Trade shows are a great way to market one's goods and services, and it is also a smart marketing strategy to promote them, by giving away gifts of the same to other companies, visitors, or the press. Here are some tactics behind such a strategy and its benefits.
The importance of marketing and advertising is escalating owing to the increasing competition and growing economy. Marketing is an extensive domain, which makes use of several promotional events and ideas to promote a business. Ultimately, it is all about having the right product mix and marketing them in the best possible way to increase sales.
While television ads, radio jingles or kiosks, and banner ads might be useful, these are all one-way communication channels that do not allow any interaction between the businessmen and the end users, or the retailers and investors for that matter.
On the other hand, interactive events like trade shows are beneficial for any business since they allow mutual interactions between the seller and the investor or buyer.
About Trade Shows
A ‘trade show’ is an exhibition that allows companies in specific industries to showcase their products and services. While most of these events are open to the public, some only allow company representatives and members of the press.
It is an excellent marketing opportunity, and hence, companies make a wise investment by participating in them. The costs incurred during such expos include space rental, design and construction of the display, telecommunication and networking, travel, accommodation, promotional literature, and of course, giveaways.
These are nothing but promotional items or free gifts that are given by a company at the trade show. They are an effective marketing tool that allows companies to promote their new products or spread more awareness about their existing products, and also get a feedback from the customers and fellow traders.
Companies put in a lot of thought and investment into the kinds of giveaways, since it is an imperative element of such a promotion.
Benefits
Giveaways are very useful in marketing since they can be used for several purposes. The main advantage is that they help to spread information about the product and its utility.
Secondly, if you are providing free product samples, then the consumers can obviously use them and provide their feedback, thus, improving the product. They can also be a great way to establish or even enhance the company’s brand identity.
They help to establish a bond of goodwill and create a positive image of the company amongst the customers and investors. Often, when a company is launching a new product or wants to incorporate a big change in its existing product line or services, giveaways are an excellent tool to communicate the changes or new features.
Types of Giveaways
There exists a wide variety of items that can be used as giveaways to promote the business; let’s look at a few of them:
Gourmet Gifts
Small tins or containers filled with peppermint or candies can be a great present. You just need to make sure you display your logo prominently on them.
Product Samples
This is the best option. Product samples allow the visitors to use and experience your products and provide their feedback. However, not every company will have products or services, which can be sampled out to the audience.
Stationery Items
Stationery items are handy gifts that can be imprinted or embossed with your business logo or even some useful information and facts about your company. Diaries, bags, pens, pen stands, paperweights, staplers, notepads are some of the great ideas.
Fun Ideas
There exists a wide range of toys, which can be fun ideas for a giveaway. There also exist a lot of interesting gadgets that are rather inexpensive, but will definitely help you stand out.
Pointers to Bear in Mind
While picking the best gift, there are several things that need to be kept in mind:
- Remember that you will have to buy the products in bulk, and hence, you need to lookout for the best deal. Allot a fixed amount of your marketing budget to this promotion.
- The next thing that you need to analyze is whether the product is appropriate for the target audience. Using a low quality, cheap product might benefit you, but it sends out a wrong message about your brand.
- Check how you can showcase your brand logo on the selected product. Assess the product from the point of view of quality as well as aesthetics. Check which item allows you to highlight maximum information about your products.
- Always pick an item that will seem attractive and useful to the visitors. Pick out gifts that are unique and innovative to grab attention. If a person likes the gift, chances are that she/he will try to learn more about your product.