So many companies ask "what is the latest gadget I can give away to get prospects into my trade show booth....we need a really cool idea this year"! Have to say, I think they are missing a great tradeshow marketing opportunity.
The purpose of a trade show event is to ultimately get qualified sales for your company. So if you do not capture or gather information about the prospect then you have lost a huge opportunity. Hopefully you have researched the show and know that your target market attends, but not everyone is in the ready to buy mode. Some may need to be nurtured and that is why we talk about qualifying the leads and market to them through a variety of different channels (sales calls, literature, emails, etc). Marketing your company does NOT end at the trade show event. It is a CONSTANT touch of information to a database of potential clients.
But that being said - to the person that asked me what they should do at their next event - here were my suggestions:
Outside Assistance - educate your prospects on the products/services you provide through a magician or other trained professional. We have used Magic By Randy because he uses a little flash and pizzazz to demonstrate how your products and services for outdistance those from your competition. He does this by engaging customized interactive scripts to promote your company.
PURL (personalized URL) postcards - clients are working with attendee databases to encourage booth visits and solicit email addresses through direct mail. This postcard is sent to a list of attendees providing a unique website to sign up for a CONTEST before the event. It provides you the ability to capture some information about this person before the event even starts!
Contests - usually we encourage clients to create a small postcard survey for the attendee to fill out so that they can CAPTURE some information about this person to determine if they are a qualified candidate and if they are a potentially hot lead. Basic information is needed (email/phone/name) along with a couple leading questions. A lot of companies have been giving away iPads.
Give-away- my client said that he was the COOL envelope guy - so we suggested something to go with the name - http://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/custom-pens/cool-crew-pen.htm or maybe have a THEME - like giving out LIFE SAVERS and put on the package - Let us be your life saver!
So there you have it. Some quick ideas for your next trade show event. But please always remember to set an objective BEFORE the show and be sure to follow up with the leads you have captured AFTER the show to get the most out of your event.
