Trade shows are back! As we talk with clients, we hear how excited their sales, marketing and product teams are to go back to trade shows and in-person networking events. Before you head out, there are a few things to do in advance to make sure you have everything you need to successfully promote yourself.
Trade events are still an important marketing channel, especially for B2B businesses. Trade show marketing materials that adhere to your brand guidelines and make a visual impact will strengthen your brand image and further build on your brand awareness.
To successfully market your brand at trade shows, conferences, and business events, all print and digital marketing materials should display the same logos, colors, typography, and messaging. Using one source to develop and produce all these materials is the easiest way to ensure brand consistency across all marketing assets, while also saving you time and money. At Deforest Group, we've helped many companies conduct successful trade events by designing, producing, and fulfilling their collateral needs, taking the guesswork out of that phase of event planning. Examples of typical event collateral include:
Catalogs
Handouts & Sell Sheets
Swag
Retractable Pop-Up Banners
Tabletop Signs
Banners
Life Size Cutouts
Booth Graphics
A trade show is an excellent opportunity to create memorable customer experiences. Brands that deliver these memorable experiences are more likely to stick in a customer’s mind. Memorable and effective marketing doesn’t have to be flashy. A professional and well-thought-out display can do wonders for creating a positive experience. So, how can you attract and engage with attendees? There are a variety of ways, including:
Interactive displays
Product demos
Presentations
Games or contests
Prize wheels
Charging stations
Guided tours
Refreshments
The goal is to create a reason to get people to enter your booth and engage in a discussion to learn more. People that have a reason to enter your booth and interact are more likely to have memorable experiences, which means they’re more likely to consider your products or services. Creating these memorable experiences is great for branding. As we mentioned, positive interactions help a brand stick in a customer’s mind. But sometimes it’s tough to come up with creative and clever ways to create experiences on your own. That's where the right creative partners can help with the right trade show promotional marketing plan.
So how do you get started with the "pre-show" marketing planning process? We're here to help.
We've developed a handy checklist you can use to prepare for your event, no matter if it's a year away, or even just a few weeks. For a FREE copy, click here and we'll send you a link to download it.
It's never too soon to start thinking and planning out all the details around your trade event. If the task list seems overwhelming, just reach out to Deforest Group for your free, no-obligation consultation to discuss the ways that we can work with you to manage the creative and production process for all the marketing materials needed to make yours a successful event!