Trade Shows

Trade Show marketing is effective when you use it to the best of your ability.

Trade shows are a great way to be visable and show off the products or services you have one-on-one. The key to trade shows, however is connecting with people. By being able to ask a couple of questions, you can identify with a person and make them feel special and shows that you really care about them. It is a way to show the person you are behind the product or service that you sell and promote. Furthermore, personal engagement creates trust and people will do business with companies that they trust and companies that they know where the product that they are spending money on comes from.

Another key to trade show marketing success is to offer an incentive to stop at your booth. Offer a prize drawing, freebies or food samples. It creates foot traffic and leaves an impression that only fuels top-of-the-mind (TOMA) awareness. So, the next time they need a gift or gift basket basket in my case, they will think of Basket Designs first.

Many vendors send our post cards or e-mails letting people know that they are going to be at a show and the message invites them to stop at the booth. If you have access to a mailing list, that is great to do, but many times, you don't know who is coming. If it is a repeat show and you gathered contact information from the year before, you can use those names to send invites to. However, if you don't know who is coming and it is a new show, then it is up to you and your booth to draw people to you.

Many times, those running a booth will sit behind the booth and they may or may not greet people. My success has been in standing, which shows respect and coming in front of the booth, which does away with any barrier and allows for more personable contact with potential customers.

And of course, the booth look and design. Booths must be professional, uncluttered, clean, inviting and have appropriate signage so that people can know who you are. They will create a visual snapshot of you, so make your booth be representative of your business. I use metallics and bold blacks and greens to signify my companies professional and elegant nature of designing gift baskets. I bring sample baskets and use different heights on the table to display them. I am very detailed and use ribbon and flowers to enhance the table, tablecloth and overall display designs. I also offer candy or mints as an extra touch to show my customers and potential customers that I want to earn their business.

Finally, follow-up. Gather information and follow up with e-mails or post cards thanking people for stopping by and sending information on specials, what you have coming in the future, etc. If they asked a question or had a special request, then be sure to follow up with information that you later gathered for them. Sometimes, people ask me about ideas and I don't have one until the next day, then I contact them with my idea- a great way to follow-up without a hard pitch sales call.

Trade shows have also allowed me to network with other business owners for product and marketing ideas. I have also been asked about business coaching and business building tips, which is a great way for me to promote my gift baskets, while helping others.

Lorrie Boyer, Owner

Basket Designs, LLC
http://www.basketdesignsplus.com/
1-877-842-3842