Key Takeaways:
- Posting about your brand, your booth, and your trade show event before, during, and after the event can help draw more attention to your organization.
- Engage trade show attendees with incentives and compelling stories that will make your brand memorable.
- Use custom flags to capture eventgoers’ attention and make your brand stand out in a sea of trade booths.
You’ve spent hours perfecting your company’s trade show booth design, creating brochures to distribute to passersby, and refining your spiel about your brand. Now, it’s “go” time.
Not so fast. Having an attractive booth, engaging literature, and a compelling brand saga you’re excited to share is only part of the equation.
Research shows that trade shows remain a valuable marketing tool, but to get the most out of them, you need to add a few other strategies to the mix—strategies you can execute both onsite and offsite. Let’s explore some of the top ways to maximize your brand’s visibility before, during, and after the trade show.
Set Up a Website
Creating an informational page about the trade show on your website can instantly boost brand awareness. Make sure the page isn’t strictly promotional, though. Introduce the trade show, the tangible offers you plan to provide there (more on this later), and what makes your brand a unique and valuable addition to the event. A page that is too promotional will put off viewers and increase your website’s bounce rate, decreasing its visibility in search engines. Stick to the five W’s—who, what, when, where, and why—and add some personality for the perfect promotional punch.
Read: Why First Impressions Matter in Business
Post Online Before the Trade Show
Social media and public forums are excellent tools for letting the world know about your trade show before the big day, as they’re perfect for generating social proof. Let’s explore how and why social proof works.
The Power of Social Proof
Social proof refers to the idea that people influence other individuals’ decision-making. Posting on social media can generate likes and shares—examples of social proof that show that other individuals love your brand and offerings, which may entice more people to experience your brand, too. Pre-show postings can also improve your search engine rankings for sustained visibility.
Where to Post to Generate Social Proof
Post about the upcoming trade show and your participation in it across numerous social media channels, ranging from Facebook to TikTok. Follow relevant groups and pages, and spark interest by highlighting your trade show appearance there. Consider also posting on industry event pages and forums using hashtags to multiply your organization’s brand awareness. The wider the net you cast, the greater your brand visibility and your “catch” of consumers at the end of the day.
Post on Social Media During the Trade Show
Posting online about your trade show appearance shouldn’t stop once the trade show starts. Continue posting about the show during the show. Present yourself as a trade show insider, giving your audience a sneak peek at what’s going on at the show. Curiosity can be a powerful marketing force—pique it with posts about upcoming trade show discussions, speakers, and activities. Take time to also post pictures of demos of your products or photos with other trade show booth participants whose offerings are complementary to your brand.
Have a Story Ready for Showgoers
Think of a couple of stories about your brand that you can readily tell people who visit your trade show booth. Think about an exciting story about meeting an important person in the industry. Other topics for stories range from how you satisfied your first client to how you and your business partner met. These stories can quickly generate interest and attention.
Introduce Custom Flags
Draw attention to your trade show booth using custom flags. Their bold designs and bright hues naturally capture attention, making them easy to spot from far away. You can also design custom flags to match and reflect your brand’s identity. They’re convenient to set up and transport, making them a practical addition to your trade booth arsenal for leaving an impression.
Offer Incentives
Draw trade show crowds with competition prizes, giveaways, and discount coupons. People love deals, so include them in your marketing. Award showgoers with prizes for simply geo-tagging your trade show booth on their Facebook or Instagram accounts.
Stay Engaged Following the Show
Engage with eventgoers after the show to maintain traction with them. Tell them thanks for visiting your booth and participating in your giveaway via email or direct messages on social media, or post a recap video on your social media pages that highlights what happened during the show. Posting paves the way for more networking and trade show participation opportunities.
Make Your Trade Show a Success With the Right Strategies Today
Your trade show’s success depends heavily on the steps you take before, during, and after the event. From creating a compelling website to posting online about the show, setting up custom flags near your booth, offering incentives, and having an exciting story to tell, you can catapult your brand awareness. Consider all of the above trade show tips for maximizing your brand from one trade show to the next.