Thursday, April 26, 2012

The Importance of Trade Show Giveaways and How to Choose the Best Ones


If you've been doing your research on how to run a successful branding campaign, then you know how important trade show season is for your company. Every year, thousands of businesses come together in convention venues and arenas to show off their new products, talk to potential customers, and try to expand their customer base. There are multiple ways that a company can have a successful trade show experience: a visually appealing trade show booth, a central location on the floor, and outgoing company representatives with positive attitudes. While all these factors will enhance your trade show presentation, the one thing that you must is trade show giveaways.
The concept of trade show giveaways is important for several reasons. Most importantly, they give attendees of your events a tangible reminder to bring home with them so that they don't forget your company name once they walk out of the door. In reality, you can do everything right at your event in order to make your company memorable. You can shake everyone's hand that passes, call them over to your booth, demonstrate why your business is so relevant and beneficial to its customers, and encourage the attendees to look further into your business after they leave.
But remember - the same people that you have been talking to are also going to be passing dozens of other trade show booths who are giving them the same speech. Even if you bring your "A" game, you are still easily forgettable. Therefore, giving people promotional items helps to separate you from the competition, and make your brand name stand out in people's minds as they are getting in the car to drive home.
Every one of the trade show giveaways that you choose will have your company logo imprinted on the body. Since you only want your brand name to appear on the best promotional items around, you need to develop criteria to find the products that are going to position your brand in the best light. Three of the most important categories to consider on your search for the best trade show giveaways are: appeal, functionality, and relevance.
1. Appeal
The appeal of the trade show giveaway will rely heavily upon its visual appearance. In the field of advertising, people place a high value on what their eyes see, so you want your products to make a positive first impression. When searching for the promotional products for you, look for items that have bright colors, large sizes, and interesting shapes. These items have the best chance of attracting people to your trade show booth in the first place, as well as the best opportunity to have them recall your brand name later. So remember, appeal, and especially visual appeal is a crucial part of the successful trade show giveaway.
2. Functionality
Once you select the promotional items that are most attractive in their appearance, then next criterion to fulfill is function. Often times, a promotional item is fun to look at but it won't serve much of a purpose for the person who receives it. In these cases, the only value of the product is a novel one, and it will easily be forgotten. In order to have your trade show giveaways carry more weight, they need to be able to perform some type of function for the recipient. The different types of functions that a promotional product can perform are endless, but the best ones fulfill some type of basic universal need that creates a convenience in the life of the person who receives it. Some of the best examples are promotional pens, embroidered apparel, and promotional drinkware. All of these items act as functional trade show giveaways because of their basic purpose, in this case writing, clothing, and providing a container to drink out of.
3. Relevance
The final measure of a quality trade show giveaway is relevance. You need to ask yourself, "Does the product that we are distributing do an accurate job of representing our brand?" If it does not, then you need to rethink your strategy. There are thousands of promotional items which are specific to a particular industry. For instance, if you are in the hardware business, you can distribute imprinted Swiss Army knives or promotional screwdrivers. If you're in real estate, a promotional stress ball or magnet in the shape of a house or building will work just as well.
Keep these criteria in mind on your quest for the perfect trade show giveaways. Remember, it's very difficult to find a product which will embody all three categories to the fullest extent - so do the best you can. When it comes down to final selections, use your instinct and common sense. If all goes well, you will be taking your company to a whole other level after the success of your upcoming event.

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