An essential component of marketing today is knowing your Audience and providing them with something of value. It is no longer enough to explain your product or service and hope that attendees will fill in the blank of where it fits within their day-to-day life. You have to answer that question and prove that your Brand can deliver some actual value.

The same is true for any trade show activation. You have to be thoughtful about all aspects of your trade show because even a whiff of inauthenticity is enough to drive potential consumers away. So, how can you create an exhibit that conveys you offer something of value and not just a gimmicky presentation? Read on.

Know Your Audience

This one is so important that it’s worth reinforcing. You cannot create an exhibit that is focused on the needs of your audience if you do not know what those needs are.

So dig through your research, not only on your audience but also the audience of this trade show. Identify where they align to ascertain the ideal possibility for your product or service at this show. What does this group want? How can you fulfill their needs?

Build Your Exhibit Thoughtfully

Once you identify these solutions, you can create a display that is focused on meeting these needs. Too often brands will create a flashy exhibit that is designed to attract eyeballs without much thought of what happens next.

It does you no good to grab attention if a viewer’s response is, “What the…?” You’re trying to encourage leads, not rolled eyeballs and indifferent shoulder shrugs.

It is better to create a display that is slightly less eye-catching and more authentic to your brand. That way, when you clearly indicate that you have a solution to their problems, the eyeballs that you do catch are much more likely to stick around.

Create an Experience, Not a Mess

Often, brands will hire a celebrity to do an autograph signing or for photo ops. This definitely works for attracting a crowd, of that there can be no doubt. The real question is: What is the value of that crowd? If all this group does is clog up the aisles and distract potentially valuable leads, the answer is “low, their value is low.”

Instead, design an exhibit that is inviting and open. Try not to inhibit the view of your booth from the aisle with walls or counters. Instead, allow your lighting and the natural movement of your booth entice people to visit. If you want to have people be the draw, have product demonstrations periodically throughout the day. You could also design an experience that engages visitors while informing them of your product or service. For example, if you’re a shipping company, create a 3D puzzle that simulates packing a container truck.

Enable Visitors to Interact with Staff Experts

When an attendee visits your booth, they are looking for more information than if they simply grabbed some collateral. That’s why it is essential to provide one-on-one conversations with folks who know the answers to their every question.

Try to have members of the C-suite available at times throughout the event, especially if you have an appointment set with a big fish. You also want to have designed your booth with these conversations in mind. Hanging out and talking on the show floor is fine for a casual discussion. However, when things get a little more serious, make sure you have a built-in area where quiet, important talks can take place.

Nobody Wants Your Junk

Is that harsh? Sorry, but it’s something that a lot of people need to hear.

The first person to hand out a USB stick was a pioneer; the 1,637,425th person is less so. When you hand out cheap, thoughtless tchotchkes, you are inadvertently giving that same impression about your company.

Sure, people love SWAG, but for a giveaway to be effective, it needs to pertain to your brand. That doesn’t mean it has to be expensive (in fact, a raffle for an expensive item is another way to attract foot traffic without attracting value). Someone needs to be able to look at what you gave them and recognize how it connects to your brand. Again, it’s all about the value you can provide. If your handout is something that people can use in their everyday lives, it is something that will be appreciated and used, which means your brand will increase in esteem in their eyes.

If you do want to hold a drawing, instead of offering an iPad or some other expensive bauble, hold a drawing for one of your high-end services or products. Again, you are providing something of value, but it ties directly into your product offerings and will help folks in their day-to-day lives.

Give Them a Break

The show floor is a hectic place, you can’t go wrong by just giving attendees a place to take a break.

If you provide a space in a quiet area of your display where someone can sit for a minute, charge their device, and check and answer email, you are providing value. It might not be the most interactive of engagement tactics, but attendees do take advantage of these amenities and not many exhibitors offer them. So, you will get visitors. Are they valuable visitors? Well, some are, some aren’t. However, this differs from a celebrity signing because they are out of the way and not clogging the aisles.

Be sure that the area is carefully branded and, if possible, have some products, or at least, some collateral nearby for the visitor to utilize. The one that can use your brand will likely engage you in a conversation, and the ones that are not will likely remember you should your services be needed.

Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up

You went to all of the trouble to build an exhibit designed to engage your prospects and collect leads, do not let all that effort go to waste. Follow up with every lead a day (or two, at the most) after the show.

According to a report from InsideSales.com, between 35 and 50 percent of sales ultimately go to the vendor that follows up first. Most companies (well, the ones that actually bother to) follow up with their leads within five days after the close of a show. That means, if you want to be first, you don’t have much time.

Really, there’s no such thing as calling a lead too soon. In fact, the longer you wait is more time these precious leads have to forget all about you. Don’t let that happen. Provide value by contacting those essential leads.

Real, authentic value is something that your audience craves. They are also becoming increasingly savvy and able to spot inauthenticity faster than ever. If you are getting ready to create a trade show display and want to provide as much value as possible, give The Trade Group a call at 800-343-2005. We have years of experience in delivering exactly what our client’s need and their audience desires.

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