Trade shows are an excellent place for entrepreneurs to meet and interact with potential customers, build connections with competitors and suppliers, promote their new products or services, and generate business leads. Indeed, trade shows are among the most effective marketing strategies that remain relevant today simply because people cannot replace the value of being physically present at such an industry-specific event.

However, attending a trade show is often not enough to boost your marketing strategy – you need to find a way to make your brand stand out. And there is no better way to catch the attention of others at a busy corporate event than by giving away promotional gifts! After all, corporate gifting is important, with the many benefits it offers, especially in building relationships with prospective customers. To help you get started, here are a few tried-and-tested tips on maximising the effectiveness of your corporate gifts at trade shows.

1. Be unique and creative

The importance of being intentional with your gift choices is often overlooked. Although pens and mugs are appropriate promotional gifts in many situations, there are better items you can give at a trade show where you have hundreds of competitors around. To attract potential customers and business partners, it would help to be unique with the items you give away to stand out.

We recommend looking for promotional items with a strong link to your business. For instance, if you are running a tech company, it would be best to focus on gadgets or tech accessories, such as a power bank, thumb drive, Bluetooth speaker, mouse pad, or custom laptop sleeve in Singapore. With countless choices of corporate gifts available, there is virtually no limit to how creative and original you can be with your promotional items! 

2. Include corporate gifts in your invitations

Prior to a trade show, it is helpful to let your business contacts, suppliers, and potential customers know about it. Even if they already know about your upcoming event, receiving a direct invitation from you will surely make them feel more welcome and encourage them to find your brand upon arrival. For more than just an invitation, you can increase the likelihood of people attending the show by adding small corporate gifts to the invitations.

Notepads and pens generally do not cost much to be sent via direct mail, and you can include a call to action or message alongside them, such as, “Use this notepad and pen for taking notes at the event. See you!” Another incredible idea would be to include only 1/2 of a set of corporate gifts. For example, you could add only a mouse pad in your mail, promising they will receive a matching computer mouse should they attend the trade show.

3. Combine corporate gifts and social media

You can create more buzz around your trade show booth by adding a digital element to your promotional methods. For example, you may give away corporate gifts with scannable QR codes for guests to access more information online, as it is an effective way to engage potential customers and encourage them to visit your website or social media pages.

You may also print your corporate gifts with hashtags so that individuals will be convinced to post or search about your brand on their social media channels. To do this, simply create your business hashtag and begin posting it to your followers to get them in the know before the trade event. When you hand out your corporate gifts with the hashtag, be sure to add a call-to-action (CTA) requesting people to post about your brand online. By using social media, you can widen the reach of your promotional efforts.

4. Follow up sales lead right away

After the trade show, it is essential not to wait for too long before you start contacting new customers and business partners again. If you think you have made a positive impression, do not let them forget about it! Especially if you have given them quality corporate gifts, your business will still be fresh in people’s minds hours or even days after the event.

Hence, if you have received any contact information, do not hesitate to call, message, or e-mail them right away to provide more details about your brand or products. You could also use promotional items in mailers to express your gratitude to guests for attending the trade show. Not only will this make them feel valued, but it will also make your business seem trustworthy and thoughtful that they will want to engage with your business.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that trade shows are among the most excellent marketing strategies out there, which is why it remains relevant even to this day. However, often, more than attending a trade show is needed to give your brand an instant boost. If you wish to maximise the effectiveness of trade shows as a marketing strategy, be sure to incorporate well-thought-out corporate gifts into your trade show promotions by following the simple pieces of advice shared in this article.

For the finest and most appealing corporate gift items to level up the way you do trade shows, Nanyang Gifts is the supplier you can count on! We provide a wide array of premium yet affordable promotional products perfect for corporate gifting at trade shows, such as a pen, notebook, mouse pad, apparel, footwear, bag, hand fan, umbrella, power bank, custom laptop sleeve, mug, and custom water bottle in Singapore. Please do not hesitate to contact us anytime to learn more about our offers.

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