“We met at the show last week – do you remember us?”
How many times have you struggled to follow up those exciting and tantalising leads you gathered at your recent trade show? And how many times has your prospect admitted that they have no recollection of who you are – what you were selling – or what you were doing on your stand?
Exhibiting is show biz and the first thing you need to remember is that you are competing for the time and attention of every appropriate visitor – before you even introduce them to your product or your brand proposition. And the trade show floor is nothing more or less than a market place – a forum – an agora – a bazaar. So you need to deliver two key elements (before you get into the nitty gritty of your product or service) IMPACT and MEMORABILITY.
The three second rule
The essential question: how are you going to get passers by to stop, react, and consider coming into your space – and how are you going to do it in 3 seconds? This is of course the beginning of the process, at the end of the show, and well beyond, how are you going to get those qualified prospects to remember your stand, your proposition, and why they should be doing business with you? We can’t emphasise enough the need for a hook. And this doesn’t need to be tacky; in fact it has to be in keeping with the tone of your brand.
Visitors remember a “people experience” long after the exhibition doors have closed…
All the research that we have read points to the fact that people remember a “people experience” far longer than anything else e.g. giveaway pens, mugs, pads, stress balls etc. And this “people experience” needs to be specifically an extension of your key show message.
If you want to make the point that your service is the most flexible available – don’t be afraid to use performance art e.g. contortionists.
If you want to demonstrate that you have the greatest degree of knowledge in your particular market – create your own on-stand Mastermind Challenge (a number of our clients have used this technique).
It pays to stand out
Of course it pays to stand out. After all, as you read, cast your mind back to the trade shows that you yourself have visited: how many stands can you remember? And by remember we mean the name of the organisation, what they were proposing, and were you able to recall both these facts when (and if) you were “followed up” after your visit. Now apply the same test to those prospects who will visit your stand at your next show.
Impact and memorability – grabbing the attention of highly influential visitors – is more important than ever
At a recent Masterclass which we delivered to exhibitors, it became evident that impact and memorability – grabbing the attention of highly influential visitors was more important than ever.
Take courage. If one of your objectives in attending your next tradeshow is to raise your brand profile – then raise it.
If you’d like some help in defining your key message and converting it into a guaranteed attention-grabbing, impact-delivering, high memorability experience – call us.