love and what could be improved about it. Have someone from your marketing team man the booth with the sole purpose of chatting with customers about your offerings.
As with customer contact information, be sure to create a system to collect feedback. That might be in the form of formal surveys–either written or digital–or you could have a log in which sales staff write everything down after a visitor leaves.
Either way, the information you collect at a trade show can offer valuable business insights and help with brand and product development.
Trade Show Exhibit Booths That Wow
Trade show exhibit booths offer unparalleled opportunities to connect with customers, showcase your products, and check out your competitors. But only if you get your booth design right. If you don’t have the time or experience to dedicate to trade show booth design, look for a company that does.
Rockway Exhibits + Events works with various industries and audiences to create memorable experiences that engage and excite. Schedule a call with our team to discuss your next trade show plan today.