Trade shows are a great marketing tool. They are an opportunity to combine several different types of marketing strategy. Trade shows allow for personal contact with potential customers, a chance to practice that cold call script, and can often provide information for the direct mail database.

What the trade show does is give the small business owner the opportunity to provide company and product awareness to potential customers and a chance to introduce new products to long-standing customers.

Marketing Strategy for Trade Shows

Small businesses should go into a trade show with carefully outlined objectives. The reasons for attending the trade show should be clear. Is it to attract new customers with old products? Is it primarily to introduce a new product line? Is it mostly a chance to mingle with customers and to keep abreast of innovations in the industry?

There are no wrong reasons for going to a trade show, but it is like any other marketing opportunity. It needs to be well-thought out and approached in a professional manner.

At the Show

When attending a trade show, small businesses will want to have plenty of information packets available for anyone who stops by their booth. There should always be adequate personnel available to staff the booth. It does not matter how attractive the booth is if there no one around to talk to customers. The staff representing the small business should look and behave professionally. They should be well groomed, smiling, and provide a positive, energetic attitude. The representatives should stand in front of their booth’s table, if possible, rather than sitting behind the table. Having a barrier between the representative and the customer can be seen as a negative. A representative standing next to the customer is more open and inviting.

People like giveaways, so the small business should have plenty of specialty items to hand out. Items like pens and coffee mugs get the name and important contact information into the hands of customers. Interesting or unique giveaway items attract potential customers to the booth.

After the Show

When the trade show is over, the small business should follow up with anyone who stopped by the booth and left contact information. This could be with a direct mail or a phone call even an e-mail. For very positive interactions or actual sales, a personal note should be sent.

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