Promoting Your Brand at Events and Local Marketplaces

If you are staying up to date on the latest advertising trends, you’ll know that getting face time with your leads is a key driver of your conversion rates. Festivals, street fairs, and tradeshows are all golden opportunities to stand out and make people take notice of your brand. 

Even if you don’t have a lot of space to work with, you can use creative design to get your message across. Here are some tips on how to wow your potential customers and engage them at your next event. 

Add Your Personal Touch on Simple Items

You don’t just want your brand to get noticed, you want it to linger in the minds of the people you meet. What better way to make that happen than by investing in low-cost, fun-sized items for people to take home from the event. Whether you keep things simple with a well-designed pen, or think outside of the box with a unique takeaway like a webcam cover, these promotional items will help to increase the staying power of your brand or product. You can also include a business card or a pamphlet with these items as a way to encourage your leads to follow up. 

Stand Firm on Your Brand Identity 

One of the biggest reasons that brands don’t get the recognition they deserve is because there is a disconnect between who they are and what they’re offering. Everything about your setup should be congruent – from the banners you display to the messaging in your marketing brochures. People make judgements based on a number of things, but visuals are a key factor. The more consistency you have in your presentation, the more authority you will have in the space. On the contrary, if there seems to be no thought or consideration to how your booth is set up, people are less likely to see you as a professional. 

Create an Experience, Not Just a Sales Pitch 

If you’re advertising at a festival or trade show, one of your main goals should be to create positive experience. Your content, whether it be in the form of words, graphics, or audio, should all be structured in a way that engages your audience. Create a video clip or infographic to educate your audience, rather than just trying to sell them on a product or service. 

Use bold colors, compelling imagery, or a powerful headline on your banners to put the focus on your brand. Keep in mind that you might only have seconds to capture their attention, so timing and incentive is everything. Consider running an “Enter to Win” promotion to motivate your audience. 

Hire a Creative Professional

One of the main reasons that small-to-medium size businesses work with an external marketing team is because of their creative expertise. They know what’s trending, how to best utilize your marketing budget, and how to execute in a time crunch. Advertising at street fairs and festivals is on a whole different plane than traditional marketing – it takes planning, experience, and ample resources to pull off effectively. That being said, attendance at these events is proven to strengthen brand reputation and build community rapport. Work with a design team who is “in the know” and equipped to manage your advertising assets from start to finish.   

Spending money on your next marketing opportunity might not give you an immediate return on your investment. Many times, these community events are about planting seeds in the mind of your target audience and building relationships. Over time, your presence at these events will become more evident and you’ll start converting leads into loyal, lifelong customers. 

Don’t undersell your brand or miss an opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Contact our seasoned professionals today to ensure you’re in the best position possible for all of your upcoming festivities.