Nehlsen Notebook

Tchotchkes can help your tradeshow message spread virally

By Nehlsen Staff  1.12.10

We all know that a funny video can spread faster than a California wildfire, but how can we get similar results with a tradeshow message? Aside from a well-qualified sales staff manning your tradeshow booth, developing a fun or useful giveaway with a strategic message and strong call-to-action is the best way to ensure that results are driven, even after the tradeshow leaves town.

Every tradeshow attendee is inundated with industry swag, but few exhibitors go the extra mile to deliver something strategic and unexpected. When the tradeshow is over and your sales staff is no longer there to make the sale, your message must not only stand on its own, but it needs to be presented in a way that makes it stand out in a grab-bag sea of logoed t-shirts and coozies. When tradeshow attendees are handed strategic and unexpected giveaways, they show them to other attendees, their coworkers, and other industry professionals, giving your message legs and helping it to spread virally. If that giveaway is unique enough, or something useful, it ends up on the attendees’ desks, reminding them of your product or service every time they see it. And occasionally, with today’s social media outlets, the giveaway will end up being featured on an industry blog, spreading your message even further.

A few tips in creating a viral tradeshow handout:

  • Develop a strategic message that addresses the attendees’ needs
  • Provide a strong, obvious call-to-action, to help drive results
  • Feature a dynamic design and include an unexpected, fun and/or useful “tchotchke” to help your message stand out among the tradeshow handout clutter
  • Feature the handout on your company website, blog, or social media pages when the tradeshow is over
  • If successful, develop a follow-up direct mail featuring a similar/complimentary message
  • Mix it up. What was unexpected at one tradeshow will become old news if the same attendees see it again at a future event

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