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Are trade shows a good use of your marketing effort and budget? For many companies, the answer is a resounding “yes!”
For others, it’s a frustrating, exhausting experience that makes no discernable difference to their annual sales figures.
What makes the difference? A plan.
Determine if a trade show is the best option for your marketing resources
Pick the best show to showcase your product or service to your ideal customers.
Create a plan to attract customers to your booth at the show.
Make connections.
Follow up after the show.
One company builds their marketing efforts for the entire year around the NBAA show, and they make enough sales resulting from and subsequent to the show and follow up efforts to improve the bottom line.
Take a clear-eyed look at your marketing budget, and calculate how many sales you will need to make in order to recoup your investment.
Of course, you may decide to go even if your prospective customers will not be there; but go with the understanding that marketing is not your primary purpose. And don’t use your marketing budget for show expenses!
If you do decide to use a trade show for marketing, understand that it represents a significant investment. To get results, you need to commit. Don’t just “kind of” do a trade show. The snowboarder’s term “Go big or go home” comes to mind; you will need to invest a significant amount of time and/or effort to get the most out of it.
