How to Know if Your Swag Will Resonate

 

When you attend a trade show, you are likely going to see many booths offering unique giveaway items or sweepstakes-style contests to help build their brand. Many companies will set their expectations too high and assume that just providing some cool gear for information will set them up for the success they want. This isn’t always the case as many promotions will end up falling flat on their face if not implemented correctly. This can result in a low ROI.

 

Here are a couple of things to avoid if you want to make sure that your giveaway items will be the success you see, not the failure you don’t.

 

Limit the Signup

Nobody likes filling out forms. It seems to make sense – fill out the form, get a prize. Assigning your giveaway item to a form (and a dangling questionnaire) is not a great way of introducing your brand to the public. This can work if done correctly, but trying to get an uninitiated public to jump through one too many hoops may not give you the end results you were hoping to see.

 

Try an A/B test before giving out that custom print on pen drive to the public. Send 50 percent of your traffic to a version where the attendee answers one telling question along with their name and email before receiving the giveaway, and the other 50 percent to a lengthier form where they answer more questions and provide more information about their position and company. Weigh out which gave you the best balance of lead information while keeping attendee satisfaction and brand engagement high.

 

Confusing Entry

If you don’t have clear instructions for getting your giveaway, you’re likely to find that people won’t even bother with your booth at all. To best avoid this scenario altogether, do a test run on coworkers in an unrelated department and with no warning or extra directions. If everyone who tries to enter the contest succeeds, you have a clear direction with your message and have set it up correctly. If people come back with questions about the entry process, that should be viewed as a red flag and should be addressed before stepping foot on the trade show floor.

 

 

 

 

Wrong Prize

The giveaway is the key to getting people to your booth – everyone is doing it and you need to stand out. However, if your giveaway doesn’t line up with the audience that your targeting, then you your promotion is doomed.

 

You have to consider your whether your audience will find value in your item. If you are trying to get the most value from your time at the convention, you are going to have to offer something of true value to them in return for their information and face time.

 

In order to create a strong value proposition, the prize needs to align with your with your brand and business goals, while also being something the audience still cares about. Be careful about being too specific, or pandering to your audience, as coming on too strong may also be an issue to avoid.

 

Keep these strategies in mind when developing your trade show objectives and you’ll be sure to have a successful giveaway experience!