One client asked me about ideas on how to plan for a trade show booth display that best represents your business. To start, I would have to get more information about where a company’s at and what it wants to accomplish.
Prior to Ordering a Trade Show Booth
Always do advertising or marketing test before spending thousands of dollars on a trade show booth. A 10×20 feet booth can cost an average of $10,000 excluding expenses on hotel, food, transportation, and the like. If you get larger areas, it can cost more to cover floor spacing with your graphic displays.
So, back to advertising and/or marketing, what do I mean by doing such test? This means that you have to know which ad clients would respond the best. Do you have any idea what your clients want? Have you come up with an effective USP or Unique Selling Proposition that resonates to your target market? Have you tried doing a split testing of your ad to know which one brings in more clients?
If you haven’t done any of those mentioned above, then hold your money in your pocket until you do them. How do you do this, if you may ask?
Split Testing
To illustrate, let’s say you are selling a product to single individuals as your target market. If you don’t know what makes them buy your product, then you have a problem. If you find a way to know it, then believe that you can actually sell more products the moment you do. So, how do you know which ad phrases bring in more clients?
Let’s say you decide to advertising in hip periodicals. You offer 25% discount that comes along with a specific code. Different ads have varying codes, so to speak. You run the ad for 4 to 6 weeks, and then you tally the results. Say the code ABC123 gets more responses from clients, that ad obviously wins.
Make a new ad. Take the winner from the first test and run a split test against the new ad. You can do this on magazines, TV, or newspapers. After a few weeks or so, tally the results again. If the original winner still wins, then that becomes your control (since it wins every time you run it).
Use Digital or Online Media/Tools
Advertising is no longer limited to radio, TV, nor printed media. The rise of the internet makes it possible to do split testing on online ad programs like Google’s adsense. You can test different ads and get faster results. You don’t have to wait for weeks to see which ad brings in more clients.
You can also make use of analytics tools, making it easier to work, manage, or asses your ads‘ performance. It’s all easy and fast with the internet. Yes!
Why Split Test
In relation to your trade show display, why do you have to split test? Simple, whichever ad brings in more clients, you can use that and print that to display in your booth, be it on retractable banners, backwalls, and etc. You simply have to translate that working ad to your booth.
It worked when you did the split test, it will work on your trade show booth. It will because you have tested it already. You already know which phrases attract your target market. You have the analytics that proves so because you have tested it.
Implement the Winning Ad
Now that you know which ad phrase works, put that in your trade show booth displays. Hire a professional design firm to make attractive graphics that will feature your unique selling proposition. Remember to stick to what’s working. See the difference? If you won’t do split testing, imagine how much money you’d lose.
Barry K. Brown is a successful business man marketing quality print displays of banners, signs, homepage decals, labels, stickers, and other advertising media for more than 20 years. He invites you to visit VISIGRAPH online for custom-built trade show booth and displays. Rated A+ by the BBB. Get a FREE QUOTE now!