In part 1 of “Trade Show Strategies to Maximize Your ROI in 2015”  we did an overview on determining your trade show goals, how to use the right technology for your goals, and then how to measure success.

In Part 2 we’re going to give you ideas for attracting relevant customers to your booth, which is another necessary component if you’re going to drive that ROI where you want it.

The Key to Effective Giveaways

Far too many exhibiters set up their booth at a trade show, put up their cool giveaway sign which says something to the effect, “Put in your business card for a chance to win an iPad.”

Hmm. There are a number of issues with that approach; namely:

  1. The traffic that comes to your booth is not relevant to your brand, product, or service, which means they are not good prospects.
  2. An iPad has nothing to do with your brand, product, or service unless you are Apple or you happen to have a business like ours where we rent iPads for events.

Bottom line – any giveaway or competition you do needs to be relevant in some way. At least if you care about your ROI.

There is no point in attracting people to your booth who are not potential customers, potential partners, or someone who could benefit from what you offer, or could benefit your company in some way. Yes, meeting people can be fun and has value in and of itself. But we’re talking about Trade Show ROI, so it’s important that your resources – which include those who are working the booth – are focused on hitting your booth goals and bumping up your success.

With that in mind, if you do decide to do a giveaway or have some form of competition, what you do needs to be aligned with your brand, product, or service. So, rather than offer a piece of technology that has nothing to do with your business, offer one of your services or products as a giveaway. Right away this attracts people who are interested in what you offer and ALSO tells people what you do.

The Key to Effective Charity-Giving

Giving to charity always seems like a great idea, and you don’t have to look far to see the increasing trend of companies tying their sales to a certain donation amount to be given to their selected charity.

Yes, you could select the latest popular charity and announce that for every ten Tweets where people use your #charityyourcompany you’ll donate x amount. Or, just like with the Giveaways, you could set it up so that the charity you select is relevant to your industry or business. People who care about that relevant charity are more likely to care about what your business offers. When you support things that are relevant to your business, you again draw in a more targeted demographic while also enhancing their trust.

When people trust you, they are more inclined to become your customer. When properly planned, you can generate a profit, improve your company’s social relevance, and better the world all at the same time.  Now who wouldn’t want to do that?