Though trade show floors have experienced regrowth in the past 12 months, many companies still wonder what are the best techniques to bring traffic to your trade show booth.  How do you turn traffic into customers and what draws people to an exhibit?

JASE's Top 6 Tips for Trade shows:

• The number one thing to do when considering a trade show is to do your research.

• Ask for past attendee lists to make sure the companies you desire will be in attendance.

• Ask around to colleagues who have attended the show in the past to gauge the response they received.

• Investigate what city the trade show is taking place, the convention center, available spots on the trade show floor  (location is key) and what services are provided when exhibiting.

• It also does not hurt to take a look at the different ways to market your business through the trade show such as hosting a breakfast or your logo on the front of the welcome packet for attendees to get your business out front.

• Be sure to use social media prior to any event by advertising the location, booth number and any special events your company has planned.  Employees should have the trade show date and location on their e-mail signatures weeks in advance so customers they constantly interact with know the trade show is approaching.

As the first day of the show approaches, make sure to have your booth and products packed up and ready to assemble, attractive marketing material and a clever giveaway.  Setting a schedule to spend part of your time in the booth trying to draw customers in with your happiest and most friendly employees is vital as well as making time to walk the floor to make contacts. Speak to as many people as possible because you never know who knows who and who will turn out to be a great contact.

When exhibiting, it is important to identify your target audience.  There will always be those people walking around trying to grab all the freebies possible but know that they are not good potential customers.  Be sure to have plenty of business cards and take those from serious prospects.  Handing out brochures can be beneficial but may be too much information for buyers to read through as you discuss products.

A better alternative would be distributing postcards or small web cards with a landing page URL created specifically for your product. There the potential customer should be able to find more information specific to the product or service you were displaying at the trade show. The landing pages as well as the print materials should be eye catching with a clear message to potential customers and leave a lasting impression.

The benefit of using landing pages in your trade show presentation is that it makes it easier for potential customers to learn more about your product without the pressure of an upfront sale at the trade show. Landing pages also create measurability to your trade show. Driving traffic to your landing page can let you measure the effectiveness of your print materials, your visuals, and your sales staff.

The important idea to remember when drawing people into your booth is to showcase the product. What are you selling?  Have a friendly sales team present to show the products and educate the customer.  And in order to turn those trade show leads into sales, network with as many people as possible and create excitement about your product.

The JASE Inbound Marketing Model integrates both offline and online marketing initiatives by driving your trade show traffic to your company's website. If you want to learn more about how inbound marketing can help your company at trade shows, contact JASE. Let us help you turn this investment into a profitable one.

image credit: KyleWiTh on Flickr