You've Drawn Traffic To Your Trade Show Booth...Now How Do You Keep Them There?

YOU'VE DRAWN TRAFFIC TO YOUR TRADE SHOW BOOTH......
NOW HOW DO YOU KEEP THEM THERE?

In a previous blog, I discussed how to draw people to your trade show booth. Since then I've heard from several of my customers regarding this blog & even though they liked the suggestions, they all seemed to have the same concern: once you attract people to your booth, how do you get them to stay rather than take the promotional custom products & run?

That's a very good question. The main purpose of a trade show is to draw prospective customers to your booth to learn about your product or service & to let your current clients know you're around & have added new features to your existing line.

The fun give-aways should be a tool to get them to your booth, not the main reason for being there. These promotional imprinted products should also serve the purpose of spreading your name around the show & reminding people of you after the show is over.

So how you display & give out promotional items is very important. Don't just lay the promos out on the table for anyone to take as they pass, but use it as a lure to get people in your booth & to talk to a representative.

1. Candy or Gum. The one exception to this rule may be candy. As I already explained in my blog, How To Draw Traffic To Your Trade Show Booth, this item may draw crowds to you but it won't keep them there. Therefore, if it's still candy you want to give out then I would leave it in a basket or bowl by an eye-catching display of your product or service.

2. Polypropylene Non-Woven Bags. These bags are a great way for your name to be seen throughout the show as people tote them from booth to booth, but I wouldn't leave them by the entrance just to be grabbed out of necessity of needing a bag. Instead have them hanging towards the rear of your booth so people have to come in & pass your displays. Hopefully a rep will be available to talk to them about your company. Make sure all bags have printed material about your business in them......catalogs, sales fliers, pens with your logo on them, anything you may have that can fit in that bag.

3. Products That Light Up. Anything with lights will grab attention so let the promotional imprinted products you give out do the same. Have someone from your company wander around the exhibit area using the item & directing people back to your booth.

4. Beach Balls. I didn't mention these in my previous article, but they're easy to transport to the trade show & something that will be used after the show is over so your name & logo will still be visible. I'm mentioning them now because they are a great way to attract crowds to your booth by displaying them in this simple manner. Put at least one table fan at each end of the entrance with the fan on high & facing up towards the ceiling. Then place an inflated ball over it & it will bounce in the air for the entire day.

After all this, make sure you have plenty of reps on hand to answer questions & talk about your company. If someone is greeted by another person when they enter your booth, chances are they'll stay to listen & look around.

I hope this helps. Good luck at your next trade show.
IT'S YOUR COMPANY......SHOW IT OFF!!!
Ronni Sherman

Eight Steps & Customized Promotional Items Are Yours!

I've had many customers request their promotional imprinted products the day after they've ordered them. "What's the delay......how long does it actually take to put my logo on a pen?" they ask.

And my customers aren't the only ones to pose that question--I used to ask the same to my vendors when something was needed right away. It all seemed so easy......make a screen & then let the machines run by computers carry on. Hah!-not so, read on.

Yes, of course, in most cases promotional items can be done within 24 - 48 hours but there's usually a rush charge added & sometimes, though not all the time, it can be quite hefty. That brings on another onslaught of questions with a few expletives thrown in.

So let me explain the steps it takes to imprint on promotional custom products--in this case, pens, the most used of all advertising specialties.

1. Once an order is received, it goes to the art department. The art may have to be recreated or converted to a correct format. It is then scanned & sent out digitally as a proof.
2. The next step depends on you, the customer......how long it takes for you to approve it & get back to me with your approval or changes.
3. When the art department receives the approval, the artwork & copy are printed on a special paper which is used to make the screen.
4. A screen is burned. This is a timely process because they have to make sure there are no holes or fills. Then it's washed down. By the way, this explains the screen or set-up charge that is often questioned.
5. Next, the machine has to be set up for the screen & the pen to be imprinted. Since all screens are different & most pen styles are varied, this is done with each order.
6. A few test pens are printed & if it goes smoothly, the order is run. This includes printing, heating & a curing process which gives the imprint longevity.
7. The pens are scanned & the ones with flaws are weeded out.
8. It's then packed, shipped & on it's way to you.

So there you have it......next time you're told it could it could be 5 - 10 working days, you'll have a better understanding. One thing to keep in mind with all of this, your order is not the only one in-house, so how long each step takes also depends on how many are ahead of you.

Remember, pens travel......they go from hand-to-hand just like a dollar bill does. This is one of the best ways to let your company name be seen, so it's definitely worth the wait!
IT'S YOUR COMPANY......SHOW IT OFF!
Ronni Sherman

How To Draw Traffic To Your Trade Show Booth With Promotional Wholesale Products

These next few months bring on an onslaught of spring trade shows.

Have you ever stood in your near-empty booth & noticed that it's the same companies that draw the crowds to their booths everyday, all day? How do they do it? You sell the same product; your display is brighter & larger than theirs, yet people walk past your booth & stop at your competitor's.
It's not the product & it's not the display. It's what they're giving away that's attracting the crowd. Whether you're in a grocery store or a trade show, people love samples & freebies & that's where they congregate.

ADVERTISING SPECIALTIES & PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS
ARE YOUR ANSWERS!

Here are three ideas that will draw people to your booth & they will walk away advertising your company for you:

1. Candy or Gum. This is the most logical because wherever free food is given out, you'll find a horde of people. It's definitely a crowd-pleaser but my least favorite of all promotional imprinted products. Your logo may be on the candy wrapper but as soon as it's unwrapped, it's in the waste paper basket & your name goes unnoticed.

2. Polypropolene Non-Woven Bags. In my opinion, this is the number one promotional give-away. Have you ever been at a trade show & needed an extra bag? As you've looked around you've noticed people all toting the same bag with the same company name on it. I've been approached & asked where I've gotten the bag I was carrying. The bonus is they're all advertising for you as they're walking around the show displaying the bag with your advertising message on it.

3. Products That Light Up. Signs that catch your attention are ones that are lit in some way. The same is true for promotional custom products. And there's a wide variety of them to choose from. Here are just a few ideas: pens, yo-yo's, high bouncer balls, flash drives & even some drink ware. All of these have LED lights that are activated when the item is used. Contact me for more items that light up & attract attention.

I hope this helps & that at the next trade show it's your booth that has the people pushing to get in.
IT'S YOUR COMPANY......SHOW IT OFF!!!
Ronni Sherman