If you have a home business and want to boost your sales, attending a trade show is a good idea. Look for trade shows in your region and reserve your spot as far in advance as possible. Once you know the date and location of the trade show and are sure that you can attend, it is time to start planning for the event. These tips will help you be more successful.
1. Identify Your Unique Value Proposition
First, make a list of your local or regional competitors. Comb their websites to see if they share reasons why people should choose them. Write down each of their positive attributes. You may notice that a few of them have one unique offering or characteristic. Find one about your company that differs from your competitors. If you do not have a significant one, it is time to create one. For example, if you run a pet daycare, you could consider offering a few pet spa services or special homemade treats and food for reasonable prices. It is always better to pick something that your competitors will have a hard time offering and something that will appeal to the public at the same time. However, you must also consider your limitations and budget. For the trade show, plan your materials and presentations to highlight your unique value proposition or unique attributes.
2. Plan a Giveaway
An offer for something free entices every person. Many home business owners bring little gift bags or trinkets such as key chains with their contact info to give away. You can still do this if you wish. However, it is better to give away an item of substantial value. For example, if you run a computer repair and refurbished computer sales business from your home, you could offer to give away a laptop. If the trade show is close to the start of a school year, you could also offer to give one away to a student. When you advertise this, you can say that you promote family time and education, which is why you want to encourage parents to bring their kids to the trade show. Any substantial giveaway will bring more people to your booth.
3. Build Hype on Social Media
Invest a little money in a paid ad on Facebook to boost your trade show plan. Let people know that you will have a giveaway. In the previous example, if you plan to give away a computer, you can say that you are giving away a high-value item without specifying what it is. For instance, you could say that one random winner will receive a $500-value prize or that a student who comes with a parent will win that prize. Ask people to share the post. To encourage sharing and likes on social media, you can also say that you will give away a modest reward to your 500th follower. You can choose any number. This encourages people to share the post and ask others to like your page, and it will help spread the word about your trade show without you having to invest a lot of money in a paid ad.
4. Use Visual Displays
Portable trade show displays can attract visitors to your booth, and you can reuse them for future events. As you consider trade show display ideas, be sure to choose or design something reflective of the brand image, brand voice, and mission of your home business. If you have limited time for setup, there are also retractable trade show displays.
5. Capture Your Leads
If people use badges with barcodes at the trade show, get a scanner. Since these devices can be expensive to buy outright for a home business owner, buy one only if you plan to attend many trade shows in the future or if you have other uses for it. There are apps such as iCapture, CDS Xpress Connect, and LeadPod that you can download on your phone to scan most trade show badges. Be sure to examine every visitor’s badge since each one could be an essential lead and follow up with them.
If speakers are allowed at the trade show, you can also try to arrange a solo speaking time slot for yourself to be more memorable to attendees. Remember that planning and advertising are just as crucial as capturing leads and following up with them.
