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Today’s companies are spending more and
more of their marketing budgets on trade-show
marketing and they need to show a positive return
on this investment. Trade shows are one of the
most valued and utilized marketing strategies in
the United States, receiving the greatest share of
the business-to-business marketing budget. Annual
spending on trade-show marketing is more than
$24 billion, and just over 10 percent of promotional
products sales in 2013 were for trade-show pro-
grams, according to PPAI research.
Face-To-Face Interaction
Trade-show marketing derives much of its suc-
cess from the personal aspect of the marketing tac-
tic. Both exhibitors and attendees cite face-to-face
personal interaction as an important reason to
exhibit and attend shows. As more and more busi-
ness is conducted virtually, through email, web
conference and telephone, 48 percent of event
attendees say face-to-face interactions are more
valuable today than two years ago. Your clients
may be spending more than 21percent of their
marketing budget on this strategy. It can be an
excellent area for distributors to specialize in and
to become well-versed in the language and art of
effective trade-show marketing.
Multiple Benefits
Trade shows provide marketers with unique
sales opportunities that can generate new leads;
provide a chance to check out the competition, do
some networking and get some publicity; and
build relationships with the right buyers. A mar-
keter can accomplish at one trade show what
might take weeks or months to accomplish through
direct sales efforts. Closing a lead generated at a
trade show costs 62 percent less than closing one
that originates in the field, according to the Center
for Exhibit Industry Research (CEIR). The same
research study estimates that an organization saves
$943 by meeting a prospect at a trade show versus
in the field.
Trade shows are highly valued in helping to:
• Reinforce brand awareness
• Build and expand brand messages
• Introduce new products or services
• Target specific business segments
• Promote existing products and services
Clarify The Show Objectives
Your customers have to choose the right shows
for their industry, market niche and segments they
are attempting to reach. To make the best deci-
sions, they should be asking their customers to find
out what trade shows they attend since those are
the ones where they will likely find similar
prospects. Your customers should also pay atten-
tion to the shows where their competition is
exhibiting.
To make the best recommendations to your
customers, it is critical to know their trade show
objectives. Help them clarify their objectives by
asking them about what is most important.
• Write sales orders
If writing orders is a key objective, perhaps you
can suggest a gift-with-purchase that becomes a
show special and incentive for the booth visitor
to buy now. You may also recommend sales
incentives for the booth staff for sales made at
the show.
• Research the competition
If researching the competition is an objective,
hire a mystery shopper to visit competitors’
exhibits, pick up literature and take notes on
what they are offering.
• Increase their visibility within the industry
If your clients want to make their presence known
in their industry, recommend a larger trade-show
booth and show them the wide variety of trade-
show signage and graphics you can offer.
• Generate publicity and press mentions
Suggest your clients send news releases describ-
ing their participation in the show and the new
products or services they will introduce while
there. Send notes to local radio and television
stations to pitch a story. Your clients should also
make several one-minute video clips depicting
the show’s excitement, and post them regularly
on their social media channels.
• Spot new trends
Tell your client to challenge everyone working
the show to walk the floor and submit a list of
the three top trends that they’ve spotted in their
industry.
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PPB
• MAY 2015
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