Promotional Merchandise is a great way to attract crowds to an event. They are low in cost and provide something that is more permanent than simply brochures and business cards which are more often than not thrown out. (sometimes directly outside of the venue). A promotional merchandise which is either fun or functional or both will be kept and will provide you with a valuable 2nd opportunity down the track to attract that customer. Its useful then to be strategic about placement of promotional merchandise. A good idea would be to place promotional merchandise where you can provide maximum visibility to ensure crowds get drawn to you. However they must also be placed in a location where “freeloaders,” simply cannot take and leave. Why? Well if they leave the moment they receive something chances are 1 of several things:

a) They were never your target customer in the first place as they simply wanted freebies
b) They are not given a chance to interact with your staff
c) They more likely would have paid no attention to your product or your advertisments

This means that its a marketing opportunity lost. What I would recommend is to have the promotional merchandise visible but only accessible by a passerby making a commitment. This commitment may be in the form of entering further into your event or conference stand or perhaps by needing to speak with a member of your staff in order to receive the item. This allows for either or both increased exposure as well as the all important interaction with your team. Even better if you have something interactive or perhaps a trial of your product or service this makes it even better. Too often I have seen a tradeshow where a product is simply left at the front of a stand and within minutes literally hundreds of passer bys pick up and leave with the product paying little attention to the company handing them out.

Another good idea is to have a 2nd tier or even 3rd tier of product. These can be merchandise for those customers who seem genuinely more interested. It may be worthwhile giving something a little nicer to this group as the chances of you securing a sale down the road would be higher. A 3rd tier of product would suit those who are existing customers just as a small corporate gift as a token of thank you. When deciding on products its a good idea to think about how visible it will be. If its an attractive functional product that is carried around the tradeshow it will be noticed and sooner than later people will actively see and seek out where it came from. A bigger crowd is definitely an initial sign of a successful campaign. It allows you to interact more with potential clients. However this is not without its risk as there is a big chance that your team may be engaged and too busy to keep the service level up for everyone. In my next blog I would have suggestions and hints on how to politely move from customer to customer yet still be professional and courteous at the same time. A skill that is definitely invaluable which will save you money and help attract more customers.