SWAG: How to separate potential customers from trade show scavengers.

Stuff We All Get, trinkets, tchotchkes, promotional knickknacks. Trade show trinkets come in all shapes and sizes.

I used to work at a company that tried really hard to get recognized at trade shows and business after hours events. Our “spin the prize wheel to win a mouse pad or a candy bar” was a huge success, we had people lined up at our booth 20 deep. Problem was, we were too busy handing out gifts to everyone that we never sold our services to potential customers. No new leads, no new business, negative ROI (cost of mouse pads, candy bars, wheel rental and booth fee).

Sheree Zielke, in her article Trade shows: Get creative with swag,  says this: “Trade show ‘swag’ or free goodies are fun to collect but swag also has a serious purpose: more business. It’s the creative swag that succeeds in landing more potential customers. The purpose of trade show ‘swag’ is two-fold. Firstly, great swag makes attendees seek out your booth and secondly, great swag makes your company memorable AFTER the show ends.”

So how do you separate potential customers from those just there for the free stuff? Lain Ehmann, The Secret Of Swag - Industry Trend or Event, has this to offer: “...if the item is given out simply because the trade-show masses expect it, a giveaway can do more harm than good. Finding the proper balance between the occasion, the object, your company’s budget and brand is tough. No one wants to be known as the cheap outfit that handed out the dumb plastic yo-yos.” One suggestion is to have a small branded gift for the scavengers in a bowl out front and better, more creative gifts for potential customers revealed only after they take the time to discuss your product or service with you. More of a special gift for a true lead. It could be entering their name in an exclusive drawing for a high-end gift such as a Blu-Ray player, digital camera or HD TV or simply a gift (thermal coffee mug, stainless water bottle, etc.) that they receive after you qualify them as a potential lead. Either way, the gift should represent your company’s product or services and be memorable, not landfill fodder.

Susan Friedmann, 4 Tradeshow Giveaway Essentials to Increase Your Company Recognition, suggests four things to keep in mind with trade show giveaways:

“The purpose of a giveaway is to increase recognition of your company. Make your giveaways memorable and effective by considering these four essentials:

1. What your target audience wants
2. What will help them do their jobs better
3. What they can’t get elsewhere
4. What is product/service related

Don’t be afraid to think far outside the box – You want attendees to remember the giveaway AND your name!”

So, give serious consideration to giveaways before your next big trade show opportunity. Consider the cost and how the product will represent your company. Will it be memorable and a reminder for future business, or discarded with all the other key chains, pens, stickers, etc.?