Using a Trade Show to Your Advantage
Did you know that trade shows are a great way to show off your stuff?
Sure, they can be expensive. Most trade shows can be one of the largest expenses you have as a small business. Not only do you need a well designed booth to attract customers, you also need to ship the booth and rent the space at the tradeshow or conference. You also need to consider travel expenses, supporting marketing materials, and lodging.
But after it’s all said and done, trade shows can be a great source of lead generation. Imagine this – let’s say you’re a commercial service contractor, and you spend $10,000-$15,000 on attending a trade show. If you land one $50,000 job, the show more than paid for itself. Obviously, we’re talking simple math here. You’ll have to consider the relativity of this statement and how it applies to your business model, but you get the point.
The great thing is – people are at a trade show or conference looking for your type of services (or products). You have a captive audience that wants what you have to offer. You couldn’t ask for a better marketing opportunity. Also consider these facts:
- 91% of trade show attendees rated trade shows an “extremely useful” source of purchasing information*.
- 49% of these attendess actually purchase products or services at trade shows*.
- When exhibiting at a trade show, you only have six seconds to attract your prospect’s attention*.
* Simmons Market Research Bureau
