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At the show, attendees are inundated with gimmicks – from literature bombardment to useless trade show giveaways. Remember, the idea is to get people into your booth space where they can become a potential client, not merely an attendee.
The best activities are those that attract people you want to visit your booth. Create an activity targeted at your client prospects, and promote what it is and how they can win ahead of time. If it’s a drawing, have them answer three simple questions about your product to be eligible. Or, have them fill out a brief questionnaire about their needs before they can qualify to win. Whether it is a drawing or a giveaway, make sure the information you gather will allow you to leave with a qualified lead.
Too often, companies overestimate the effectiveness of literature. Show attendees have been trained to expect literature, and most of it ends up in the trash can. Therefore, what you do hand out should be your less expensive pieces, or pieces made specifically for the show. Instead of simply having a stack of brochures for anyone to pick up, have your booth personnel hand out literature personally. Better yet, get the prospect’s information or business card in exchange for the brochure, so you can follow-up after the show.
Tips Are:
If handled incorrectly, giveaways can attract crowds too large to give your booth personal time for meaningful interaction or lead collection. But when giveaways are integrated into the entire show strategy, they can reinforce a message, recognize a visitor for stopping at the booth, communicate a specific message, or reward a prospect for participating in a demonstration. Here are some tips for giveways that you may consider:
1. Determine the giveaway’s purpose.
Understand why you are using a giveaway and what you expect in return before you select your giveaway. an exhibitor should first ask, “What are we trying to accomplish at this trade show? Can a giveaway help improve the communication of our message?”
2. Make the prize specific to your business.
Personalizing the giveaway with your business name, address and phone number, or selecting and item that only your company can provide, such as one of your own products, can accomplish this step.
3. Be selective; avoid being hit-and-run.
Do not hand out giveaways to everyone who passes by. Follow a plan of action. Determine what an attendee needs to do to receive your giveaway (for example, give you their contact information).
4. Keep the giveaways out of sight.
Otherwise, curious hands may grab them before you have a chance to talk to the attendee.
5. An effective giveaway has high-perceived value.
That does not mean it has to be expensive. It just has to be perceived as valuable by your attendees.
6. Useful gifts are retained.
Useless gifts are given to someone else. You want a gift that recipients hang on to, so it keeps reminding them of your company.
7. Unique is better than expensive.
Find an attractive giveaway that no one else is offering, and you will gain more attendee interest. Again, the trick is to find a creative giveaway that your show audience will value.
8. On the desk is better than in the desk.
It will provide a continuous reminder of you, the exhibitor.
Top 10 Trade Show Giveaways!
Trade shows represent some of the best opportunities for marketers to enhance their company’s profile, meet new prospective clients and gather leads for their sales force. That being said, to fully capitalize on the benefits of exhibiting, you need to consider how you will entice attendees to visit your trade show booth and remember your message. There are many ways to attract attendees and trade show giveaways are one of the most commonly used and effective strategies. Below, we list ten of the top trending trade show giveaway ideas for 2016.
What makes a Good Trade Show Giveaway?
Before we get started, it is important to note exactly what makes for a good trade show giveaway. Great giveaways are not just flashy or cool, they should also be practical for your prospects as well as for your brand.
Things to consider when picking a trade show giveaway:
- Budget-friendly – No matter how cool your giveaway is, spending too much of your trade show budget resources on them can negate their positive impact and return on investment.
- Inherently valuable – Some of the most effective giveaways may seem a bit on the boring side, but a pen is far more valuable than a flashlight on the show floor.
- Branded – Make sure that your giveaway reflects your brand. Even the coolest giveaways will fall flat if the attendee cannot remember where they got it.
Breath Mints
Phone Chargers
Headphones
Tote Bags
Hand Sanitizer
Luggage Tag
Product Giveaways
Reusable Water Bottle
Snacks
Lip Balm
1. Breath Mints
We have all been there: about to head into a meeting and suddenly, we wonder about whether or not our breath is fresh. At trade shows, this worry is tenfold. Attendees will speak with and meet dozens of people . Breath mint giveaways are practical and memorable.
2. Phone Chargers
Trade show attendees may not be in the office, but they are still connected to their workplace via email, text and calls. Communication application can take a toll on battery life, which you can send an attendee scrabbling to the nearest outlet. If you have phone chargers as your marketing giveaways, you give attendees the lifeline back home when they need it most.
3. Headphones
Headphones are a great idea because they can be used outside of the show in a variety of ways. Make sure your headphone giveaway comes in a branded case, otherwise the recipient may forget that the headphones came from your company!
4. Tote Bags
Branded tote bags can help attendees collect and carry all their goodies. Many of these goodies may not make it past the hotel room trash can, but the tote is a highly useful, especially when traveling.
5. Hand Sanitizer
Hand sanitizer is cost-effective, last a long time and is very convenient for travelers. Hand sanitizers are also very popular items and attendees will be sure to flock to your booth, so make sure to keep plenty of branded hand sanitizer in supply.
6. Luggage Tag
Many trade show attendees traveled by air to the show city. Branded luggage tags are timely, useful and long living.
7. Product Giveaways
Giving away product samples to prospects is one of the most effective ways to showoff your wares while also attraction attendees to your booth. Also giving away products related to your industry or niche
8. Reusable Water Bottle
Everywhere you go from the office to the park, you people carrying around reusable water bottles. Having reusable water bottles as your promotional giveaways on the show floor will draw lot of traffic to your trade show display.
9. Snacks
While walking the trade show floor attendees will work up an appetite. Offering snacks to visitor who show interest in your booth such as coffee, pretzels, chocolates and crackers is a way to have attendees stick around your booth, providing your sales team an opportunity to pitch them.
10. Lip Balm
With all of the conversations taking place on the show floor, attendee’s lips are bound to become chapped. Lip balm as a trade show giveaway will remind attendees of your brand every time they reach into their pocket or purse to moisturize their lips.
Budgeting for Trade Show Giveaways.
They key to the most successful trade show giveaways is finding that hits the sweet spot between unique, attractive and useful. Arghavan can help you track your giveaway costs as well as other trade show expenses. Contact us today!