Trade shows are one of the best places to get new connections and customers. Companies can show off new products and services while getting new leads. Some of the most popular trade shows include CES, ICUEE, SEMA 2019 Show, etc.
You need to invest plenty of time, money, and effort to get the best results in the trade show. However, you may waste a lot of your money and time if you don’t know what you’re doing. To prevent a poor exhibit, here are a few trade show mistakes that you can avoid.
- Not Joining Social Media
Social media marketing is one of the best strategies you can use for this new year. With more than half of the world using social media, use it for advertising your business. Make a social media account dedicated to your trade show.
Interact with your potential customers to build a fan base. You can also generate awareness, lead generation, and get more engagement. Social media will act as your pre-show where you tease your audience about your trade show.
After a few weeks or months of advertising, tell your followers when and where you’ll hold the trade show. During the event, live-stream the trade show to let global followers attend online. You can keep the buzz going after the show by resharing videos and pictures of followers at the event.
Missing out on social media marketing is one of the biggest trade show mistakes you could ever commit. Go ahead of your competition by using social media to get involved with more customers. It is also a cheaper way to advertise, so you won’t feel frustrated by the lack of funds.
- Giving the Wrong Show
When you think of an exhibit, you also have to think about your audience and goals. You can interact with new leads, establish relationships, and retain your business cycle. However, if you do a trade show in front of the wrong audience, everything is a waste.
What you need is a defined and clear goal before setting up a stage. Determine what you want to accomplish other than get more leads and increase sales. Make a plan that can make your goal succeed and know how to quantify your results.
- Low-Quality Exhibition Stand
Remember that a trade show is an event where you and your competitors are under the same roof. Every business has to develop a marketing plan, product, and service that is better than the rest. You can’t go for poor trade booth designs, banner stands, and displays.
Your exhibition stand needs to stand out of the crowd in a good way. What you need is a custom trade show booth that can show off your brand. Take a look at the stands from Rockway Exhibits for their best custom trade show booths.
- Clustered Info and Graphics
As soon as they enter, trade show visitors get bombarded with messages from many companies. You don’t want to have banner stands and displays that are visually busy. Try not to cram imagery and text into every bit of usable space.
Take advantage of the available space to emphasize your images, headings, and essential info. Highlight your company logo and name along with your brand’s unique selling points. Avoid using more than three font styles and colors.
Stick to minimalistic designs to prevent having your prospects avoid your colorful stand. Make sure you have a balance of the lights, music, colors, and banners. Know how to use your graphics to communicate your message efficiently.
- Going Cheap
Although you want to save some cash, avoid renting a generic trade show booth. If you’re not prepared to invest in your business, your prospects also won’t invest in you. A poorly designed exhibit will lose potential customers and damage your reputation.
What you need is a strategic, well-designed, and eye-catching display. Customize every part of your exhibit, from the dimensions and graphics to flooring and lighting. Make sure you design the booth that shows off all your products and services.
You can use a glass display to house a new kind of gaming console or use LED lights to show off a new phone. Custom exhibits are more cost-efficient, but you can re-use them. You can use your old custom trade show booth with a few modifications to make it look new and clean.
- Poorly Trained Staff
Staff training is something many companies tend to overlook. Knowing about your products and company is not enough for the trade show. Your staff will be the acting representatives of your company name.
They need to know what to say and do to establish new relationships and generate more leads. Pick representatives who are knowledgeable, charismatic, outgoing, and articulate. They need to know how to start conversations with the right information.
Make sure they know how to dress up well and act appropriately during the entire event. Make sure you set a few rules, like don’t use your phone during the event. They can answer personal calls on breaks where no one can see them.
Remind them never to leave the booth unattended. Your staff should also avoid sitting down since it can display their lack of energy and interest. Make sure you switch your representatives every once in a while to let them rest.
- Not Following Up With Leads
Following up with your leads is perhaps the most important factor to determine your trade show success. Although it’s important, about 63% of leads never receive a follow-up. To avoid making this mistake, create a system to follow up the leads you’ve captures.
For example, you can prepare an email template for the different types of leads. Personalize it with the lead’s name with the service or product they would like. Measure your results using performance indicators, such as conversion rate, click-through-rate, or return on investment.
Common Trade Show Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
These trade show mistakes are easy to avoid if you know more about what to do for the trade show. Make sure you start advertising on social media and find the right representatives. You won’t fail if you know how to design and plan for your goals.
You can make the best trade show booth if you avoid these trade show mistakes! Get to know more about trade shows with our other guides, tips, and tricks.
