Recently, we wrote an article for Manufacturing.net discussing manufacturers and trade shows. While trade shows have undoubtedly played a role in the industry’s past, we wanted to explore whether they have a place in its future.
After interviewing several companies, our manufacturing branding agency concluded that trade shows can still be a highly effective marketing tactic. But they need to be executed properly in order to reap the benefits.
In the article, we cover the do’s and don’ts of trade shows and why some companies still value them while others have walked away from them. The piece features firsthand insight from a number of manufacturers, including:
• Art Garcia, vice president of sales and marketing at Mars International
• Tegan James, marketing and social media manager at Parkway Plastics
• Scott Bass, senior director of global marketing at Edmund Optics
• Scott Dailey, vice president of sales and marketing at Carl Stahl Sava Industries
The Do’s
The companies that benefit the most from trade shows do their homework and prepare beforehand. The amount of time and strategy it takes for trade shows to truly pay off are likely why many companies have abandoned them. But after our conversations with several manufacturers, it was clear to us that proper planning can lead to very positive results.
These companies shared a number of pointers with us, including:
1. Go where your clients go. Instead of attending all of the same events as your competition, narrow your target audience and cater to your niche more closely.
2. Establish your goals before committing to a specific show. Don’t pick a show just because it sounds trendy. Whether your goal is to increase sales or recruit new employees, know your goals beforehand and plan accordingly.
2. Schedule meetings around trade shows. We discuss a whole other side of trade show marketing in our article. While the show itself is no doubt important, we learned that the meetings taking place around these events are often the hidden gem for manufacturers.
The Don’ts
As a manufacturing marketing agency, we’ve been to our fair share of trade shows. And we’ve seen some serious marketing crimes committed at these events.
Between our own experiences and those from other manufacturers, we concluded that companies should not:
1. Send the wrong people. Send the people who are passionate about the topic at hand and have a knack at sales. You won’t be doing yourself a favor by sending wallflowers or high-level executives who are reluctantly squeezing the event into their schedules.
2. Go overboard with your displays. You only have seconds to grab visitors’ attention. Displays that are overdone and crowded can overwhelm attendees instead of intrigue them.
3. Assume you’ll be able to wing it. Maybe you can improvise during an internal meeting. But it’s important to remember that trade shows are a marketing expense and, as such, need to be taken seriously. The companies that put in the time and strategize weeks or even months beforehand are the ones that win with trade shows.
Trade Shows Still Pack a Punch
Everything in manufacturing changes at a rapid pace. That being said, we believe that trade shows can still be a highly marketing tactic for these companies. From scheduling meetings with prospects to acing your display with our manufacturing advertising agency, trade show success is very real and possible. Check out the full article on Manufacturing.net.
