Trade Show Marketing

So, you want to learn more about trade show marketing…

To start, marketing is extremely important at trade shows. Without marketing, you have a very slim chance of getting people to come to your booth.

People don’t want to waste their time by going to every booth. So, you need to prove to them that stopping by is worth their time.

In this blog, we will discuss a few simple, basic tips for trade show marketing. If you can remember these few things, then you have a better chance of your booth being more attractive and standing out against the others.

Tips:

  1. Be Proactive
  2. Have an Appealing Display and Location
  3. Be Approachable
  4. Give out Free Swag
  5. Enter to Win

Be Proactive

One way to increase your chances of having more people visit your booth is by being proactive. Consider researching who will be attending the trade show, and send them information about your company. By doing this, you will be making them aware of who you are and where they will be able to find your booth at the trade show.

You should also consider using your company’s social media sites to post information about the upcoming trade show that you will be attending. Once you post on social media, all of your followers will be able to see that you will be attending this event and they may share it on their personal social media accounts as well. I would also suggest sending out email alerts. 

Display and Location

Having an appealing display for your booth will help your company make a good first impression on potential buyers. Plus, if you have an attractive and interesting looking display, then you will have a better chance of influencing people to stop by. Also, don’t forget to clearly show your company’s name. This will make it easier for people to recognize who you are. 

Where you are located at the event is another important factor when it comes to being successful. If possible, try to reserve your space early enough to get a good spot. That way you aren’t stuck hidden in the worst place where no one will see you. 

Be Approachable

Being approachable is very important in all aspects of sales, but even more so at a trade show. People walk around and tend to only stop at booths that they are interested in. So, getting people to come over to your spot is vital. However, if your employees do not look approachable, then it could decrease the traffic to your booth.

When working at the event, be sure to look excited and interested in what you are doing. If you have employees who are playing on their phones or look like they do not want to be there, then you will have a hard time influencing people to come over and learn more about your product.

On the other hand, if you are smiling at people, communicating, being attentive, and presenting yourself with an approachable appearance, then people will be more willing to stop, engage, and listen to what you have to say.

Another tip on being more “appealing,” is to initiate a conversation. Some people may be a little intimidated by being the one to start a conversation. Others may even be hesitant in whether they should approach your booth or not. So, be willing to reach out and start a conversation.

Give out Free Swag

Giving out free swag is very popular at trade shows. For those of you who don’t know what I mean, it represents free promotional items that display your company’s logo.

People will be more willing to stop and listen to what you have to say if they will be getting something in return. Another benefit is you can gain potential client information by requiring everyone to give out their name, number, and email address before they can receive anything.

So, not only will you gain more traffic to your booth, but you’ll also be sending your logo home with them.

Overall, it’s a win-win situation!

Enter to Win

Another popular option is to offer people a chance to win something awesome. All that is required of them is to take the time to give their information to you. You could do this in place of giving out free swag, or you could do this in addition. 

So remember, don’t be that booth that no one wants to go to.  Put those brilliant marketing skills you have into use, and give people a reason to stop by.

This blog was written for Triangle Marketing Club.

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Market Research 101

What makes market research so important?

 

Before exploring further into this topic, let’s first state what market research is. Market research allows a marketer to collect valuable information regarding where there is a market opportunity, who the target market is for a specific product or service, and who the competitors are.

When conducting market research, ask yourself these few basic, but important questions:

  • Who is my target market?
  • How much is my target market willing to pay?
  • What does my target market enjoy purchasing?
  • What do they need?
  • Is there a market opportunity or a problem that needs solving?
  • Who is my competition?
  • What are the current market trends?

Now that we have reviewed what market research is and a few questions that you should ask yourself when conducting research, let’s go back to our first question.

What makes market research so important in the marketing world?

shrug

To start, conducting market research is vital to success. Businesses, who don’t do proper research, often fail because they skip this important step. When a person conducts market research, he is gathering information about a particular market and determining what that market’s purchasing behaviors are. If you don’t know who your target market is, what their buying habits are, and how to reach them, then you will have a difficult time increasing your sales and having a successful business.

Target Market

Defining your target market is very important, and it is essential to being successful. Just think, how else would you be able to sell a product or service if you don’t know who you are trying to sell it to?

When you are researching who your target market is, think about the people who would want to purchase your product or service.

Once a target market has been selected, consider researching the spending patterns and behaviors of your target customer. Think about all of the factors that contribute to the decisions that they make when they are shopping. Do they go shopping once a week, or do they go once a month? Are they impulse shoppers? Or, do they plan out everything that they are going to purchase before they go to the store?

Also, you should take into consideration how much these customers would be willing to spend, and set your price accordingly. For example, if your target market is college-aged students, then you aren’t going to want to set your price extremely high.

If you can figure out who your target market is and how they think and operate, then you will be able to communicate more effectively with them.

Market Opportunity

Market research is important because it can help you determine if your product or service is something that people actually want or need. Also, it can help you learn if it has potential to be successful and profitable.

Once you do research, you will have a better chance at accomplishing your goal of selling your product. Plus, it will decrease your chances of failing because no one is purchasing what you are trying to sell.

So, always research ahead of time and be on the lookout for a market opportunity that will enable you to create value for the customer and fulfill their needs and desires.

Competition

Once you have an idea for a market opportunity or a problem that needs to be solved for your target market, it would be in your best interest to research your competitors.

This is important because if you research who your competitors are, it will help you become more aware of what you need to do to stand out. It will also help you learn more about what your competitors offer that you don’t.

If you research about your current and potential competitors, then you can be more prepared when you compete against them. Knowing who your competitors are can help you gain insight on what you may need to improve on. The research may also make you realize that you need to come up with something to help you have more of a competitive advantage and become more desirable to the target market.

Profitability

Market research is very beneficial because it often leads to an increase in sales.

Research is conducted in order to figure out if the product that marketers are promoting creates enough value for the target market. If a marketer doesn’t research what their target customer is interested in, then it will be hard for them to increase their sales because the target market won’t purchase the product or service.

Also, market research helps determine who the competitors are. Knowing how to stand out against the competition and making customers purchase from you instead of competitors will help sales rise.

Market Trends

It’s important to research market trends because they are always changing, and you want to make sure that you are keeping up with the latest ones.

If you don’t, you’ll end up being blindsided  like this guy:

research, blindsided, market research

Long story short, if you don’t do research, it will be very difficult to survive in the marketing field. So, be prepared! Always do your research to obtain a competitive advantage, and make sure to meet the needs of your target market.

be prepared, prepared, research, market research

This blog was written for Triangle Marketing Club.

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