Trade Shows: A great tool to get more business visibility
If you are looking for new marketing tools to make your brand stand out from the rest, Trade Shows should be an important part of your plan. Let’s talk about what you need to know about Trade Shows and how to participate in one.
It’s true that Trade Shows have become a trend because among other things they help entrepreneurs to get insight into buying trends and the buyer´s thinking. They also help in observing competitors and their way of doing business. One gets an open ground to meet and greet with new and prospective clients.
Trade Shows are not just important when you want to get new clients but are also a great platform for business networking. Business owners can get in touch with many prospective clients, partners, affiliates that are in the same line of business and may want to work with you.
Trade Shows and business conferences can also be used for advertisement purposes. One study showed that 82 percent of attendees have buying power.
A well-designed Trade Show will make attendees remember your company long after the event is over.
How to get the most of your Trade Show participation?
Trade Shows can be an expensive marketing tool. Before you invest in one of them, you should calculate an estimate cost, including booth or table fee, display material, marketing literature, promotional items and staffing.
First of all, you need to define your goals. Are you looking for names, e-mail addresses, to meet people and make contacts, to close some sales or to make your brand stand out from the rest?
Then research the Trade Show to make sure that it will be attracting your target audience. Try to contact people who have participated in the Trade Show in the past to find out if it worked for them.
Invite your own customers and prospects to attend. Some companies motivate customers to attend with features such as a demo or special event at their booth or the promise of receiving a free gift.
Media outlets are usually attracted to Trade Shows, so organize interviews with key industry editors in order to not only get your name in print but also to develop an ongoing relationship with media representatives.
In order to do some ground work in preparation for your trade show, visit other Trade Shows and observe the displays and how people work.
Your booth should be eye-catching. You can use photographs, testimonial letters and press clippings to make it look attractive. The booth will probably be your biggest expense, but it is also the most important. Create personalized eye-catching marketing material and put a huge two-word headline on it. The idea is to get attendees to stop in front of your booth. Think of your marketing materials as “bait for fishing in the aisles,” says Paul Endress, President of Maximum Advantage International, Harrisburg PA. Your backdrop should be simple and concise – five or six words to tell your story; something that people cruising by will get quickly.
Your staff should be prepared to give a quick description of what you do, the services you offer and information on the product or program you´re promoting. Don’t stay chained to your booth. Designate people to man it while you work the room.
Find out a way to exchange business cards and interact with the other exhibitors. They may need your products and services and vice-versa.
Remember that a Trade Show is a source for leads, not clients. Follow up on all of your leads with phone calls and include the relevant contacts in your newsletter and direct mailings.
For Breweries, Beverage Trade Network recommends NBWA. Founded in 1938, the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) is a trade association that represents the interests of the 3,300 licensed, independent beer distributors – with operations located in every state and congressional district across the United States – before government and the public.
NBWA works to strengthen the state-based system of alcohol regulation that facilitates an orderly marketplace; creates a transparent and accountable system of alcohol distribution that protects American consumers; and promotes responsibility in the manufacture, distribution, sale and consumption of alcohol.
For Wineries and Distilleries, we recommend WSWA (Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, Inc. (WSWA) is the national trade organization representing the wholesale tier of the wine and spirits industry. It is dedicated to advancing the interests and independence of wholesale distributors and brokers of wine and spirits.
Founded in 1943, WSWA has over 350 member companies in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Members distribute more than 70 percent of all wines and spirits sold at wholesale in the United States.
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Headquartered in Washington, D.C., WSWA provides its members with representation before Congress, executive agencies, regulatory bodies, courts, and other alcohol beverage industry organizations.
In addition, WSWA offers a wide range of services in the areas of public affairs, education and social responsibility, as well as valuable cost-saving programs.