I was working with a client last week who is preparing for one of several fall trade shows and she was eager to quickly order an uber-quantity of the least expensive “throwaway” items we had in order to meet her budget for the three shows she was attending. While it would have been easy to accommodate her, I felt like we couldn’t let her waste her marketing dollars on promotional products that have no repetitive message value. After explaining to her that the best way to create a buzz, entice visitors to her booth and achieve the highest possible ROI for the trade shows was to purchase products that are targeted to her intended audience (and not just a random person walking by who likes to collect tchotchkes) and have some repetitive message value, she chose (with some guidance from our creative team) items that were useful, good quality and didn’t break the bank.
This situation got me thinking about how many marketing dollars are wasted each year on trade shows as exhibitors realize only a fraction of a return on their investments. This is such an easy problem to fix though. Just following a few small - but crucial - steps when ordering trade show promotional products can make a world of difference to your company’s show success. Here are some brief highlights of my cardinal rules for successfully using promotional products as part of your trade show strategy.
Consider Your Customers
When choosing a product, remember one size doesn’t fit all. You need to choose different levels of customer gifts to give to different customers. For example, you should reward your best customers and prospects – the ones that deserve the most of your attention and appreciation – with something that will make them feel appreciated. There are plenty of higher end executive gifts that come in small quantities.For the rest of your customers and prospects you don’t have to spend a lot, but you still need to give something that’s nice that will help secure their loyalty. Don’t give the competition any opportunities to gain your existing business!
Purchase Everyday Items
I can’t stress this enough. If you’re going to go to the trouble of ordering promotional products, don’t get something that doesn’t send a message every day, all year long. If your prospect has a useful, reusable product, your brand image will capture a lot of eyeballs over and over again. The happy outcome of this is that your cost per impression goes down and your ROI goes up.
Leave It To The Professionals
There are literally thousands of products to choose from – and there is something to fit all budgets and brand images. Consult with your promotional products vendor and let them help you choose products that fit your budget and intended message. I’ve seen too many companies make the mistake of choosing low quality items just to fit their budget and then later regret their choices. A good promotional products consultant will assist you with choosing products of the highest quality that fits within your budget.
Know Your Deadlines
There are plenty of products that your promotional products vendor keeps in stock and these can be shipped on fairly short notice. However, a good promotional products company will offer you the option of choosing customized products that add a personal touch to your message. If you choose a customized product, keep in mind that it takes a little longer to produce. To avoid rush charges or mistakes on last minute orders, allow about 10-15 days for production of customized products. Know your deadline ahead of time and tell your promotional products vendor so they can help you pick just the right products.
Follow Up
Most exhibitors can’t wait to pack up the booth and head home after a long show. But, research shows that companies that get the best results are those that market continuously to the contacts they met at the show until the show rolls around again the next year. Keep your leads warm and use the follow up opportunities to send a few more promotional items throughout the year. Continuous exposure wins out every time.
If you’re having trouble deciding on promotional items for your tradeshow, engage the help of your promotional products consultant. A good promotional products company should be able to assist you in choosing products that will give you the biggest return on your investment. A trade show is a prime opportunity to market your company and create loyal customer for life. Don’t blow it.
