How to Turn Exhibition Visitors into Loyal Customers

You’re finally sold on the value of in-person marketing and are interested in being part of an exhibition. Soon you’ll be interacting with potential customers, but will you be able impact them enough to turn them into loyal customers?

Although there are a lot of unknowns for any business owner regarding that question, there are some things that you can do to get better results at your event. Here are a few ways to draw your loyal customers from the crowd.

Getting Ready

Preparation for an exhibition is crucial long before your event ever begins. If you fail at this step, you’ll never know how many loyal customers you could have gained. First, you’ll want to thoroughly research what would be the best kind of exhibition for your business to participate in and the best location.

After you’ve decided that, be sure to thoroughly market your event. Use your email and snail-mail list to contact your existing customers and tell them about your exhibition. They’ll, in turn, bring along some other interested friends who could lead to word-of-mouth referrals. Every business owner knows that those are the best kind of referrals.

You can also use other media outlets to market your event such as radio stations, newspapers, your website and social media platforms. This is the perfect time to share why your customers won’t want to miss your exhibition.

During the Event

Interact With Everyone

Exhibitions can be exhausting for business owners but they are well worth the effort. Make a point to maximise your potential while at the event. One way to do this is through interacting with every person you possibly can and getting their contact information. Make yourself easily accessible so you can show customers that you care about their needs, that you value them and that you believe in the services and products that you are offering.

Offer Giveaways

Everyone loves free things. You’ll want to have collateral available to hand out to leads as well as business cards. It’s amazing how much this helps to gain the trust of your potential customers and make them more interested in what you have to say.

Better yet, give away something with your logo on it that customers can regularly use. It may depend upon your industry what you decide to give out. Some ideas are pens, magnets, food, flashlights, t-shirts, or backpacks. You can also have a drawing for a larger prize to build customer anticipation and interest. Doing this will show your potential customers that you are generous and that you want to see them succeed.

A Great Exhibition Stand

A high quality exhibition stand is the most important factor when marketing your business face-to-face. An interesting exhibition stand that separates you from competition will mean potential customers are drawn towards you, so spend some time working out what kind of stand will work for you.

Not all stands are created equal. Some are haphazardly put together by business owners and staff. Potential loyal customers will not be impressed with you if you tend a lousy exhibition stand. They’ll likely question assume your product or service will be shoddy and poorly put together too.

If you want to attract loyal customers at your exhibition, your stand will need to rise above the surrounding competition. This visual is your potential customers’ first impression of your business.

Before you even interact, your set-up will either work for or against you. Thankfully, there are companies that can help you design the perfect exhibition stand for your business. Having a great set-up will give you greater confidence and your customers greater confidence that you can meet their unique needs.

After the Exhibition

Once the event is over, it’s easy to feel like you’ve done all you need to, but remember, you’ll need to follow up with your potential customers. Failing to do so is like going grocery shopping, bringing your groceries home and never putting them in the refrigerator. What a waste!

Be sure to follow up promptly as well. If you don’t, other businesses that offer a product similar to yours likely will. This stage is a great time to thank everyone that you interacted with for coming out to your event.

If you have the time, give out as many personalised letters to your customers as possible. This will show that you are serious about great customer service and about building lasting relationships. It won’t hurt to offer a few promotional deals either.