Friday, July 29, 2016
Promotionally Yours: How to Design a TRADE SHOW DISPLAY without breakin...
Promotionally Yours: How to Design a TRADE SHOW DISPLAY without breakin...: Promotional Marketing Blog by HALO Branded Solutions When you’re planning a booth for a trade show, you r...
How to Design a TRADE SHOW DISPLAY without breaking the bank
Promotional Marketing
Blog by HALO Branded Solutions
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 When you’re planning a booth for a trade show, you really don’t have to invest a fortune in trying to make your booth stand out from all the other exhibitors. Some companies do exactly that however, and they spend a ton of money designing an elaborate, eye-catching booth that no one else can match. The problem with that strategy is that it ends up featuring your design talents rather than your products.
Isn’t the
whole point of attending a trade show to get potential customers interested
in what you’re selling? A fancy booth may have attendees admiring your
handiwork, but later they may have no recollection whatsoever about what your
company makes or the service it provides. The design of your booth should be
simple and complementary to your product or service; it should not compete
with or obscure what you’re trying to sell.
With that in mind, here are some
inexpensive ways of preparing an effective display booth that you can set up
to perfectly complement what you’re selling:
Consider used trade
show booth pieces.– This is one of
the most affordable ways of setting up a trade show display. You can
reuse banner stands, tables and table cloths. You can even repurpose
slatwalls, shelving and other display pieces and customize them to complement
your own branding. Consider pieces from past shows, rental options or buying used
products.
 
Keep the customer in mind. Since trade show attendees often walk for hours around an
exhibit hall, they will appreciate any little perks you can provide at your
booth, for instance little candies, a cool drink, or a chair to sit in for a
few minutes.
Also, Make sure your
important signage is at eye level so they don’t have to make any effort to
absorb your message easily, and in that same vein, keep your signage very
simple, with large lettering and an easily identifiable logo. If you have an
online business or new website to share, a single podium with your tablet or
laptop can become the focal point of your booth. Plus, you can add your
branding to it!
 
Use banners. They’re relatively inexpensive and can get a lot of
attention for your products and services. With graphics customized to your
business, they can be very effective and still very affordable.
Add your own lighting. For the most part, lighting in an exhibit hall is subdued
overhead lighting, so if you can include some simple lighting in your booth
which features your important banners, backdrops, or signage, it can really
bring your display to life for viewers.
 
Utilize backdrops. One good way to make your display stand out is to use a
dark or black backdrop, because it will contrast powerfully with your display
materials and make them more prominent.
Add an interior wall. If you have a lot of material that you need to display,
adding an interior wall can be a great way to do that, since it provides two
additional surfaces upon which you can attach information or graphics to
catch your visitors’ attention.
Effective need not be
expensive
Ultimately, the objective of your
trade show booth display should be to sell your product or service to the
customer, not to create the most dazzling design. By using some of these
inexpensive ways of highlighting your business offerings, you can make an
effective display at a reasonable cost.
Have other thrifty trade show
tips? Leave your suggestions in the comment section below. For additional
trade show tips, check out HALO’s white paper, Booth! There
It Is!
*All photos courtesy of
Infinity Exhibits.
About the Author:
Infinity Exhibits
Infinity
Exhibits has been in the business of saving clients money on
trade show displays for over 20 years. They offer high quality displays to
help exhibitors put their best foot forward on any budget.
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Thursday, July 28, 2016
Promotionally Yours: Calendars... A year of Advertising.
Promotionally Yours: Calendars... A year of Advertising.: Promotional Marketing Blog by HALO Branded Solutions Calendars: A Year of Advertising for Less th...
Calendars... A year of Advertising.
Promotional Marketing
Blog by HALO Branded Solutions
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Posted: 27 Jul 2016 02:25 PM PDT
If you don’t love affordable
advertising tactics with impressive ROI, then stop reading here because
that’s all we’re talking about today. According to the 2016
Impressions Study by the Advertising Specialties Institute, promotional
products, on average, cost less than 1/10 of a cent per impression. With
promotional calendars, you earn those impressions for an entire year! On
any given day, anyone who walks by your branded calendar will see your
message. It may be hanging in someone’s house, office, breakroom or
meeting room, making them extremely versatile for the end-user. Did you know
that they can be versatile additions to your marketing mix, too? We’ve listed
some fun ways to use calendars below.
“Thanks for Stopping By”
If you have a brick and mortar
business, use calendars at the point of purchase. Hand out 2017 calendars
with purchases in December and advertise the free calendars through your social
media channel. You’ll drive extra traffic during the holidays and have your
name in front of your customers to kick off the New Year.
A Reason to Say “Hi”
If you’re a business to business
organization, mail a calendar to all Chamber businesses in your community or
supply each sales person with calendars for visits in December and January.
If nothing else, the client will switch out their old calendar for
your new branded calendar. Send a calendar to every contact on
your list, even if they aren’t a current client. You never know who may be
result in a referral . Optimize your sales tool by adding a photo to the
calendar so clients get that extra personal touch.
Annual Service Reminder
If you own a service-oriented
business, create a calendar with service reminders on it. Health care
professionals can add important check-up reminders and preventative care tips
during popular sick times like flu and allergy seasons. Non-profit
organizations can note their most important fundraisers.
 
Holiday Greeting
Small desk calendars are a smart
choice when it’s time to send holiday cards. They can be sent in gift
envelopes and average the same price as a greeting card. Because they are so
mailer friendly, you can also send them with invoices or anything else that is
already going in the mail.
This is especially smart for
online businesses since that don’t have much in-person interaction with
clients. Calendar mailers also make nice gestures as “Thank You” or “Welcome”
gifts and can be triggered by whatever you choose, from a purchase to signing
up for an email list.
Brand Recognition Campaign
Consider a completely custom
calendar for additional branding opportunities. You can add your own special
dates such as an annual celebration or tips and tricks related to your
business. If you run a restaurant, consider featuring a special menu item each
month (Burger of the Month) or if you’re promoting a fitness center, add
health tips for your patrons.
   
Some calendar styles let you add a
coupon section below the calendar grid. This gives the recipient another
reason to keep their branded calendar the entire year. If using coupons,
remember to spread out the “valid by” dates so you have some that are good
through the next year.
If you’re thinking about adding
calendars to your marketing mix, me.
We’ll help you choose the calendar that’s right for your next project.
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Monday, July 25, 2016
Promotionally Yours: Promotional Marketing Blog by HALO Branded S...
Promotionally Yours: Promotional Marketing Blog by HALO Branded S...: Promotional Marketing Blog by HALO Branded Solutions Ten Trends from ASI Chicago Posted: 22 Ju...
Promotional Marketing
Blog by HALO Branded Solutions
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Posted: 22 Jul 2016 02:06 PM PDT
Last week I attended the
industry’s biggest show of the summer: ASI Chicago.
With nearly 700 suppliers on the
show floor and thousands of products, there was a lot to take in (and a lot
to take home in my new metallic tote bag). I was only there a few hours, long
enough to walk the show floor but certainly not long enough to stop at each
booth. In my whirlwind trade show experience, I did notice few
reoccurring trends.
§ Products used with an App: Everyone loves
playing on their smart phones so why not have a custom app to go with your
product? California Tattoos has an awesome variety of temporary tattoos
that now includes Holo Tats, temporary tattoos that spring to life with a
little help from a free app and your mobile device. Imagine your logo
or mascot dancing around on your client’s screen like a character from
Pokémon Go. Enough said.
§ Vintage Appeal: Pinterest and Etsy
are popular right now and are filled with whimsical and vintage-feel
products. Generally that’s not what you picture when you think of the
promotional products industry, but I did notice a bit of whimsy at the ASI
show this year including custom paper straws from Aardvark Straws. Bonus:
They’re eco-friendly!
§ Free Food! Free food always
draws a crowd, especially sweets. There was no shortage of delicious samples
up for grabs and packaging options perfect for the holidays, which are
right around the corner. The logoed chocolates at the Sweettrio booth
were both delicious and direct. It was the first time I ate something
that said “Your Logo Here,” but in this industry, I have a feeling it won’t
be the last.
§ Cooling Items: It’s the middle of
July in the Midwest so it’s not a surprise that staying cool is top of mind.
Promotional products that help beat the heat are great for any outdoor summer
event. High Caliber Line now has O2COOL products. My favorite was
O2Cool Ergo Bottle complete with the Mist and Sip Top.
§ Eco-friendly/Recyclable: I noticed a great
variety of Eco-friendly products at the show. As a coffee lover and
Keurig user, I was pleased to find that Mineral Springs Bottled Water now
offers custom labeled coffee and tea including recyclable k-cups.
§ Oversize Items: It’s important to
stand out at a trade show and there were several oversize items that caught
my eye. The Bobblehead at the Alexander Global Promotions booth was my
favorite (possibly because it made me feel like I was in “Honey I Shrunk the
Kids”). It drew me to the booth where I stayed to check out the rest of
the custom sports commemoratives and collectibles. It was also a great
photo-op.
§ Multi-Purpose: The more useful the
product, the more likely someone is to keep it… so it makes sense in this
industry to design products that have multiple uses. The Aura Box from
Origaudio is a Bluetooth speaker, with built-in microphone, LED lamp,
thermometer, alarm clock, and desktop notification. It’s also just
really cool.
§ Working Remotely: More and more people
work remotely, work from home or travel for work. Honestly, my first
thought about the Iclick Keybook was “It’s so cute!” but the reality is
that it’s so functional. It works with any Bluetooth compatible smart
phone or tablet and makes it possible to professionally compose emails and
notes regardless of what device you are using. It’s worth
mentioning that if you’re going for cute… it comes in rose gold.
§ Neoprene: It’s a material with
many uses and it looks good doing it. There are lots of awesome
neoprene items in both retail and the promotional products industry right
now, and Numo is always coming up with new ways to use this functional
fabric. My personal favorite was the growler cover.
§ Tech Holders: There were several
nifty gadgets meant to help you hold on to or go hands free with a mobile device.
It’s a great place to advertise because let’s face it… we are constantly on
our phones. I really liked the Go Strap. It was easy to use,
could quickly be removed from a device and could be securely mounted to
anything, from your treadmill to your stroller.
         
Did you attend ASI Chicago?
What were some of your favorite products that I missed? There was so
much to see!
For more industry trends and fresh
ideas you can always reach out to your HALO Account Executive. If you
are ready to take it a step further and attend a promotional products trade
show register for one of HALO’s End User Shows! Upcoming locations and dates:
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