The latest trends in marketing focus on social media and content strategies as being the smart way to market your company. However, a successful marketing strategy employs both online and offline channels to connect with current and potential customers.
Though there are several ways to promote your products/services – exhibiting is one of the methods that can create a big impact. This can be attributed to the fact that it allows face-to-face interaction between the company and the potential customer. For prospects, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research reports that 83% of decision makers say that exhibitions allow them to be very productive in a concentrated amount of time.
Exhibitions also play an important role for companies to:
- Gain insight into products and services offered by competitors
- Increase brand awareness
- Conduct market research
- Introduce new products
- Build current relationships
- Gather quality marketing and sales leads
- Attract media attention
- Interact with industry peers.
However, exhibitions can be costly and involve a lot of time, effort and manpower, so how do you ensure a high ROI?
- Set some objectives – what do you want to get out of the event? Generate some new leads? Research into what competitors are doing? Decide before you go, measure the results after and record for next time.
- Choose the right employees – train them on how to engage, qualify and close with prospects. More prep up front will ensure that you get more from staff on the day.
- Make your exhibition graphics look good – there’s no point in all the travelling and key members of the workforce being out of the office if your stand doesn’t make an impact. A booth with a standout design will cause delegates to recognise your brand name, thus building that brand awareness.
- Appeal to the senses – think of something creative to attract delegates by giving them something to hear, see, touch and taste. This will all contribute to the success of your exhibition display stand.
- Focus your messaging – on the benefits to the potential customer, not the features. What will it do for them? How will it save them money? How will it make them more efficient?
- Finally, it’s all about the communication – once you’ve created a great stand, don’t forget to tell people about it. Invite them to come and visit you or sponsor the event to ensure your company name is on all the promotional material.
