Are Handouts and Folders at Trade Shows Still a Must-Have?

All the information anyone could ever want is available online, right? The problem for businesses is getting THEIR information into the hands of prospective clients who may NOT be searching online for them.

Providing collateral materials at trade shows provides an opportunity to get your information into a prospect’s hands and make them remember you.

Additionally, many people want to physically touch and read materials vs. purusing online. That’s accomplished with readable, touchable literature.

There should be a strategy behind your trade show literature. If the strategy is well thought out in advance, the overall effectiveness of your efforts can be increased tremendously. So, where do you start?

Every marketer faces this challenging situation at a show: How do I keep my handouts and collateral out of the trash bin and in my prospects’ possession after the show?

Think about your customers

• Who are they and what do they like?
• What questions do they frequently ask?
• What needs do they have that your business fulfills? Don’t only think about what you want to tell them; consider what THEY want to know.

Five considerations to ensure strategic success for your literature:

1. Purpose: Always have a purpose. Will it help guide your sales team through a technical conversation? Will it effectively illustrate your value proposition? Will it include charts and data that the prospect would need to compare against their current project requirements? Whatever your purpose, it needs to make sense to your prospective customers.
2. Cost: You don’t want to invest a large amount of money on something that has a possibility of going into the trash. At the same time, you do not want your brand to be represented on a cheap piece of paper. Meet in the middle by creating something useful and print a limited quantity. Now, many companies use Print on Demand (POD) and only print limited quantities as needed, literally overnight. Your team will be more strategic about who they pass literature out to if they know they have a limited supply on hand.
3. Shipping: Sometimes it is more cost-effective to print literature locally and save on shipping costs (there’s usually a POD printer nearby). Or, you can also pack them in a suitcase and bring them with you.
4. Real Estate: How much space will your literature take up? A cluttered booth can be distracting and pull attention away from the message you are trying to communicate.
5. Grab Their Attention: How will you grab your prospective customers’ attention? They will likely pass racks and stacks of flyers, brochures and handouts as they walk the show floor, so you need to have a plan to stand out and make them want to select your collateral to pick up. Consider attention-getting messaging and engaging imagery. Take a look at what defines your company from your competition and leverage these ideas in your collateral.

Collateral Options for Potential Customers

1. Single Sheet Flyers: These are great reference pieces with a clear and concise message. If you have a multitude of different products to showcase at an event, each one can have their own flyer. This gives you the flexibility to only hand your prospects products that are relevant to them. Including them in an attractive branded pocket folder offers a professional presentation.
2. Brochures: If your product or service offerings require more in-depth information, brochures are the next option. These are an investment, so be strategic in who you give them to.
3. Product Catalogs: The next level up for providing in-depth information, these are a more expensive investment, possibly more suited for customers ready to buy. You could consider using catalogs as reference pieces on the show floor, but not as give-away items.

Alternatives – Think Beyond Print on Paper

Emerging digital tools and trends are not the end of collateral packages; but a new beginning for innovative informative sharing. The possibilities are limitless but here are a few ideas to kick off your brainstorming:

• USB: Paper has the potential to get lost in stacks or find its way into the trash. Save on real estate and printing by burning your brochures onto a USB. It is an alternative way to give prospects the important information, and also supplies them with a useful gift. If you decide to go the USB route, remember to brand it. Custom USB designs offer another vehicle to grab attention! The downside is that someone has to literally perform another action, i.e. opening it.
• Pocket-size It: Create a piece that easily fits into their pocket. It could be a fold-out piece, a branded object or an envelope or small box with a USB. As long as it stands apart from the stack of brochures they were already handed and fits in a pocket with their business cards, you should be safe from the trash bin. This piece could even contain a Flash drive to provide more information than a catalog.
• Microsites – Build It and They Will Come: Maybe printing dozens of flyers isn’t in your plans but you want an easy way for potential customers to dive into relevant information. Consider creating a microsite – a mini – and mobile-friendly – website featuring product information, case studies and technical information useful to show attendees who are more focused on a specific aspect of the industry. Make it easy for them to remember: otc.yourwebsite.com.
• Text It or Email It: Creating a landing page with links to all your assets could be more convenient for your prospects, plus you get their contact information. Offer a way to receive a text with a link to your branded show-specific landing page or an email. One possible way would be to have a PDF handy on your phone that you can easily AirDrop via Bluetooth to your prospect on the show floor.
• Invite Them In: What’s better than customers reading about your products and services? You telling them about your products and services. Create an attention-grabbing invite to an online exclusive online event featuring your experts providing information your customers want.

We are in the age of the Internet and the battle for prospective customers’ time and attention is raging. It is time to stop doing what you have always done and rethink your strategy for sharing information.

Foster Marketing can help you create an effective collateral and trade show pass-along information strategy to fit your business needs and win the attention of your prospective customers. Call today at 337-235-1848 or contact us online at fostermarketing.com.