Trade shows may have been around for a long time but there is no doubt that they have remained a way to create lasting impressions about your business, Trade shows are one of the marvelous ways to create new business relationships, brand awareness, build prospects and gain some grounds in the niche you are serving.
Even with the advent of digital marketing, trade shows still retain their position in the marketing industry, so in this article, you will learn about 6 common mistakes made in Trade shows and how to cleverly avoid them.
1. Under or over-staffing.
How will you feel if you attend a trade show and behold a group of guys or ladies standing around like idols and fiddling their phone every now and then, it makes a mess of the event, it is also as bad when you attend a trade show and notice scarcity of trained personnel. Reputable and successful trade shows should have an adequate number of staff to attend to the audience and then at least two experienced MVPs of the brand to take on every technical question served by the audience.
2. Holding onto a conversation for too long.
It is absolutely recommended that a few, knowledgeable staff is present at your trade show event, to address clients. However, if you notice that you have a heavy traffic of clients trooping to your booth, it is wise that you cut every conversation to 3 minutes to a maximum of 5 minutes so that you can attend to more audience. If you fail in this time management, you will definitely lose some audience in the trade show. Instead, schedule a follow-up discussion where you can talk their interest in details.
3. Forgetting relevant conversations.
Exhibiting at trade shows without plans of taking important notes is a bad idea, there is no way your staff will remember everything he or she discusses with clients. It is advisable to jot important points so that these points can be raised as agendas to talk about in the CRM as a targeted follow-up at the conclusion of the exhibit.
4. Missing Deadlines.
It is advisable that you make proper plans and also to make those plans early. Bookmark your exhibitor kit, and make sure you don’t exceed your deadlines, and avoid spending or wasting money before, during and after the event.
5. Blending in with the rest.
It absolutely makes no sense that you have the most beautiful booth but still has no traffic on your lane. If this happens, there is a high probability that you may not come back next year. You need to be creative, the easiest thing to do now is to utilize the social media, you can tweet or put up real-time feeds from the trade show booth. You can also launch a new product, or have tradeshow bonanzas. You just need to have a way to engage your audience, if not, other exhibitors will cash in on your flaws.
6. Not following up in a timely manner.
The best time to plan for follow up is before the trade show. The more time you leave leads unattended, the less interested they will become. It is important to plan and set timelines for follow-up after a trade show. This helps you to measure results. It is crucial for marketing to harness this piece of the process so that hot leads will be distributed accordingly and sales can prioritize their time properly.
-Still have questions or concerns about where and how to begin? Contact us today for a free consultation and complimentary rendering of your booth.