Standing Out at Trade Shows and Job Fairs
Attending trade shows and job fairs can be important for any growing business. Events such as job fairs allow for recruitment of personnel through face to face interaction and spontaneous interviewing, whilst trade shows allow companies the time to interact with colleagues and other companies inside their industry as well as attract the attention of potential new customers. As a result, these kinds of exhibition can be very competitive, making it ever more important for your business to stand out from the crowd. One proven way of doing this involves the use of pop up displays that showcase new and upcoming products or services, including information about how they work, as well as general information and history of the company.
In addition to display stands and use of eye candy to attract customers, good solid representation from the company is also necessary. It is not uncommon to see HR personnel conducting interviews and processing initial paperwork next to managerial staff who represent the departments with vacancies to fill at a job fair. At trade shows, a spokesperson should be present in order to provide support and add a degree of professionalism to the overall presentation. Interaction with the CEO of the company is also preferable for small or medium sized companies.
It is safe to assume that your competitors will be employing all of the above techniques as well, so these are strictly the minimum requirements for successfully competing at an exhibition. Other proven methods include free samples, raffles, giveaways, and Q&A’s should the event sponsor allow it. For these kinds of occasions, a well-crafted speech and a great deal of preparation can help your company stand out from the competition. Ensure that you verbally communicate your company’s name, goals, history, and any other relevant information relating to upcoming products or services.
Before the event, be sure to announce it on the company website well in advance, including any useful information that might attract customers or those looking for jobs. This might be the names of those who will be there to answer questions, as well as the company’s reasons for attending the event. If the event has a site or forum then be sure to have your company listed in the attendees section. Where possible, get a full page representing your company. As this might cost money, make sure to allow for it in the company’s budget.
Events such as trade shows and job fairs can be vital for a company to achieve its desired strategic growth. Businesses willing to capitalise on the attention these events bring are in a position to stay at the forefront of their specific industry, gain qualified new employees and most of all maintain a transparency and interaction with colleagues and the target audience that might not otherwise be possible. Regardless of industry, it is important to be represented well, and exhibitions are a great way of allowing thorough and efficient brand representation.
Trade shows, job fairs, and other exhibitions are very important to the strategic growth and vitality of a company. Those who capitalize on such attention are in a position to stay at the forefront of the industry, acquire the best new employees, and maintain a transparency and a dialogue with colleagues and consumers that would not otherwise be possible. No matter what niche your company is in, it’s important to be represented by the industry, and exhibitions allow for this in a highly effective way.
About the Author: Dane Cross is a freelance writer, regularly blogging on the subject of trade show and event marketing. He currently writes on behalf of Marler Haley
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Making an Impact With Your Trade Show Marketing
Are your trade show appearances a success? Do you come away from each one feeling as though your money was well spent, that you made a positive impression on potential clients and everyone else who attended the show?
If you can’t answer that last sentence with a resounding ‘Yes’ then perhaps you need to start thinking outside of the box when it comes to the way that you market yourself and your company through your trade show displays, your content marketing, and the promotional items that you give away.
Do You Stand Out?
In a marketplace crowded with competing voices, all striving to drown each other out, you’ve got to make your company stand out in the boldest way possible. What are you going to do? You might consider live streaming from your booth at the trade show, interspersed with slick, funny, prerecorded content so you can have a 24/7 web presence during the trade show. That’s a great idea, but that should be only one of the weapons in your quiver.
Another great way to make an impact with your trade show marketing is hand out some kind of promotional item that becomes the talk of the trade show, the one cool item that everyone there wants to bring home. The kinds of things that almost everyone will use include things like 2 GB thumb drives on key chains imprinted with your company’s logo or name (preloaded with a small amount of marketing content for your company, perhaps a game or two). That’s something that everyone will want to take with them. A thumb drive will be used, and every time someone pulls it out, there will be your corporate logo to jog their memory about what your company does.
You can have a similar memory-jogging impact on people with the pens you choose to pass out. Just about everybody will take a pen (who doesn’t love free spare pens?), but if you’re going that route, be sure to pass out something extra special that makes people know that your company is different, edgier, smarter, more innovative. Something that will make your company memorable and stand out from the rest. For instance, if you’re giving out pens, why not give away ones with recorders and enough memory built in to make them truly useful? Pens like that are getting cheaper and cheaper to make, which puts them within reach of even company’s with very modest marketing budgets. You could even give away pens that are preloaded with a cheery message from the company CEO personally thanking the recipient for visiting your booth.
Think Bang for Your Buck
But whether you give out fancy pens or thumb drives or sticky notes, or even clever fridge magnets imprinted with the company’s logo, be sure that you are spending your money wisely to get the greatest bang for your buck. If you’re having trouble establishing your company’s unique brand, don’t just throw money at the problem, take the time to learn why your company is being overlooked or undervalued. Then, if your in-house marketing department isn’t up to the task, bring in some consultants like a brand advocate or specialized marketing company to help get your brand noticed. Think about all of the great marketing campaigns of the last decade, most of the best ones were remembered because they were funny, or really clever, or visually stunning. These days irony and satire are very in. It’s good to have a sense of humor in your advertising because ultimately, people will remember things that make them laugh, like Burger King’s “Where’s the Beef?” campaign, or Taco Bell’s hilarious ads with the little Chihuahua. The important thing is to be remembered. That’s the secret to forging a successful brand, and can be the difference between a successful trade show or a failed one.
About the Author
Dennis Nixon is the Sales Manager at Smash Hit Displays, a company known for their banner stands and displays. You’ve likely seen their work at a tradeshow you’ve attended, and their behind the scenes efforts make the difference.
Photo Credit: ncase Designs
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