Companies around the world attend trade shows and expos to promote their brand and their product(s) & services. A lot of money can be spent on attending these events, but is it spent wisely? Want to know how you can increase leads from say 20 to 81? Read on…
Freebies
Having paid to attend the event, often $1000’s, companies seek to get the attention and contact details of attendees. As a result, attendees often walk away from trade shows with lots of freebies. Bags for life, frisbees, pens, t-shirts, drinks bottles, mugs, and more. The purpose of this is brand awareness, getting your company name out there; but is this an effective tactic?
How often have you been to a trade event and approached a stand just to get their freebies? You have no interest in what they’re offering, other than the freebie. This is probably the mindset of many and as such the money spent on creating the branded goods – that a lot of other stands will also have – is potentially money wasted.
The biggest drawback of such a tactic is that it’s success can not be measured. Hoping that people use their free mug or bag is all you can do.
An Attraction
An alternative to freebies is having an attraction on your stand. This is something brands have taken to doing more often of late, but many still don’t consider it a viable tactic. Being the stand with wow factor attracts attendees. There may well be a cost associated to that attraction but will it be as high as the cost of producing branded goods that may well never result in a lead? By having an attraction attendees are drawn to your stand, not to get a freebie, but to see the attraction, experience it, perhaps have a photo with it or better still ask questions about it. This is a conversation starter and this is something that is essential in networking.
Having a conversation with an attendee allows you to potentially collect their details as a lead, give them information there and then, or even make a sale. By having a conversation at least you’ll be able to gauge their level of interest and potentially qualify the lead.
3 Minute Angels are such an attraction. However our Angels offer more than just something to come and look at. They’re also an experience, a positive one at that!
Better Than Attraction
Attraction is a great pull to your trade stand. But what’s better than attraction? Interaction!
We’ve said that an attraction on your trade stand is a great way to increase footfall and ultimately lead collection. Having an attraction that is interactive on your trade stand is a fantastic way to encourage attendee engagement with your stand, you and your brand. If you can offer an attraction, you should. If you can offer an interactive attraction you should see increased success.
3 Minute Angels are a popular attraction for trade show stands. Not only do most people enjoy a massage, but our Halo Massage™ on your stand means that an attendee, and massage recipient, remains at your stand for at least 5-minutes. This, in terms of trade show and expo ‘time on stand’ statistics, is a long time!
Whilst that attendee is experiencing massage bliss, which they’ll associate with your brand, they’re yours to speak to. At a recent trade show a client of ours told us that on average they normally achieved about 20 leads. Having 3 Minute Angels on their stand this year led to 81 leads!
Summary
We believe that freebies aren’t a cost effective method of promoting your brand at a trade event. You’re not able to measure their success and people will happily come to get something free from you without having any interest in you.
Having an attraction on your stand is a great way to start a conversation and gather leads. People will come to investigate and then it’s up to your staff to engage.
Offering attendees an experience that is both positive and interactive can be trade show gold. 3 Minute Angels believe that our services add value and offer return on investment to companies who attend trade shows. If massage isn’t for you, here are some other ideas that spring to mind…
- Offer mini makeover or mini manicures (we suggest these girls)
- Have a photo booth for attendees (here’s an example: http://bit.ly/14pcO38)
- Perhaps a hands on demo with your product
- Maybe a game that offers a prize for the winner (see photo above)
There are ultimately thousands, if not millions of ideas you could use for your stand. Maybe you can think of something totally unique? Have you had something awesome on your trade stand in the past? Maybe you’ve seen a cool trade stand recently? Let us know by leaving a comment below…
This post was inspired by Leading Reach’s article on trade show marketing: http://bit.ly/12XJtjI