Promotional products make people happy - that part’s not hard to figure out. In fact, it’s widely known in the marketing world that consumers get a more favorable impression of an advertiser after receiving a promotional item, according to PPAI.
In addition to improving a brand’s image in the eyes of consumers, the use of promotional products at trade shows opens up a whole new world of possibilities for businesses looking to attract prospects and sell their products or services. In my opinion, it’s just plain silly for companies to not incorporate promotional product strategy into their trade show planning, especially considering all of the benefits utilizing promotional products at your booth offers.
Don’t be the booth that disregards the marketing benefits of promotional items. Here’s why trade show giveaways are important and essential for trade show success:
1. They increase booth traffic.
It’s as simple as that! A study by Exhibit Surveys Inc. found that companies that displayed promotional giveaways at their booth had significantly higher traffic than companies that did not utilize giveaways. Remember, trade shows involve competing with dozens of other companies to generate leads. The first step of making a sale is actually attracting prospects to your booth, so get peoples’ attention with high-quality promotional products (see my annual list of recommendations here).
2. They help prospects remember your brand.
One of your company’s primary goals when attending a trade show should be to set yourself apart from other brands in a positive way. A study by Georgia Southern University found that 71.6% of attendees who received a promotional product at a trade show remember the name of the company that gave them the product. This proves that trade show attendees are sure to remember your brand upon receiving your courteous giveaway.
Marketing Pro Tip: Think beyond your logo. Prospects are often drawn to a brand because of its messaging, the "cool" factor of the company culture, or other differentiating factor. You have something that sets your company apart from the competition - promote it on your promotional products.
3. They improve your brand's image.
In a crowded expo of booths and attendees, your brand needs all the favorable impressions you can get! 76.3% of trade show attendees that received a giveaway said they had a more favorable attitude towards the company that gave them a promotional product, according to Georgia Southern University. Using trade show giveaways positions your brand positively in the eyes of prospects and certainly makes it more likely for them to consider your products or services.
Marketing Pro Tip: Simply giving away any old promotional product won’t illicit these positive reactions from attendees. Be sure to select useful, high-quality products that have value. You certainly don’t want to represent your brand with a cheap product that breaks easily and has little benefit to the attendee.
4. Attendees value visually pleasing displays.
If you specialize in selling products, you know that visual presentation is as important as the product itself. This also applies to your trade show giveaways. Promotional items are essential to getting noticed in a trade show jam-packed with other businesses and attendees according to HubSpot. Draw attendees to your booth with a visually pleasing display that incorporates promotional items.
Marketing Pro Tip: Just having promotional products on display isn’t enough to draw in attendees! You must make sure your display is organized in a way that captures attendees’ interest, according to Venture Atlanta. Personally, I think it's best to avoid laying out products in straight lines. Create a visually pleasing flow for your prospects when planning your layout.
Trade show giveaways are important because they can significantly improve your company’s overall trade show experience. Essentially, they pave the way to selling products and services by initiating interactions with attendees. Once you capture your prospect’s attention with giveaways, your brand will be on the way to trade show success.
