Tips on trade show marketing

Dec 09, 2010

Photo: Professor of marketing Kathy Patterson

On December 6 business owners who attend or are considering attending trade shows as a means of marketing their products and services gathered at the Sydenham Town hall to hear first-hand tips from a pro. Kathy Patterson, a professor of advertising and integrated marketing communications at St. Lawrence College, has worked in marketing for small and medium-sized businesses for 20 years, focusing primarily on trade shows and direct marketing. She spoke at a free seminar sponsored by the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation. Her presentation covered strategic planning for trade shows, which are considered by most business to business marketers as “the single most effective and efficient lead generation and prospecting tool.”

She began with the planning and the importance of first defining your target audience by researching shows that will work for your particular business. “Business owners sometimes tend to forget that trade shows are also a business, so investigating them first before you sign up is key.”

She stressed data collection as “the single most important thing you can do at a show. It’s absolutely is golden.”

Pre-show marketing can also determine the successful outcome of a show and she suggested a pre-show mailing campaign advertising free giveaways, a booth survey and free demonstrations as a way to attract clients to your booth. Patterson also encouraged the use of social media tools like Mail Chimp, Hoot Suite and Constant Contact as effective means of keeping up to date with customers as well as managing business data and contacts.

On site marketing was covered and Patterson suggested announcements, special events, entertainment, post show meetings and door drops at local hotels where show guests gather. For shows that prohibit on site advertising she spoke of the effectiveness of guerilla advertising techniques like using T-shirts as on site advertising for your business.

She covered training and highlighted the benefits of “not doing a show alone”, and focused on the importance of team training, consistent messaging, and offering staff incentives. She touched on the dos and don'ts of proper booth etiquette and discouraged eating, socializing and hiding behind displays.

She also focused on the cost/effectiveness of giveaways and said personally she'd prefer entering a draw for a free iPad than receiving a free pen.

Booth plans are key and Patterson suggested businesses visit a show to determine which booths are attracting the most crowds and why. Proper booth flow is an important consideration and she highlighted the psychology behind making people comfortable in your booth space. Booth displays can make or break any trade show and using either professional photographers or stock photography for large booth imagery should always be considered. When it comes to text, Patterson stressed the old adage “less is more” and that “clever” language can be a big draw.

Tips for engaging prospects included the importance of starting out with concise, qualifying questions to identify potential clients. The importance of listening, and avoiding “info dumps” and lengthy pitches was also stressed. Lastly Patterson covered post-show follow up and the importance of collecting data and following up with leads in a timely manner.

Kathy Patterson’s knowledge of trade shows was extensive and she definitely left no stone unturned in her informative presentation.

The Frontenac CFDC is planning a number of other workshops in the new year to benefit local area businesses. The next free seminar will be “An Introduction to Promoting your Business on Social Media” and it will take place on January 19 from 3:00-4:30 pm at the Sydenham Town Hall. Attendance will be limited to one person per business. Watch for the media release in the new year. For more information www.frontenaccfdc.com