Using your Website to Promote your Trade Show

Posted by Karl | promotional ideas | Friday 26 February 2010 4:05 pm

You want to attract as many people in your target market as possible to come visit you at a trade show. You can appeal to many more people by using online marketing to get your message out and to get people interested in visiting you at your next trade show.

You can use your website as a marketing tool to inform visitors to your website when they can come see you in person at a trade show. Besides just giving them information you can also use your website to give them incentives to come see you.

To make your online marketing effective there are certain things that can be done. You will want to list all of your upcoming events and as much detailed information as possible. This means your will have to do some research and find out the particulars of each trade show. This way your potential visitors can plan ahead and make time to visit your trade show exhibit.

A person should be able to find all the vital information about an upcoming trade shows from your website. Things to make sure you include in the details are, the date and time, the exact location and the products that will be available.

It is very important to give detail directions on how to find your exhibit once the person reaches the trade show floor. Include detailed maps that are highlighted with your exhibit location.

You can also provide incentives to make people want to visit you at the show. You can provide online coupons that visitors can download and bring to the trade show for a special discount or prize.

By using your website as an online marketing tool you are reaching a multitude of people, without spending much time or cost on promoting your trade show exhibits.

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Trade Show Crowd Pleasers

Posted by Karl | promotional ideas | Monday 22 February 2010 4:02 pm

Trade shows are becoming more glitzy and have a show business element to them anymore. Trade show exhibitors are finding that celebrities or their look a likes, athletes, comics and scantily clad females are great attention grabbers. Things like this can draw people into your exhibit.

You can do the obvious and hire show stoppers. However, if your budget doesn’t allow for that you can do other things to get your trade show exhibit noticed. Having a well trained, fun and energetic staff can attract visitor traffic to your exhibit. Your staff should be out going and showing a sense of humor is always a good ice breaker.

You can make your exhibit exciting by incorporating color, action, lights and movement into your displays. There are many new technologies today that will help bring drama to your exhibit. Another way to make your trade show exhibit stand out is to give away exciting and fun prizes.

Have an attractive big prize drawing or contest to get people to sign up to win a fabulous prize. You can then you this information at a later date to use as potential leads. Everyone likes to win something, so the prizes can be large or small as long as they leave a lasting impression.

You can use the Internet in your trade show exhibit to showcase your products and services. A real attention getter is to make your exhibit interactive. You want to get your visitors involved by using sight, sound and touch. If they are involved in the process they will remember your company name long after the trade show is finished.

There are many things that you can do to bring the show biz element into your exhibit. You just have to think creatively and find ways to get your exhibit noticed.

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Trade Show Tips

Posted by Karl | trade shows | Friday 12 February 2010 4:00 pm

Trade show exhibits are still a cost effective way to market your products or services. Exhibits can work for people who have been in business for years and also for a new entrepreneur. To have a successful trade show exhibit, you have to plan ahead.

First, you have to make sure you are exhibiting at trade show that is going to appeal to your target audience. The next very important step is to set up your exhibit to attract visitors to your exhibit. Below you will find some useful tips on enhancing your trade show experience.

When it comes to marketing materials, remember sometimes less is more. To keep your booth looking tidy and organized; you should replenish your marketing material frequently. This way you will not have large piles of materials lying around. Huge stacks of materials sometimes give visitors the impression that no one is interested in what you are promoting. You can store your marketing materials under the table and only display a few flyers or brochures at a time.

Handing out tote bags with your logo on them will go a long way in promoting your company. People who are visiting trade shows collect a variety of samples and brochures. They will be grateful for the bag and your company name will be seen all over the trade show floor.

It is important to make sure that you have a gender balanced staff in your exhibit. Having the same number of women and men on the trade show floor will make your visitors more comfortable. If you have a staff of all men or women your exhibit might not be as inviting to some. It is also a good idea to have a staff that varies in age so visitors will feel comfortable talking about your products.

Trade shows are an excellent way to promote your products, improve customer relationships in a friendly and personal arena.

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Trade Show Necessities

Posted by Karl | Uncategorized | Sunday 7 February 2010 10:03 am

Trade shows are an excellent way to get you business recognized and to build a bigger customer base. They are also very intense and you have to be on your feet for hours. During the entire time the trade show is on you have to appear to be enthusiastic and full of energy. This is easy to do the first couple of hours until the newness wears off and it can quickly turn into as chore if you are not prepared.

Below you will find some tips to help you stay comfortable during the time you are at the trade show.

You have to stay attentive at all times and a person working a trade show exhibit has to have plenty of physical and mental stamina. The clothes you wear should be appropriate but also comfortable to move around in.

Your shoes should be very comfortable and it is never a good idea to wear new shoes when you are doing a trade show exhibit. To keep your energy level up it is a good idea to arrange it so your staff gets to take a break every couple of hours.

You should make sure you eat something throughout the day to keep a high energy level. Short breaks throughout the event will keep you and your staff on their toes. It is also important to stay hydrated during a show. Make sure plenty of water is available to you and your staff. Plan ahead and be prepared by bring along a survival kit. You should include items like, eye drops, Band-Aids, antacids, and safety pins. Trade shows can be rewarding, on the other hand, they can also be grueling if you are not prepared.

The key to success it to plan ahead and to make sure you are ready to spend hours working the trade show floor.

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Trade Show Future Outlook

Posted by Karl | trade show displays, trade shows | Sunday 7 February 2010 9:51 am

It seems like everything is becoming digitized and face to face interaction is becoming obsolete. The Internet allows everyone to conduct business and communicate without having to meet in person. With this in mind, some people are wondering if trade shows are still the way to market your company.

Trade shows are still being successfully used as a marketing tool to showcase your company and to increase your customer base. Some trade show exhibitors are finding a way to combine a traditional trade show exhibit with a virtual one. There are many ways to incorporate technology into your exhibit. There are companies who specialize at incorporating the digital world into your trade show display.

Trade shows are still the best venue to meet people that you probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. Most experienced trade show exhibitors know that nothing beats the personal interaction with potential suppliers and customers. It adds the personal touch that many people are still looking for.

People still want to interact and see for themselves what your company is all about. The personal touch that you can have during a trade show builds confidence in people about your company and its image. A trade show allows people to see that you are more than just a web page on the Internet.

A trade show is also a place to meet people who otherwise might have not known your company existed. It gives you the chance to tell your story about your product and company in a personal way. Trade shows are still the best way to interact personally with your target audience.

There will always be different methods and ways to reach out to others in the new Digital Age. However, a trade show display is still a very powerful marketing tool and gives your company an edge over virtual trade shows.

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Graphic Displays

Posted by Karl | trade show displays, trade shows | Monday 28 December 2009 6:49 pm

The long term success of your company depends on how well your brand, company image and logo are recognized by the public. If you spend some time designing a smart eye catching logo for your general company image it will be easy for customers to find you at a trade show. You can also employ the help of graphic designers who specialize in trade show designs to complete your logo and graphics.  By getting a design professionally done it will set you apart from your competitors.

The colors used when designing your trade show exhibit should coordinate with your logo and products or services your company has to offer. Your trade show exhibit should have color harmony. You want it to be pleasing to the eye, but bold enough to attract the trade show visitor’s attention.

You need to do your research when you are looking for a company to do your trade show graphics. Designing and creating trade show graphics is a specialized profession. Not every printing company has the equipment needed to create quality graphics for a trade show exhibit.

Make sure you ask the graphic company for examples of their work and also ask for references. Your graphics can make or break your trade show exhibit so you want to make sure you are getting the most for your money.

If you recently had a trade show display and it seemed like exhibit traffic was down, you might want to think about changing the graphics in your trade show exhibit. You want to make sure you have an eye catching display. You always want your exhibit to be appealing and bold enough to attract attention.

If you are not sure of what may or may not look good in your trade show exhibit you might want to call in a professional to help. Another idea is to go to a trade show as a visitor and take a look at the different exhibits. Pay attention to the exhibits that seem to be drawing the crowds. You might be able to get some ideas to make your trade show exhibit more appealing to your target audience.

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Trade Show Promotional Products

Posted by Karl | trade show giveaways | Sunday 20 December 2009 6:47 pm

Trade shows are an excellent way to get your product and brand name out in front of hundreds of people. Trade show promotional products can help get your name recognized and help to attract potential customers to your trade show exhibit. If promotional products are not used properly they can be a drain on your company’s budget.

Some exhibitors think of giveaways as a last minute detail. They only provide them because the competition is doing it. Giveaways can help with your branding and marketing if you use them correctly. Promotional gifts help keep your company’s name in front of qualified leads.

Think of your promotional items as perpetual marketing materials that are used over and over. That is why you need to buy quality promotional items. If you buy cheap pens that don’t work or leak, people will not think highly of your product when they use them.

Everyone knows attendees love giveaways and most of them don’t plan on buying anything from you. You should have different items for different types of attendees. You can give cheaper promotional gifts to people who probably don’t qualify as a lead. You can train your staff to qualify attendees quickly and give higher quality gifts to potential customers.

If you want to get the most out of your trade show exhibit you need more than just an eye catching display and friendly staff. You have to be able to attract your target audience to your exhibit and qualify them quickly. You can then use promotional gifts to build up your company’s brand. The most important thing is to make sure you follow up on qualified leads after the show is over. All of these things will make your trade show exhibit a successful event.

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Trade Show Marketing Strategies

Posted by Karl | trade show displays | Monday 14 December 2009 6:47 pm

Today, trade shows are becoming the most effective business to business marketing medium around. A trade show provides a unique opportunity that cannot be duplicated in any other type of venue. Tradeshows are worthwhile and can be a great marketing tool, but they are also a lot of work.

There a number of things you can do to get the most out of a tradeshow. It all has to do with planning out a well designed marketing plan and being organized. To get off to a good start you have to set realistic and effective objectives and also have measurements for them. If you plan your objectives effectively then the rest of your trade show will fall into place.

To set your objectives you have to first ask yourself why you are going to exhibit at a tradeshow. There are many different reasons why companies exhibit at shows including, generating new leads, building up brand awareness or promoting a new product. Once you have your objective then you set measurements you can see and assess.

Now you know what your goals are you now have to find the right tradeshow for you to meet your objectives. You have to do some research and look at trade shows in your industry to see which ones will best fit your needs. You can look at larger shows; however, smaller shows are also a good choice.

After you have chosen the trade show that you would like to attend, you then have to decide on the size and location of your exhibit space. Where you are located and the size of space you have, will help you to design a trade show exhibit that will help you meet your objectives. You don’t have to have the largest space to have the best display. It is all in the way you arrange and display your products to grab the visitor’s attention. If you follow your objectives you will have a successful trade show.

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Trade Show Budget Tips

Posted by Karl | trade show displays | Saturday 5 December 2009 6:38 pm

Since the economic collapse in 2008, all industries have been cutting corners and rethinking their budgets. Businesses who use tradeshows are trying to find creative ways to cut back on expenses, without giving up the quality of their trade show exhibit. Here are some things you might want to think about to help stay within your budget.

If you have already contracted to exhibit at a trade show, you probably won’t be able to back out without forfeiting your exhibitor’s fee. You still can negotiate with the tradeshow managers about downsizing to a smaller sized exhibit instead of pulling out all together. Most trade shows will work with you because they do not want to lose your business.

If you exhibit at a lot of trade shows you might want to concentrate on the shows that have gave you a good return for your investment in the past. Instead of not going to show at all, you might want to consider getting a smaller trade show exhibit to save money. Another idea is to consider substituting lighter weight or less expensive exhibit displays for big heavy custom displays.

You want to think of ways to cut back on expenses but you don’t want sacrifice your market visibility. Another idea is to use rental exhibits rather than building custom exhibits. If you compare the cost of a turnkey rental with a new custom exhibit, the rental can be bought for about 30% of what a new one would cost. That is a huge saving and rental exhibits usually come with graphics and include set up and freight costs.

Using a smaller space will reduce overall costs. If you use smaller lightweight displays and portable displays that your staff can set up you will save on labor and shipping costs. If you do these simple things you can reduce your cost and still be able to attend trade shows. By simply downsizing your trade show exhibit space and by using lighter more portable displays you can still afford to exhibit at trade shows.

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Trade Shows Tricks

Posted by Karl | promotional ideas, trade show displays, trade show giveaways, trade shows | Friday 27 November 2009 4:40 am

Sometimes it is hard for the small and medium sized businesses to compete against the larger companies.  Knowing who and what you are up against is the first step in planning a good strategy. You should gather as much information about the show as you can so you will be able to make informed decisions. You will need to know the layout of the show, the size and location of your exhibit and information on the organization running the show.

You will want to arrange your trade show exhibit properly. Make sure larger items are in the back and smaller item are in the front. Everything should be on eye level so visitors don’t have to strain to see your products or marketing material. You want your exhibit area to be uncluttered and easy to move around in. You can have a PowerPoint presentation that is continuously playing and showing off the products and services you have to offer.

To get the most out of your trade show you can use giveaways, prize wheels or promotional gifts to lure customers into your exhibit. You can have demonstrations or presentations to draw in potential customers. Another good way to attract attention to your exhibit is to use a money machine or something similar. Any of these things will get the visitors attention and they will want to come over to your exhibit to see what all the excitement is about.

Trade shows are an ideal way for small and medium size business to get their brand and company recognized. Your exhibit has to make an impression and be used to lure people into your space to find out more about your company. If you prepare in advance and make your exhibit interesting and interactive you will be on your way to having a very successful trade show.

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