Trade Shows - an effective method to market your products.

Big players from any industry spend a major chunk of their revenues in brand promotion and advertising through different mediums, with the aim to make inroads into the minds of the consumers, build brand and to increase their market share. Today every business is fighting a fierce battle to get to that top spot in any product category and regularly advertise / promote the 'uniqueness' of their product. Why I say fierce battle is because companies are going to any extent to beat their competitor. In the past, we have seen several spoof ads commenting on the weakness or strengths their competitors products. Recent in the list to rake up some controversy - is the case of UB group spoof ad against McDowell.As it is only the "firsts" who stay for a long time in the memory of consumers, companies are launching new range of products or services, proclaiming to be the first one to do so. Anyhow, the big industry players can afford to spend millions on advertising and promotion. But small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who play an important role in the economic growth of any country are finding it difficult to compete with big companies, when it comes to advertising and promotion.In this scenario, participation at trade shows and advertising on B2B portals come to the rescue and provide the ideal solution in terms of promotion for SMEs, These two methods are not only cost-effective, but also help in building new business relationships, enter new markets and give maximum product visibility at the global level.Having said that, before participating in any trade show, the company must have a clear cut objective about its participation. It should do some initial research before it jumps into foray with full willingness. Knowing about its target audience, how much budget it should keep aside for its participation and what it wishes to achieve from participating at the trade show - these are areas which require intensive delving. Companies have different purposes; some do it just as a PR exercise, others participate to get business leads, sell products, among other things. It is suggested that the company should undertake a fact-finding exercise about the show they are thinking to participate in. How has been the response so far, for how long the trade show is being organized, will they get good response or not - these are question companies must ask themselves before deciding on participating in a particular show. The best way is to talk to the organizer and know about the exhibitors & visitors profiles, the number of footfalls expected and the business the show has generated in the past.Companies should not spent more than 50% of the allocated trade show budget on buying exhibitor space. Rest of the budget can be effectively used in operating and putting up a good show. Companies should always ensure that they set up the stall / booth at the right show catering to their targeted audience. No company would want to set up a stall displaying toys when the trade show is about industrial machinery. Distributing promotional brochures about the products and your location at the show will surely add up to number of visitors to your booth.As far as trade show booth and banners are concerned, they should be attractive, noticeable and informative. To say the least, try to keep them simple and different from the rest, a booth that grabs the attention of the buyers. Companies can offer freebies like promotional pen, key chains, bags, t-shirts and can also plan contests to publicize their participation effectively. If you are service provider, keep a presentation ready for your prospective clients and visitors through which you can educate them about the services offered.Language also play an important role at the trade shows. Companies can hire the services of language interpreters to converse with the visitors in their local language (if English is not the primary spoken language). Printing of brochures and advertising materials in local language will also help. Those representing the company at the trade show must be friendly, active, confident and know well about the company and products so that they can engage in a healthy conversations with the prospective buyers.Though the above points can help companies in putting up a good show at any trade event. One can get more information about trade shows, trade fairs and exhibitions taking place across the globe by clicking on Trade Shows.