How Can Trade Shows Be Used to Launch New Products?
You have an excellent product that’s ready to hit the market and need an equally unique strategy for launching the product. Trade show displays are the perfect place to gain exposure and connect directly with consumers, making them the ideal venue for this hugely significant step in the process.
However, if you are planning to use a trade show for the product launch, you must prepare in style. Here’s all you need to know.
Why Choose Trade Shows for Your Product Launch?
Before building a strategy for any launch product, you must first confirm that the trade show route is the right option. There are many ways in which you could launch the product, but the trade show offers many rewarding features, including but not limited to:
- Reach new audiences and existing clients at the same time.
- Have a set date (and deadline) that will force your team to complete the work and avoid unwanted delays.
- Use human interactions. As Aaron Levie says, “you’ll learn more in a day of talking to customers than a year of market research.”
- Find a show that is perfectly suited to your industry and location, maximizing your potential exposure.
- Boost brand visibility to build interest in the company as well as the products.
- Get value for money in terms of pitch cost versus potential foot traffic that you’ll see from warm and hot leads.
- Gain insight into the competition, and build relationships with other industry professionals.
- Follow the success of the day with post-event success.
Trade shows can be used to launch almost any type of product from fashion items to household goods, local services to business accessories, recreational equipment to nutritional goods. Moreover, the industry saw a 1.8% growth in Q1 of 2019, underlining its continued success. However, trade shows can only be a success when you follow a winning plan of action.
10 Steps to Produce Launch Success at Trade Shows
Planning and preparation are crucial aspects for any business looking to launch a product at a trade show. Follow the ten steps below for guaranteed success.
Finding the Perfect Venue & Date
Timing is everything in business, and you’ll have conducted your research to find the perfect time for launching your product. However, it’s equally crucial to find a trade show that’s relevant for your trade show displays. Over 4 in 5 trade show attendees have the authority to complete purchases, but this is futile if you appeal to the wrong people.
Trade Show Booth Design
The trade show booth is essentially your shop front for the day/week/duration of the event. Without the right signage to promote your brand in a winning fashion, you won’t attract the level of foot traffic needed to generate leads and conversions. The value of a great first impression cannot be emphasized enough, and our stunning bespoke designs are the answer.
Trade Show Accessories
In addition to a bespoke booth design that suits your space limitations and reflects the brand in a winning fashion, you’ll need various items to take your impact to the next level. The list can cover posters and banners to provide more info or balloons and items aimed to grab the attention. Stand out and be memorable.
Order Fulfilment Tech
The product launch might include orders, presales, and immediate transactions. As such, you’ll need to consider order forms, payment gateway tech, and all other features linked to the effective fulfillment of orders. “A website without conversion rate optimization is like a car with no wheels — it will take you nowhere,” and your trade show is no different.
Build a Landing Page
Technology has changed consumer habits. A lot of potential clients and trade show attendees will research the business before completing a purchase. Your website will be the first port of call as they browse their smartphones and other devices. A landing page that offers as much info as possible, including videos and a call-to-action, is vital.
Prepare Visual Materials
Engaging material that trade show attendees can interact with is vital. Viewers retain 95% of visual messages compared to just 10% of what they read. Meanwhile, lecturing them can harm to human interaction. Save the face-to-face interactions or actively building relationships and showing how your product solves their specific problems.
Assemble the Best Team
As mentioned, human interactions are one of the main incentives for choosing trade show events. However, you won’t be responsible or all of those meetings. As such, you must select the right people for your trade show team. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential. While it’s a harsh reality, choosing the attractive team members will probably help too.
Practice
There’s nothing worse than being caught flustered at the trade show. Filler words do not belong in public speaking, and practicing what will be said at the trade show is the only solution. This is another reason for using videos and pre-recorded audio. Be sure that you’ve considered all potential client questions and concerns too.
Make the Product the Focal Point
It’s easy to fall into the trap of using the trade show for branding or egotistical reasons, but the product should remain the central focus at all times. This is another reason to use trade show booth designers as the booth designs for trade shows will incorporate the product as the most attractive feature without compromising the overall impact of the brand.
Don’t Stop at the Trade Show
The trade show launch is your main priority, but booth designs or trade shows can also be used to reach people that didn’t attend the event. Likewise, it’ll help you get PR, which can influence 96% of B2B buyers and 70% of consumers. This ensures that the success of your launch day is followed by conversions that continue for weeks, months, and years.
The Final Word
Trade shows are perfect for launching new products , especially when your trade show displays are built to attract attendees and generate conversions. Using professional trade show booth designers will ensure you make the perfect first impression and drive all users towards the transactions you require.
When you establish that stable platform of high launch, the possibilities for success are brighter than ever.
