Trade Show Planning Tips and Tricks for Brand Building (Part 2)

In the first installment of this series, we discussed trade show planning for brand building. At that time, we talked about defining your purpose, planning resources, and integrating the appearance with ongoing initiatives. We included trade show planning tips and tricks for first-time trade show attendees. Today, we will look at the steps to take before you choose a booth design.

Create a Vibrant Brand Presence for Six Months

One of the most important trade planning tips is to take a long view and start six months before the event to position your brand. Getting started early presents your company as an authority in the market.

• Landing page. Work with your IT department to design a landing page for the upcoming trade show. Incorporate the name of the trade show and its year in the title. This is a critical step for search engine optimization (SEO) and Google rankings. This page becomes the centerpiece of your trade show’s digital presence.
• QR codes. Quick response (QR) codes connect the consumer to your information. Print them on everything having to do with the trade show. We can even incorporate them into the design of banners and wall graphics. By using their smartphones, prospective attendees and customers can engage with your landing page and other areas on the website.
• Social media presence. Veterans of the trade show circuit know that creating a social media buzz ahead of the event is an excellent way of building relationships with customers before they meet you. Know your target demographic and the social media platform they prefer. With this information, create groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, or anywhere else that your customers like to be social.
• Blog. Now is also a good time to step up your blogging. If you are working with a writer, specify that you want blog content to focus on the upcoming trade show and the products you will present.

Offline Trade Show Tips and Tricks

The previous steps focused on building your brand presence online. However, it would be best if you also took the time to promote the trade show offline. For example, the advertising department should create sales collateral that can be sent out to established commercial clients. This information could take the form of a flyer showing your booth number, offering a free pass coupon, and teasing giveaways.

Now is a great time to attend Chamber of Commerce meetings and mixers. Hand out the flyers and become as visible among the local business community as possible. Some clients have successfully added a vehicle wrap to the mix. Vinyl car, truck, or van wraps can be something other than trade show specific, but they should display the QR code you develop. If you already have wrapped vehicles, we can add the QR code and landing page address as a temporary graphic.

If you still need to get a wrapped vehicle, consider having at least one car, truck, or van treated for the business. Besides making your company highly visible, it also gets the word out about your trade show appearance. Stay tuned for the third installment of our trade show planning tips and tricks. Conversely, call us today to have your questions answered!