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The Best Trade Show Giveaways for 2018 and Beyond
If you’re an exhibitor at a trade show, you need to ensure your investment is giving you good return or “bang for your buck’’.
Participating in trade shows are expensive, and making sure you’re generating a healthy ROI is key to make it worthwhile. The 2 most important metrics you need to track are:
- ROI: The formula for which is (Revenue From Trade Show – Investment In Trade Show)/Investment In Trade Show.
- Cost Per Lead (CPL): The formula for which is (Cost Of Show)/Leads Generated.
To optimize your ROI and reduce your CPL, one effective approach is to use the best promotional giveaways you can. Promotional giveaways are not only cost effective, they’re also likely to be used by your prospects post the event, so you’re more likely to be at the front of their minds long after the trade show has finished.
In this article, we’ll cover the 5 best trade show giveaways that prospects will love to use, to make sure your trade show experience a success both for you and your future customers. Let’s get right into it!
1. Power Banks
People spending long days visiting trade shows run out of battery on their cell phones and other gadgets they might be carrying. This can obviously be very frustrating, especially when people may not want to look for power points around the trade show venue to charge their devices, assuming they carry their chargers with them in their pockets.
(Image Source) Check out some awesome power banks we make here.
Providing power banks for your customers to charge their devices helps get your customers out of a pinch and reinforces your brand at the same time. Power banks are a great trade show giveaway, as they help build foster brand continuity and loyalty amongst your most prized customers. You want people to know you’ve got them at your stall, so make sure you let the trade show organizers and other exhibitors know too so they can direct customers your way when they’re looking to charge their phones!
2. The “Trade Show” Kit
People come to tradeshows to meet people, take notes, collect business cards, observe, think, build relationships and organise future meetings. Something that’s very handy to have for all of these purposes is what we call a ‘trade show kit’.
(Image Source) Check our range of promotional bags here.
A trade show kit will contain all the necessities a trade show visitor should carry with them. Things like a notebook, a pen, a bag to carry it all, a business card holder, a USB flash drive and even a little bottle of water.
Never underestimate the value of a bag with all of these goodies at a trade show! The way you present it to people can make all the difference too. Give it to people as they come in to visit you with a greeting along the lines of “Here’s a little bag that contains everything you need to be a great participant at this trade show, all for you!” Adding an element of delight to promotional trade show giveaways will show people that you genuinely care.
3. Product Samples
Are you a company selling shampoos? Then give away samples of your shampoo! Are you a company selling tea? Then sample tea bags would make a great trade show giveaway! And if you’re selling paint, then maybe giving away your colour shade card would be an excellent choice.
Giving small samples of your real product is an excellent way to make people try your product, and also be remembered for what you really do.
(Image Source) Speak to us about how we can help you create product samples here.
Your samples must obviously have your brand name, be easy to carry, and offer tangible value to your prospects. Giving samples to the right people who express an interest in your products can go a long way in converting real customers.
4. Sunscreen, Sunglasses and Umbrellas
If the trade show is happening outdoors, or is in a venue with plenty of sunlight, sunscreen and sunglasses would make people feel comforted.
It’s also got a ‘cool’ vibe to it as a promotional trade show giveaway, and with your company’s brand name on it, the chances of other people noticing it at the trade show are extremely high.
Sunscreen comes in small sachets or small key chained bottles and it’s easy to put your logo on them. Sunglasses come in various shapes and sizes, and people can continue to use them for a long time after the show’s over.
The important point to note here is that your promotional trade show giveaways should be relevant to the weather, the occasion and the location of the venue. For instance, if there’s a high chance of rain on or during the trade show dates, then promotional umbrellas would make a very thoughtful giveaway.
5. Smartphone Wallets
Most people have a smartphone these days. And if they do, they’ll be carrying it with them at the trade show! Generally speaking, a lot of people still don’t use a good smartphone wallet or case to protect their phones, and the ones that do would never say no to a replacement.
(Image Source) Check out our smartphone wallets here.
So why not give a good smartphone wallet that your customers actually use? The best part is that they come in a whole range of colours. The dependence on conventional wallets is decreasing as people start using mobile payments, which reduces the need to carry cash. So f the only thing that people really need to carry these days is a smartphone, might as well protect it with a great smartphone wallet!
On the whole, you should start your lead generation process much before the trade show begins. Try and reach out to people on LinkedIn to connect with them prior to the event, so you know who you want to meet and give your awesome promotional products to. Ensure you have a well thought through follow up strategy in place so you can maximise the value from your promotional items and boost conversion rates.
Reach out to Good Things to explore how we can help with your promotional product needs.
