As the social networking manager, I’ve attended more than a few trade shows with Benchmark. I man our booth, walk around and ham it up for pictures to post on our social pages and talk to anyone and everyone in attendance. This was one monthly blog series with which I happen to have a bevy of experience. With that in mind, here are my Benchmark 5: Tricks of the Trade Show.

  1. The look of your booth is essential. There have been too many booths to count at every trade show we’ve attended. People walk through the aisles, quickly looking at each individual booth. You need to entice them to stop. The backdrop for our booth was done by our outstanding design team and it stops people in their tracks. It touts Benchmark as “The Best Email Marketing Tool” and “The Best Event Management Tool.” People always ask why we’re the best.
  2. Know your quantifiable facts. Elaborating on my previous point, people want to know what makes Benchmark the best. Many answers would sound biased coming from the employees of the company. You can’t argue with the points that are quantifiable. Benchmark offers industry low price points. Our support stands apart, not just because we’re friendlier, but because you can get us on the phone and it’s 24 hours.
  3. Set your giveaways apart from the rest. Most booths have some swag for attendees to take home. Make sure yours is something that people will use. We’ve been to tons of trade shows, and my single favorite is a little rubber stand for your cell phone that has a suction cup on it from NewEgg. Make sure your giveaway won’t be tossed in a drawer or worse … the trash.
  4. Write notes on business cards. You meet a lot of people at trade shows. It’s hard to keep track of them all. One thing I always do, is after an attendee has handed you his or her business card and walked on to the next booth, is jot down a couple quick notes about the conversation we had. That way I can produce a relevant follow up or at least know who in the company that I should pass his or her information to.
  5. Know when to let go. Almost every booth offers prizes in exchange for your business card. I throw my card in many a fish bowl, trying to win a TV, iPad or some other gadget. That also usually means my inbox will be flooded with emails from that company. Maybe even some phone calls too. There is one company that has called me every single month for the past six months. I haven’t answered or replied once. It’s almost at the point where I’m considering booth sabotage at the next event if they don’t lay off. If you’re not getting a response after the first follow up or two, walk away.