Tip #3 – Give Them a Reason.

An important part of your messaging when contacting your customers and prospects early and often, as we discuss in Tip #1 and Tip#2, is giving them a REASON to come to your booth. Your message “Come see me at Booth #123” isn’t enough. Tell them why.

  • Are you introducing a new product or service?
  • Announcing updates to a classic product that will better serve them?
  • Do you have a live, quick product demo?
  • Offering any show-only discounts or selling a product at a show rate?
  • Do you have any free giveaways that are of value?

Of course a tried and true way to give attendees a reason to visit your booth is by giving away free stuff. Just be cautious that any free giveaways make sense for your business and your image. While it’s best to pick a promo item that they’ll use and re-use again and again (i.e. tote bags, USB flash drives, etc.), once you’ve decided on a promo item, here are some pre-show mailing ideas to get the word out to your target audience:

  1. Pre-mail a special invitation postcard, telling them to bring it to your booth at the show to claim a prize.
  2. Pre-mail half of a prize, with a message to pick up the other half at your booth.
  3. Having a hard time booking an appointment with a target prospect? Mail a pocket planner with a message to use it to schedule appointments while at the show, and include some pre-printed passes you were given in your marketing kit. Be sneaky and fill in one of the time slots in the planner to come to your booth. “They’ll get a kick out of it and be there at the appointed time. If they can’t make the appointment, they’ll usually call to arrange another time.” says Steve Miller, president of The Adventure of Trade Shows.2  

No matter what your compelling reason is to visit your booth, always take a step back and think about why your customers and prospects are coming to the show in the first place, and focus on that in your booth messaging. “It’s like drill bits. Someone buying a drill bit is more interested in the hole the bit will make than the bit itself.”1 Think about how you can set up your booth to show the benefits of the products, not just the products themselves.

 For more promotional ideas, check out Tip #4 to “Promote and Emote” both before and during AMTS 2011.

 

1. Quote from Margit Weisgal, president of Trade Show Exhibitors Association, Chicago, as printed in Dayton Business Journal 12/25/09.

2. http://www.epromos.com/educationCenter/qus42.jsp