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How to Market Your Brand on Trade Shows and is It Worth It

11 min read

Many companies neglect or don’t realize the massive value that a trade show can have for them.

These events are far from out of date or no longer relevant. In fact, trade shows are still an incredibly effective marketing strategy for both professionals of a particular industry.

Let’s take a look at trade shows and what makes them so valuable.

What is a Trade Show?

Firstly, we should define what a trade show is, which may also be referred to as a trade fair or exposition.

These exhibitions bring together companies and sellers from a particular industry to show off, discuss, and demonstrate the latest products and services to other businesses and members.

Essentially, trade shows are where you can find the latest and greatest iterations of the products and services in the industry.

Usually, trade shows can come in different formats or types, but they are often exclusive events for members of a particular industry.

In other words, the general public is typically not allowed to attend, but this can vary depending on the trade show. Most of those attending will be business representatives, top industry leaders, members of the press, and others related to the industry.

The trade show floor will be filled with people, exhibits, and booth displays that provide valuable insight into the industry’s future. Other trade show offerings include:

Workshops and presentations from industry leaders
Media interaction
Award presentations
Organized networking events
Private exhibit events

What Are Trade Shows For?

Sure, seeing the latest iteration of products and services is cool, but what are trade shows for when it comes to your business?

Well, attending trade shows can have a multitude of benefits for those attending, including:

Networking opportunities: One of the most significant benefits of trade shows is the networking opportunities. With so many industry professionals and leaders in one place, this is the perfect time to build some relationships and connections. Business leaders may be one conversation away from incredible opportunities for growth.
Workshops and presentations: There will often be several workshops or presentations throughout the course of trade fairs. There is no requirement to attend all of these, but some of them may present valuable insight or learning opportunities.
Develop brand awareness: Putting up an exhibit at a trade show can be an excellent way to develop brand awareness. Allowing industry professionals to view and interact with your product or service while you deliver your vision can be a great way to get your name out there. Furthermore, the professionals and veterans of the industry may be able to offer valuable insight, commendation, or critique that can be used to improve.
Industry insight: The overall value of a trade show is in the comprehensive industry insight. It allows business owners to see what their competition is doing right and wrong, speak to industry leaders, and receive all of the latest industry-related news. This helps to decide what changes to make or new products/services to launch.
Generate leads: Showing your product or service on the floor allows you to engage with other industry businesses who may have never heard of your brand. This allows you to sell them face to face, which will always be better and more personal than attempting this over the phone or email marketing. Even if they don’t buy then, the personal connection opens up the chance for follow-up after the trade show.
Learn about the competition: Trade shows are one of the most effective viewing windows into what your competition is up to. It lets you see their new products, services, any changes, strategies, customer interaction, and more. This lets you see how customers react to their offerings and gives valuable insight into exactly what you should be doing to stand out from the crowd.

Are Trade Shows Worth It?

For those asking whether trade shows are worth it, the answer is a resounding yes.

The large amount of insight, networking, and opportunities is hard to find elsewhere. Staying on top of industry news and changes is critical for a business to be proactive. Learning of changes or shifts later than everyone else puts your business in a position of having to react rather than being prepared.

Realistically, the networking opportunities alone make trade shows worth it. Interacting with professionals and leaders in your industry can help form mutually beneficial relationships for growth and expansion.

The Cost of Participating in a Trade Show

The costs for participating in a trade show can vary depending on the level of participation and the event itself. Those looking to have an exhibit at the event will have to consider a multitude of costs, including:

Booth rental
Production and design of the booth
Booth equipment and shipping
Unloading and setting up
Travel/accommodations
Samples, promotion, and marketing materials

There may not be an immediate return on these costs, but brand awareness and professional interaction can offer returns in the future.

Those looking just to attend a trade show will only have the attendance fee and travel/accommodations to consider. This is a good way to go for those new to the industry or who cannot afford an exhibit in the budget at this time.

Effective Trade Show Marketing

Now that you understand more about the purpose of trade shows, let’s talk about what you can do for effective trade show marketing.

Tradeshow marketing can be an incredible way to gain exposure, generate leads, and enhance current client relationships.

Here are some general tips for improving your trade show marketing and how to promote it.

Promote your trade show appearance online

The first step is to promote your trade show appearance along all possible channels. You want to ensure your target audience knows you will be there to spark interest.

This can include making a blog post about it or even a dedicated page for the event.

Email can be another excellent promotional channel. You can either send out personalized emails to various targets or blast to your email list. Don’t forget to include a link to the web page or blog post about it as well.

Of course, don’t forget to hit all of your social media channels with trade show promotion as well. It doesn’t have to be a lengthy post. Just enough to get the word out and maybe include some hashtags for the audience to share around.

Create print promotions

You should also be creating physical promotional materials as well, such as flyers or brochures. These should promote the products or services you display at the trade show.

This way, visitors can have something to take with them and read after seeing your booth.

These printed materials should include a call to action and contact info for customers to reach you.

Design your booth

Your booth should be well-designed and constructed, as you want it to attract attention. It should include eye-catching signs and graphics and even seating to make it easy for people to stay.

If you or a team member are not experienced in these areas, it may be a good idea to hire a professional designer and contractor.

Presentations and demos

For the main courses of action, you will want to plan out some product or service presentations/demos.

These are the most essential activities for your trade show booth. They need to show off your product or service and highlight the features.

However, don’t go overboard either. Trade show attendees are trying to see many presentations during their time there, so yours should be brief but to the point.

Additionally, don’t try to sell anyone hard, as you want the presentations to speak for themselves. Let people ask questions at the end of the presentation to ensure they get all of the information.

Extras

If you want to go the extra mile, you can hand out useful freebies, such as notebooks or water bottles with your branding or significant coupons. Going slightly bigger will help to differentiate you from all of the other booths at the event.

Don’t Underestimate Trade Shows

You may not see an immediate return on spend for the trade show.

However, these events can be invaluable for exposure, networking, and improving brand awareness.

Make sure to follow up on any leads after the event to thank them for checking out your display and to maximize your conversion.

Ecwid is Here to Help with Your Ecommerce Needs

Even if you prefer to communicate with your future customers in person it doesn’t mean you don’t need a website or an online store. After all, they might want to explore your brand online after the show or even during it.

This is when Ecwid can help.

Our ecommerce platform can be integrated with numerous online spaces, including Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, your own website, and more.

If you have an online store built with Ecwid, you can be sure your customers will find you online.

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Aug 25, 2023

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.