How to Use Trade Show Displays to Attract Customers

Trade show displays are like peacock feathers: you want to attract attention, leave an impression, and spread your influence.

But how do you ensure that your trade show display will attract customers?

5 Easy Steps to Attract Customers to Your Trade Show Booth

Look, anyone can explain the different banner types and their uses, but it’s ultimately up to you to get creative.

So, we thought we’d take a different approach: focusing on the marketing strategy, which often involves your display. Below, we reveal 5 steps for attracting customers to your trade show display:

1. Determine the Branding & the Messaging
2. Outreach Starts Long Before the Doors Open
3. On Opening Day, Make an Impression
4. Use Signage to Gamify the Experience
5. Offer Incentives for Engaging with Your Experience
   

1. Determine the Branding & the Messaging

You may have your store branding down, but you must also consider the branding that you’ll use throughout this experiential marketing campaign. You’ll want consistent branding and messaging as you:

• Promote your appearance before…
• Market your event display during…
• and Connect with your leads after…

…the experience itself. Determine your most powerful Call-to-Action (CTA), perfect the wording, and repeat it as often as relevant when interacting with your target audience.

2. Outreach Starts Long Before the Doors Open

Speaking of messaging, it should be locked down months before you announce your appearance at the event. In fact, you should already have an inbound marketing plan in place for promoting your appearance in the months and weeks leading up to opening day.

Post on the channels that your customers use, encourage them to create user-generated content (UGC), and reward them for doing so by engaging with and sharing their work.

And remember: be consistent with your branding and messaging during this time. That way, your company feels much more familiar when they arrive at the convention.

3. On Opening Day, Make an Impression

Host a giveaway, a contest, a game, or even a karaoke session! Aim for a grand first impression, but be prepared to back it up.

4. Use Signage to Gamify the Experience

We mentioned hosting a game, but that’s not the only way to introduce fun into your experience. You can use trade show signage to gamify the mission of finding your booth and marketing team.

For example, you can hint at prominent “landmarks” on the way to your booth by hiding them in riddles on you signs. In fact, you can even use QR codes for this purpose, turning your target audience’s phone into a game that leads them, step-by-step, to your booth.

5. Offer Incentives for Engaging with Your Experience

No matter what strategy you and your marketing team devise, we suggest providing valuable rewards to any leads that engage with your experience. This leaves a lasting impression and may encourage them to reciprocate by reaching out to you for your services.

Bonus Tip: Outreach Continues Long After the Doors Close

Get contact information (and consent) from your target audience so that you can continue to engage them after the event concludes. Share pictures from the event, ask them about their experience, and encourage them to share their experience online.

Bonus points if you’ve kept anecdotal notes for individual leads.

Attract Leads to Your Trade Show Booth with Infusion Displays

To create the perfect Infusion Display for your next trade show, reach out to our team today.