Designing a trade show booth for lead generation

Designing a trade show booth for lead generation

 

How do you measure the return on investment for a trade show booth? For many brands, it’s all about generating new business leads, spreading brand awareness and getting face time with potential clients and customers. These goals need to be defined based on the brand’s needs, and it helps if they can be quantified.

For instance, you may want to collect emails for your sales team. Marketo explained that events have some of the best return on investment for lead generation, compared to other marketing tactics. Events allow you to forge a human connection with attendees, an impossible feat on solely digital platforms.

Where does your booth fit into the sales funnel?

Your trade show exhibit should have a place within your sales funnel in order to properly optimize its lead generation ability. As you sit down to plan your booth, keep this information in mind.

If you don’t know where your booth fits within your larger sales cycle, there’s a good chance you’ll receive lackluster results. For example, a booth positioned at the top of the sales funnel would be focused on sending attendees to a website to learn more, thus spreading brand awareness. A booth positioned in the middle of the cycle, however, might be a vehicle for product demonstrations.

Trying to do too much with a single booth – and limited resources – will lower its overall potential. Pick one driving goal for your exhibit and refine it until you’re satisfied.

How can visitors interact with your exhibit?

If your business has relied solely on general trade show contractors for booth fabrication, you might not fully realize the potential exhibits have to engage your target audience. Your booth shouldn’t look like a color-swapped version of its neighbors.

Consider hiring skilled designers to construct a custom booth or, alternatively, customize a rental booth to fit your brand’s unique needs. Booth design can play an important role in generating leads, so you’ll really need to pay attention to the details.

In addition to custom graphics, you can use your brand colors to make your booth instantly recognizable. Likewise, adding height and modular structures can draw more attention to your exhibit. Who says every booth needs to be a boring rectangle?

Think of it this way: When you design a web page for lead generation, you add links to click that take readers elsewhere within your site. In a booth, you should provide next steps, too. For example, you could install a computer terminal or tablet station where attendees can input their email addresses to receive more information.

What is the next step?

Picture this: A potential client approaches your booth, has a pleasant interaction with a sales representative and leaves her business card. What’s the next step in the process? Will a sales person reach out to schedule a demo? Will you send her a free white paper?

Plan out your next steps before the show. Attendees will interact with many brands at the show, and yours may fade into a blur a few days hence. Once you’re satisfied with your booth design, plan out your next steps and be prepared to follow through in the days after the show.

Take the first step towards next-level exhibits

Contact ProExhibits today for innovative and impactful exhibits and installations.

Take the first step towards next-level exhibits

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