Trade shows offer a great platform for value added resellers (VARs) to promote their products and services. VARs can showcase their new offerings and reach out to wider audience at these events. They get the chance to directly meet their prospective buyers and increase brand awareness. As a VAR, you spend money, time and energy in attending trade shows, yet it can be a valuable investment. These events offer plenty of opportunities for VARs to market their business, which can help to gather leads and increase sales.
However, exhibiting at trade shows is often expensive for VARs. The cost of renting a booth space is particularly pricey. So VARs need to have a solid strategy to make the most of the investment. A haphazard approach to trade shows will not give the results that match your needs.
The following are the things VARs should consider when attending a trade show:
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1. Choose the Right Trade Show to Attend
If you want to make trade shows work for you, it is imperative that you find the right one. Every year, hundreds of technology-related trade shows are held in the United States. It doesn’t make sense to attend trade shows that are not recommended for your industry type. So understand and identify your business segment and target market. You can even consult various trade associations to find your niche market. The trade show you choose should match your objectives and ensure that your target audience is attending it.
2. Evaluate the Show’s Potential Value
Browse through the trade show’s website and get as much information as possible about the event. Explore the Internet and check for articles, blogs and reviews that discuss the experience of exhibiting in the trade show. As a VAR, your main purpose of participating in the trade show is to meet potential clients for your products/services. So try and find out which companies will be attending the show.
Check out the history of the trade show and ensure that it is well-established. Find out the number of vendors exhibited and type of products showcased last year. The more popular the event, the more will be the attendance. This in turn will bring greater exposure to your business. So assess the trade show’s value and evaluate its marketing potential by interacting with previous exhibitors and attendees.
3. Choose and Send the Right Person
As a VAR, you choose an appropriate Business management platform to run your business efficiently. Similarly, you need to select and send the right sales associate who can make your exhibit a success. The sales associates that you will send to the trade show represent your VAR business and objectives. They are the face of your business, the first point of contact. Someone who only stands behind the booth is unlikely to bring any new business to your company. On the other hand, someone with a positive attitude and friendly personality can help to attract and win customers.
It goes without saying that you need to choose the best one who engages customers with product knowledge and promotions that your company is offering. It is imperative that your sales associates attending the event know the product inside out so that they can confidently interact with potential customers.
4. Make your Staff Aware of Proper Booth Etiquettes
Your staff’s presence and demeanor can make a big difference in gaining new customers. You have spent money and sent your staff to get prospective business clients. So it is important that your staff members focus on trade show attendees, instead of talking with each other. Your staff should collect correct contact details from those who visit your booth. Avoid mistakes like talking on mobile phones or checking mails as it will make your attendees feel less important.
Advice your staff to keep an approachable demeanor and be enthusiastic, which will give them a reason to spend time at your booth. Staff members are also expected to maintain their booth space in a sanitary condition, keeping it free from any trash or waste material.
5. Invest in Marketing Material
Make sure you have all the marketing material needed to promote your products and services to potential customers. This may include brochures, banners and business cards, which will help to establish your credibility as well as enable you to communicate your offerings in a convincing way. It is also important to give a product demo so that trade show attendees get a better understanding about your offerings.
6. Use Social Media
Social media marketing is an effective medium to make a splash at trade shows. VARs participating in trade shows can engage with consumers and increase their business reach using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. With hundreds of brands and thousands of attendees gathering at trade shows, it can be really difficult to get heard in such a competitive environment. In such circumstances, VARs need to use social media to market your business, generate interest and drive attendance to your booth.
Here’s how VARs can use social media to boost their trade show presence:
- Just a week or two, before the event, announce your trade show presence via your social media profile on Twitter, Facebook etc. You can share your booth No. and your enthusiasm for the upcoming trade show. Make sure to use the event hashtag on social media to connect with the attendees of the event.
- During the event, update your social media status with information that encourages attendees to visit your booth. For instance, you can announce discounts, promotions etc., which will help you to create a buzz about your booth.
- During the event, you can also initiate conversations and engage with attendees by replying to comments that people leave on your social media page. Also share valuable content such as blog posts to stay connected with your followers.
- After trade show, you can continue to engage with prospects and existing customers that you have met during the event. Spread word about your products/services. Many VARs share photos and even create YouTube videos of the event.
