Using Exhibitions as Part of a Marketing Strategy: A Guide
One of the best things about exhibitions is that they’re face to face. This means they’re an excellent way to connect with audiences, other vendors, and people within your industry in a meaningful way. Building this connection and engagement with your customer base is also a key factor of any marketing campaign – so then exhibition marketing simply makes sense.
But what is exhibition marketing, and how can you make the most of using exhibitions as part of your overarching campaigns, either as a business or brand? In this guide, we’ll explore the advantages of using exhibitions in marketing – and even include some practical tips to show how it can be done…
What is exhibition marketing?
A comprehensive marketing strategy is multifaceted. Between PR and press, OOH ads, and online and social media campaigns, you often have your hands full. But, it would be remiss to forget how beneficial a physical presence at an event can be – which is where exhibition marketing comes in.
Exhibition marketing is exactly as it sounds; using an exhibition opportunity to market your brand or company. This could be through running a stall as part of a wider industry event, or even hosting an exhibition yourself. Both sides have value, and will be more or less suitable for your business depending on your budget, market position, and marketing campaign goals.
Top tip: on top of helping you host an exhibition, we have a fantastic Marketing team with links to local press across the region to help you market your event!
Why choose exhibition marketing?
As you’ll likely already be aware, creating a marketing campaign involves a lot of steps, so each part needs to add value. So, what are the benefits of choosing exhibition marketing?
Meet customers in real life
Perhaps the most obvious advantage of using an exhibition as part of your marketing campaign is that you can meet customers face to face. There are not a lot of marketing channels that allow you to generate an in-person repertoire with a customer or client; having a physical presence at an exhibition offers you the opportunity to interact with audiences directly.
Not only can you speak with existing customers and improve upon their brand relationship and loyalty, but exhibitions are an excellent way to meet new audiences. Lots of people attend exhibitions like trade shows or conventions, making this the perfect opportunity to reach out to people who aren’t yet familiar with your business and make a connection. Having a presence at an event can make you seem more approachable, allowing potential leads or customers to make contact in a more organic way.
Show off the product or service
One area where exhibitions (and exhibition marketing) really shine is via the opportunity to showcase your product or service. This is especially useful for new product launches, where there may not be a legacy audience for this particular item.
Using an exhibition as part of your product launch strategy means you can demonstrate exactly what it is about this item that makes it valuable, exciting or relevant to an engaged audience. For new products within a range for example, you could consider doing live demonstrations of new or stand-out features to showcase why people should be interested.
There is also an element of exclusivity around doing product launches at an exhibition. Both existing and new customers will have the opportunity to say they ‘were there’ when the new product dropped, contributing to the existing buzz around a particular product or service. Making your product launch into a feature helps to further this impression, with audiences feeling like they’re more involved – and encouraging them to sign up for future events if they know they can expect an ‘experience’ as part of the exhibition.
Learn about the industry
From a professional perspective, including an exhibition in your marketing strategy offers you the chance to have a front row seat to what competitors and others in the industry are doing – particularly if you’re part of the same industry event. Observing what others are doing at an exhibition can help you improve your future strategies, and offer you an opportunity to do some discreet market research to see what audiences respond well to, and what they don’t.
Top tip: depending on the type of exhibition you host (or participate in), there may also be informational seminars or discussions you can attend, which can help you grow and learn as a business within your industry.
Create a buzz
Lastly, hosting or showing at an exhibition is interesting! It gets you, and your audiences, away from their screens for a while – and engaging with people in the real world. Making this connection is an excellent way to generate a buzz around a new product launch, a rebrand, or even just to boost your profile with a variety of audiences.
Our top exhibition marketing tips
Knowing the benefits of exhibition marketing, especially as part of a product launch strategy, is one thing. It’s another challenge entirely to actually put your plans into practice. Fortunately, here at Exhibition Centre Liverpool, we have a vast knowledge base and bank of expertise you can draw upon to help you. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the most important aspects of using exhibitions as marketing opportunities you need to know about – and even some practical examples.
Top tip: for more specifics on how we can help you with your exhibition, and exhibition marketing,
Define your goals
The first step to understanding how your exhibition can work within a marketing strategy is to outline your specific goals. You need to know what you want the exhibition to achieve in order to target your efforts efficiently. For example:
For product launches
If you’re planning a product launch, you need your exhibition or exhibition stand to have plenty of the new range for you to demonstrate the features of your product. You may also wish to be featured within the event programme with a scheduled talk or demonstration (if this is an available feature within the wider exhibition).
For reaching new audiences
If you’re using an exhibition as a way to reach new audiences, you need to make sure you have a prominent position within the auditorium floor. Near entrances, on corners, or near the front are all ways to boost your visibility with potential audiences.
Top tip: at Exhibition Centre Liverpool, our Exhibition Halls are easily configurable, so there are plenty of ways to get the best spot for your booth or stall.
Depending on the type of exhibition you’re attending, you may also wish to offer new customer exclusives to catch their attention and grow your potential customer base.
For boosting your industry profile
When it comes to marketing your brand or business within the industry, exhibitions are an approachable way to meet other people in a more relaxed way (instead of an organised mixer or networking event for example). Your exhibition stand can act as a buffer to give you something immediate to talk about, as well as giving you the opportunity to showcase who you are to other members and professionals of your industry.
Cater to your audience
Understanding your target audience, and catering to their tastes, is a key aspect of marketing that you’ll want to reflect in your exhibition offering. For example, if you’re hosting a product launch for a younger audience (18-30), you will want to offer more interactive technologies for them to explore – like VR headsets, immersive digital content, and games. On the other hand, for older audiences, having people to talk to and physical examples of your product or how a service will benefit them may resonate with them more.
Prepare in advance
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it again – when it comes to putting together an exhibition, the earlier you start preparing, the better. This is the same for using your exhibition as a marketing opportunity. Understanding your goals, your budget, and how your exhibition will fit into your overarching marketing strategy is key to making the most of the event on the day.
This is particularly true for product launches, or rebranding events. Considering these aspects of your business usually have a long lead time, planning your exhibition in advance allows you to manage any unexpected roadblocks with time to spare.
Host your next exhibition with the help of Exhibition Centre Liverpool
Preparing to host your next exhibition? Choose Exhibition Centre Liverpool as your exhibition partner. With incredible In-House Services, and a comprehensive Accessibility Strategy, we’re perfectly placed to help your exhibition succeed!
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