Novelist William Morris wrote, “Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”. This is valuable advice for anyone. However, it can be easy to lose sight of…especially when returning home from a convention or trade show with bags and bags full of random, Useless, cheap, plastic garbage.
We’ve all done it! We’ve all greedily grabbed handfuls of trade show giveaways that we don’t really even like…and certainly don’t need. The piles of colorful pens, key chains, mugs, and notepads always end up gathering dust, creating clutter, and eventually piling up in landfills. Furthermore, most of us couldn’t think of a single time one of the trade show ever actually sold us on a certain product or service.
Do trade show giveaways actually work?
Great trade show giveaways play an important role in your trade show marketing strategy and help you maximize your success. Not only do giveaways provide an incentive to stop at your booth and engage with questions, but they also provide your customers with something to remember you by.
However, it’s the last bit of this formula that makes it tricky and difficult to provide quality trade show giveaways. It’s quick and easy to send away for the typical key chains and lanyards that you hope will draw attendees to your booth. The problem is, every other booth at the trade show is doing the same thing, and chances are that trade show attendees are going to throw most of the duplicate giveaways in the trash as soon as they get back to their hotels.
If you are looking for something unique and effective, start by thinking of what has worked before. The BEST trade show giveaways that actually spur conversions and inspire brand messaging are the kind that attendees will keep, will use, and will enjoy long after they return home.
Think of the trade show giveaways that you have kept for years. Which items are you the most excited about? Next, consider the ones that you weren’t. Which of the items did you immediately throw out after the trade show? Which items were forgotten – left in the bottom of the junk drawer, just taking up space?
Now, imagine providing a caricature! It’s the most personalized gifts a person can receive! It’s a fun cartoon version of your trade guest, it’s original art that they take home with them. The best part is that your company logo and information or QR code is right there for everyone to see. They will treasure the caricature. They might even frame it. They’ll always keep it and remember what a fun experience that was – and they’ll never forget your company, product, or service. The caricature itself will be a reminder.
A caricature is ALWAYS appreciated, wanted, and treasured. Caricatures will never end up gathering dust, they’ll never create clutter, and they’ll never end up in landfills. This is why you should consider having us DRAW customers to your booth!
