Search online and you’ll find no shortage of articles extolling the common habits of successful, influential people. Apply the advice in these articles and it’s easy to make major improvements to your life, work and habits.
But what about for specific processes and opportunities that affect your business? Just as you can learn from the common habits of the world’s most successful people, you can learn a great deal about specific marketing channels by studying other successful businesses.
One marketing channel that can be hugely effective for any B2B business are trade shows. If you sell a product that has value to other business or supply a service that other businesses in your industry depend on, a trade show can help you attract new clients and make new sales.
Below, we’ve listed four common factors of successful, effective trade show booth displays. If you’ve never exhibited at a trade show before, use the factors below like you would habits or advice from successful people — as a source of guidance for your business’s trade show success.
Successful Trade Show Exhibits Look Great
In a trade show setting, looks matter. Since you won’t be the only exhibitor at any event, it’s very important to design a booth or exhibit that stands out from the crowd and generates attention for your business to turn into buyer interest.
Prospects are naturally attracted to trade show booths that look excellent and stand out from the crowd. From LED signage to light-up booths, product displays and branding, it’s up to you to put together a booth that’s both aesthetically pleasing and highly visible.
Like with anything in marketing, great trade show rental booths have visual balance — they’re neither obnoxiously flashy or too subtle. Aim to strike a balance between subtlety and visibility and you’ll develop a booth that attracts meaningful attention without alienating or repelling attendees.
Successful Trade Show Exhibits Draw People In
There’s more to drawing people into your trade show exhibit than just creating a good looking, highly visible booth. A second characteristic of trade show success is understanding how you can attract motivated prospects to your exhibit.
One way to do this is through product demos — demonstrations of your product or service that attract the attention, and eventually the interest, of prospects. A good demo can give your booth a real edge, drawing people away from other exhibits and towards yours.
Another way to draw people in is through a promotion, a giveaway or a contest. People love to feel involved in something exclusive and interesting. Create an exciting contest and your booth can quickly become the center of attention at any trade show or convention.
Successful Trade Show Exhibits Are Well Located
Just like certain retail stores attract more foot traffic than others, certain trade show booths are more likely to attract attendees than others purely due to their location. Select the right location and you’ll get an immediate advantage; choose the wrong one and you’ll fight an uphill battle.
Many shows offer floor at a variety of different prices, based on the approximate foot traffic that each location receives. If you’ve found that a certain trade show delivers a worthwhile return on investment, you can amplify your business’s reach by paying extra for a premium location.
Often, a great location isn’t something you need to pay for. If you’re aware of where your biggest competitors are located, you can try requesting a spot nearby to make it easier for your booth to attract the same prospects.
Successful Trade Show Exhibits Convert Interest Into Sales
Finally, successful trade show exhibits are all about closing. Since trade shows have objective, measurable costs and produce very specific leads with a measurable value, it’s easy to find out if a trade show is profitable or not for your business.
If trade shows make up a significant percentage of your marketing budget, it’s essential that you calculate your spending and return on investment. You might discover that trade shows are far more profitable than you imagined; you could also discover that they’re far less profitable.
By measuring your return on investment from each event, you can establish whether or not it’s worth exhibiting at in the future. You can also track the results of optimizations to your sales and marketing process to see if they produce a measurable increase in return on investment.
Enhance Your Trade Show Results
Our company specializes in trade show display ideas and trade show display rentals in San Francisco area. Contact us to learn more about how we can help your business get more from its next trade show, convention or industry event.