For many organizations, trade shows are a tool in the marketing toolbox. And, if you pick one that serves your perfect customers, it can be a great investment. But make no mistake…it is an investment. It certainly costs money. But it’s also the investment of time. So if you are going to make that investment, you want it to be worth it. So here are 10 tips to ensure Trade Show Success.
If it is at all possible, get a list of everyone who has confirmed they are coming to the show. Though trade shows do have a lot of last-minute sign-ups, they should have a great list of attendees who are registered and ready to attend that you, as an exhibitor, can get access to before the event.
In the lead-up to the show, these registered attendees are themselves preparing for the show. If they’re smart, they’re creating a strategy for working the show themselves.
So, the first tip is to simply get that list! As a matter of fact, some of my clients do not even exhibit at trade shows if the organizers don’t provide a list of attendees, it’s that valuable to them. Now that you have the list, on to the next tip.
Tip #2: Send each attendee an email inviting them to come to your booth
Make sure this email is attractive, creative, and personal. Try to whet their appetite. What great promotional item do you have on offer? What’s your fun theme? Are you giving out free beer? Whatever it is, let them know that you want them to come and see you.
Tell attendees where your booth will be located, what’s in it for them, and why they should look for you. If you have enough lead time before the show, you can even send more than one email.
Tip #3: Send a direct mail piece which mirrors the email
This direct mail piece should match the theme of your booth. I like this direct mail piece to be either a postcard (so they don’t have to open it to see it) or a personal card. If you make this direct mail piece impactful, you’ll see returns in better attendance at your booth.
During the Trade Show
Tip #4: Send great people (and people who are familiar with your sales process.)
It’s essential that the people manning your booth know the product or service you provide, and that they are comfortable selling at the booth. Often companies just put “warm bodies” at the booth, or send people who aren’t familiar with the sales process. This detracts from the credibility of the company. So, to get the most return on your investment in the trade show, be thoughtful about who will be staffing your booth.
Tip #5: Have a theme
Let’s be honest. Trade shows can be a little … monotonous. Creating an attractive and memorable theme for your booth (ideally one that’s aligned with or somehow reinforces what makes your company unique) will make you stand out among the long rows of the Trade Show Masses. In addition, having a theme can help you plan out how to dress and what to hand out, making your trade show planning process go more smoothly (and more fun, too!)
Tip #6: Bring a great handout
With this, you want to have a plan too! Handouts, done well, can drive traffic to the booth. Great, thoughtful, and useful gifts have an impact that lasts long after the show is done. If you choose to bring the same old promotional items as everyone else, that pen with your logo in it is going to end up at the bottom of the trade show bag, and might never come out again.
It’s up to you… think about the audience, the item, and its impact. Stuck for ideas? Call a promotional consultant, who can help you think this through. (If you don’t have a promotional consultant, please let us at Hasseman Marketing know! We would love to help.)
Tip #7: Have a VIP Gift
Sometimes at a trade show, one of your current customers will stop by the booth. This is a wonderful opportunity to make a big deal about their business and to thank them with a special VIP gift.
You also might have leads that you have a connection with or who show a real interest in your product or service. This is a great time to reach below the table and get out a VIP gift.
For a current customer, you might say: “Stan, I really appreciate your business and for taking the time to stop and see me today. I am not giving this to everyone, but please take this as a small token of my appreciation.”
With a prospect, the conversation might go like this: “Janice, I think we are on the same page. I know you have a lot of folks you want to see today, but I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. I am not giving these to everyone, but please take this and I will follow up with you after the show.”
These VIP gifts should be something a little nicer than what you’re handing out to everyone, and you don’t need hundreds of them. Used sparingly, they leave a big impression on your special contacts and customers, making them feel like the VIP’s they are!
After the Trade Show
What’s the secret to trade show success?
It’s what happens once you get back to the office.
The fortune is in the follow-up.
Tip #8: Follow Up Quickly with Email
Truthfully, email follow-ups are really just the bare minimum, but it’s an essential step. Make sure you have a rock-solid system in place to follow up with everyone that stopped by your booth. Thank them for coming, and remind them who you are and what you do.
Trade show attendees meet a lot of people in a short period of time, so do your best to remind them of you. If you remember the conversation it would be great to reference it in the personal email you send. Time is of the essence. The sooner after the show you follow up, the more you convey that you and your company are “on it!”
Tip #9: Follow Up with a Card
Everyone sends emails. You should send a card. It’s a really nice personal touch. Now, I understand, if you need to contact thousands of people this might not be a realistic goal. If you can’t send a card, consider at least sending a direct mail postcard. This is one more way to get across their desk and to remind them of your awesomeness. The personal card, when appropriate can REALLY make you stand out!
If the idea of writing, stamping, and sending all of those cards makes you squeamish, look into automated ways of doing it. At Hasseman Marketing, we use a system called Send Out Cards. It’s perfect for personal follow-ups like these.
Tip #10: Follow Up with a Call
You probably saw this coming. Now it’s time to call them. After going through this process, a call is a great way to make the final personal touch. It’s time to reel them in!
So there you go…these are my top 10 trade show tips to ensure success.
Depending on how many emails you send in the email steps, if you follow all my tips you will have “touched” each prospect between 7 and 12 times. Studies show it takes, on average, 7 touches before a prospect buys … so follow all 10 tips and you’ve done a complete job!
It’s not rocket science, but to make the most of your investment in a trade show you need to have a plan.
As always, we want to provide you with value. So if you want to create marketing campaigns (and appreciation gifts) that hit the TARGET, check out our TARGET marketing playbook here.
Years ago, I read the book Traction from Geno Wickman. While I found the book good, I did not dive into the principles. I read the book…and moved on. Recently though, I noticed how many of the people I admire in business talked about the book, and his “Entrepreneurial Operating System.” The EOS is a system that helps many small businesses survive and thrive. So I went back and re-read the book…and decided to work on implementing the tactics.
Our Proven Process
One of the concepts in the book recommends you create a “proven process” around your business. This proven process is how you, as an organization, can create successful results for clients…regardless of which team member is working with you. This is something that I had not taken the time to work on the first time I read the book. But this time, I dove in and documented what we were already doing…when we were at our best.
Discovery
While some organizations in our industry will jump in and “sell” from the jump, that is not what we set out to do. We need to meet with you to find out what you want to accomplish. This is when we “discover” your budget for the project, who your perfect customer is, and what action you would like to move them toward. While we will occasionally have some ideas right away, most of the time we leave our discovery call and go to do some “homework” for you.
Present Solutions
After the discovery call, we “go back to the lab” to work on ideas for you. Once have a plan created, we present some solutions that we hope will be perfect for your event or promotion. While it sometimes seems there are millions of options for marketing and branded merch (and there are), we try to curate the best solutions for you here. We might set up a new meeting or just send over these solutions digitally. And if none of these solutions perfectly hit the mark, tell us! We will go back to work for you!
Implement & Deliver
Once you decide on a solution that fits your needs and your budget, it’s time for us to go to work! Now is when we work with our partner network of suppliers to fulfill your project. Now is the time that we send you proofs to make sure things are what you need, and we keep you up to date on how the project is coming. When all of those boxes are checked, a box of “marketing joy” finds its way to your office!
Follow Up On Results
So how did we do? Now is the time in the process when we need to follow up. We know that you need to have time to execute the event or the promotion. But once that happens, we will check in to see if the project hit the mark. We hope so! But either way, we want to circle back to see what we can do better next time.
Repeat
And then we start the process over again. We work hard to be proactive, but there are obviously projects that we don’t know about. So now is the time to get together and start the discovery over again.
So that is our Proven Process. Our goal is to help you create marketing and promotions that help to meet your goals and affect human behavior in your organization.
And as always, we want to provide you with value. So if you want to create marketing campaigns (and appreciation gifts) that hit the TARGET, check out our TARGET marketing playbook here.
Everyone in business wants to have an iconic and recognizable brand. We want to have a brand like Apple, or Nike, or Harley Davidson. But your brand is much more than your logo. It’s the emotion your customers get when they see your logo. It’s the feeling your company gives people who interact with you. In today’s DMJ 101, I break down 4 Tips on Building a brand from the beginning. Watch now!
4 Tips On Building a Brand
While building an iconic brand has thousands of steps, and likely, thousands of days, here are 4 things you can do to start building yours today.
Do What You Say You Will Do
You might read that and think “Well, of course!” And you should. Of course, we need to do what we say we are going to do. But yet, we all deal with organizations that don’t live up to their own hype all of the time. If you want to build enthusiastic brand ambassadors, you need to start with a strong foundation of doing the basics. Do what you say you will do… every time.
Do Just a Little More
One of the best ways to surprise and delight your customers is to “do just a little more.” If you can consistently deliver on your promise, and then go above and beyond (even just a little), you are on your way to creating a tribe of people that will WANT to tell your story for you.
Own Your Mistakes
There will be mistakes. No matter how hard you try, things sometimes go sideways. What do you do then? The best organizations don’t look around to blame someone else. They work to solve the problem first. When you do that, you can re-channel those frustrations into delight. When things go wrong…go into action.
Create a Quarterly Appreciation Program
We dive deeper into this here, but sometimes your customers leave because they don’t think you care. You never want that to happen. So consider creating a quarterly appreciation program for your best customers. Go to them at least 4 times a year (with branded merch) to show them love. When you do that consistently, and with great merch, you will not only show gratitude. But a reminder of that gratitude will be around them all of the time.
(Coshocton, OH)—Coshocton-based marketing firm and promotional products distributor Hasseman Marketing & Communications is excited to welcome Wendy Spang to their team. Spang will be joining the team as a Finance Specialist.
“We are so excited to welcome Wendy to the team,” says Hasseman Marketing CEO, Kirby Hasseman. “Wendy has a great personality and brings a wealth of knowledge to the team.”
Wendy has a wealth of knowledge in the finance space. She has over 17 years of experience with companies like Oxford Mining, International Paper, and, most recently, Guggisberg Cheese. In her new role, Wendy will be managing the finances, sending invoices, and other responsibilities aligned with the HMC finances. Wendy loves spending time with her grandkids, dirt track racing, and having fun in the casino. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
You have heard of the 7 Deadly Sins. Well on today’s DMJ 1 on 1, we break down 7 mistakes we see organizations making when buying branded merch. We want to help you avoid these mistakes and level up your marketing. Watch or listen below! Oh, and please subscribe to the Youtube channel so you never miss an episode…or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts by searching “Delivering Marketing Joy.”
7 Mistakes Organizations Make When Buying Branded Merch
Watch the video and take notes, but we have also broken them down for you here. Let’s dive in!
They Don’t Identify The Perfect Customer
Many organizations talk about the budget, the timeline, and the event, but they skip a crucial step. Who is the piece of branded merch for? And when you truly understand that…how do you want them to feel? When you really understand the perfect customer, then you can make a much better decision on what piece of branded merch will dazzle them. We dive deep into how and why to do this here.
They Don’t Give Themselves Time
The good news is that the branded merch industry has gotten better at doing fast, last-minute orders. That’s great. But that doesn’t mean it should be a way of life. We know that it happens sometimes. We get it! But many organizations habitually wait until the last minute to order everything. It creates stress, costs more money, and makes them settle for worse branded merch. Give yourself more time than you think you need on your next order…and it will be a better experience!
They Don’t Set a Budget (and Share it)
As we mentioned, things pop up. And when that happens, you might not have an established budget. But obviously, it’s best to have a budget. And when you have that number, don’t keep it a secret. Share the budget with your distributor so they can guide you to the best items for your pocketbook. In addition, they can help you understand what it will cost to ship the items and land in time and not break the bank.
They Do Not Have Good Vector Art
If you don’t have great art, you won’t have great merch. So either provide great art or be willing to invest in it. If not, your merch (and your customer’s experience) will suffer for it.
They Don’t Request A Proof (And Look At It)
We all get in a hurry. I understand. But it’s worth the 2 minutes to request a proof and really give it a look. We request a proof on every order. But the fact is, only the client can really tell if it’s exactly what they want. So if you are going to order branded merch, request that proof. Then take the time to make sure it’s exactly what you want!
They Don’t Think About Distribution
If you order amazing branded merch, but then it sits in the corner, it does you (and your brand) no good. Take the time to think about how you are going to get the product into the hands of your best customers. Are you going to have to ship it? Will you deliver it? And how will you package it? You want it to look special when it arrives. Consider those factors if you want your next campaign to knock their socks off!
They Don’t Have A Theme or Message
While you certainly CAN just slap your logo on a shirt, not everyone will want to wear that. When you create a theme or a message that your brand can rally around, your best customers will want to rally around it too. Build a theme into your campaign and you will give it extra life and extra value.
So those are 7 Mistakes we see organizations making when buying branded merch. We hope this has helped shine a light on how to do better branded merch. Let us know if we can help!
And as always, we want to provide you with value. So if you want to create marketing campaigns (and appreciation gifts) that really hit the TARGET, check out our TARGET marketing playbook here.
Every year we welcome some of our very best suppliers to join us in Coshocton, Ohio for our annual Customer Trade Show. The show this year was amazing! But we understand that not every person can make it the day of the show. Life gets busy. So we did some of the work for you. Here are a few of our favorite products we saw at this year’s show. You can check them ALL out on our shop here.
5.5″ x 8.5″ Seed Paper Bound JournalBook
The 5.5″ x 8.5″ Seed Paper Bound JournalBook features a seed paper cover and 80 sheets of FSC®-certified recycled lined paper. Includes elastic band, pen loop, ribbon page marker, and back pocket. This was a great item to give to our guests as they walked in the door. Learn more here.
Thor 40oz Eco-Friendly Straw Tumbler
The Bullet Thor 40 oz Eco-Friendly Straw Tumbler features durable double-wall construction to keep your beverages hot or cold in any environment. Food-grade recycled straw is included for easy reuse daily. The Thor has a 40-ounce capacity for fewer refills and features a slim base that fits into most cupholders, a comfortable carry handle, and a splash-proof press-on lid with two openings and a swivel closure, friendly to both Sippers and Chuggers!
12-Month Custom Planner
You might love the calendar on your phone, but many people still love to have the monthly planner calendar to keep things straight. This one includes a full-color imprint on the front and back cover in order to show off your brand.
Colorwav Soundbar
The ColorWav sound bar adds a new dynamic to your home sound system with its slim black construction and RGB-illuminated grill. Its multi-colored lights behind the grill light up your logo and create an impressive statement while high-quality sound fills the room. The compact size is perfect for various spaces, and the full-color packaging makes it an ideal gift for staff or VIP clients.
27 oz Denali Stainless Steel Vacuum Tumblers
Help your clients get excited for their morning commute with these 27 oz. Denali stainless steel vacuum tumblers! This attractive mug features double-wall vacuum insulation and a clear lid to keep your beverage at your preferred temperature and prevent any spills while on the go. The Ridge Deco-inspired design makes this tumbler stand out from the crowd of travel mugs and a product that people will be proud to bring everywhere. Not only is this tumbler secure, eye-catching, and large enough to hold as much of your favorite drink as you need, but it is also environmentally friendly with a BPA-free construction! Promote your brand on a mug you and your clients can feel good about!
And as always, we want to provide you with value. So if you want to create marketing campaigns (and appreciation gifts) that really hit the TARGET, check out our TARGET marketing playbook here.
