While most business owners know they need a well-made, communicative sign at their place of business, many owners miss the opportunity signage provides during event marketing. What does event marketing mean, you ask? In the marketing industry, it stands alongside experiential marketing as an in-person marketing method that puts your product in the hands of consumers.
Event-based Marketing Methods
The methods and locations of event-based marketing vary. We cover trade shows in detail later in this article but know that they top the list of tried-and-true methods of event marketing. Other examples of event marketing include sampling events, information booths, and experiential activations at larger events. Trade Show Booths Each of these event types uses different event marketing techniques. For instance, at a trade show, a company typically operates an information booth at which a company representative or trade show model distributes promotional items. These items might include branded pens, notepads, coffee mugs, or tote bags.
Sampling Events
Many retail stores and eateries host sampling events. You might have attended one without realizing it if your local bakery offered samples of a new muffin or cake. Major retailers like Walmart, Target, Costco, and Sam’s Club host sampling events for brands sold at their stores on weekends. Your business doesn’t need to operate a corporation to offer a sampling event. Make extra of whatever you want to distribute samples of, such as a muffin. Cut it into bite-sized pieces and place each bite into its own paper muffin cup. Place the samples on a tray and have an employee stand outside your shop, offering them to passersby.
Information Booths
Any larger event, such as the county or state fair or a major sports event, offers opportunities to host an information booth. Use well-designed, hearty signage to attract attendees to your booth. Distribute maps of the event, promotional items, or give presentations on your product or service. At some events, it makes sense to do all four.
Experiential Activations
Although you might not know the term experiential activation, you probably attended one at least once. You attend an experiential activation if you’ve ever attended: – A fan zone at an NCAA college football tailgate/pre-game – The holiday tree event Virgin Mobile hosts during December in malls across America – Participated in a survey at a car show. Your business doesn’t need millions of dollars to provide a terrific experience for potential customers. Host a bounce tent for kids at the county fair or set up pony rides at your town’s next festival. Use custom signs to convey your sponsorship of the consumer experience.
Spreading the word about your business has never been easier, or cheaper. With digital marketing, it is possible to reach more targeted customers at a lower cost.
But, how do digital ads stack up against a physical custom business sign, whether outside the brick-and-mortar business or at an industry trade show? Would the dollars spent on a sign for your business be better invested in digital ads?
Physical, permanent signage continues to drive results for brick-and-mortar businesses, in a way that digital ads can’t match. People who live near a business with a custom business sign may end up seeing it several times a day for months or years. If they are also in the target demographic, that far exceeds the results you can get by running digital ads.
Vendor signage doesn’t have to be limited to print, however. Digital signs allow you to change the message whenever you like, try multiple messages, or include beautiful and eye-catching animations. A digital signage consultant can provide guidance on how to implement this, and how it could help your business. Digital signage consulting is different for each business, and provides specific advice on how to make this form of advertising work for your business.
Whether you sell products, services, or both, marketing is integral to increasing brand awareness and developing a solid consumer base. While many companies continue to have brick-and-mortar locations, others may primarily operate online. Given the prevalence of e-commerce, many businesses choose to expand their brand’s awareness by attending trade shows and other marketing and networking events. For those that continue to have physical locations, effective signage and printed brochures are excellent marketing tools.
The Benefits of Trade Shows
One of the reasons why trade shows are beneficial is that exhibitors can meet a variety of individuals face-to-face. This includes meeting suppliers, re-sellers, and other important individuals. Another positive is that 81% of the attendees at trade shows usually have buying authority. This means that quite a few of the individuals that explore the various exhibits are potential customers. Some may also be existing customers that are looking forward to making face-to-face connections.
Given the multiple opportunities to network at trade shows, the results of a recent survey aren’t surprising. Nearly half, or 47% of the participating exhibitors, stated that they valued this opportunity to communicate on a more personal level. Furthermore, 51% of the exhibitors indicated that they valued being able to meet and interact with existing and potential customers.
Trade shows are also an effective venue for marketing. The aforementioned survey found that 99% of marketers reported that trade show exhibits provided unique opportunities. It’s interesting to note that these professionals stated they didn’t experience the same end results as they did with other methods.
When businesses create their marketing budgets, some will allocate a specific amount for events and exhibits. The average company, for instance, will allocate 31.6% for this purpose. Every year, over $24 billion is spent by U.S. exhibitors for their trade show displays. This includes booths and signage such as vinyl banners.
The Benefits of Effective Business Signage
When a business upgrades or adds a new sign, it can make a difference in its local visibility. Recent data shows that 50% of a business’ customers are drawn into a business due to its sign. Since a large percentage of a business’ existing or potential clients live and/or work within a five-mile radius, signage can make a significant impact. In fact, local residents may drive or walk by a sign between 50 to 60 times a month.
On-site signage can be even more effective than running newspaper ads. To draw a comparison, it’s the equivalent of running 24 full-page newspaper ads over the course of a year. An on-site sign will cost a business $0.02 for every one-thousand views. A 300-line newspaper ad, on the other hand, will cost a business $2.81for every one-thousand views. Furthermore, newspaper ads may only reach 53% of a business’ targeted market.
While many individuals may continue to conduct research on products and services online, they often just skim this material for up to 15 seconds or so. Studies show, however, that people tend to become more engaged with reading printed, rather than digital, articles and ads. Even though on-site signage can be more effective and economical than running newspaper ads, this does underline some individual preference for direct mail and other printed advertising.
Take Care of Your Trade Show Printing Needs
Since there are different types of printing that you need for your business, it makes sense to have these all taken care of at the same shop. Whether you need trade show printing such as posters and banners or require other printing services such as custom business cards and brochures, these and other types of printing are available. In addition to your trade show printing needs, you may also require services such as legal document scanning.
When you contact your local printing company to learn more about their trade show printing services, you’ll be able to learn more about their other services. Since you may want to upgrade your brick-and-mortar signage, your printing company will be able create posters, vinyl banners, and more. One of the many benefits of working with a quality printing company is that they can provide you with marketing materials to enhance your business’ presence, increase your brand’s awareness, and expand your customer base.
