Here's an undeniable truth: trade shows are the best place for launching new products. If you're confident you have a great product or service that deserves a special launch event, keep reading! We collected a list of simple steps that you should follow in order to host an unforgettable and fruitful event!
Play your cards right
Trade shows, as huge gatherings of current & prospective customers, provide an unparalleled opportunity to make them see and try your top notch novelties. More than a marketing tool, trade fairs also work as a litmus test for your new offerings: by presenting your products in these platforms, you can gain invaluable insights directly from the audience about what they think of your novelties.
Feedback from industry experts can determine whether or not your new product will succeed after the event. So, there’s definitely no better place to test your newest creations.
Even though it is a common practice, product launching can be more challenging than what you might think… You surely don’t want your moment to go unnoticed, but you also know that you can't drop too much information, otherwise your “clever” competitors can easily steal your ideas… So yes, product launching indeed requires a careful strategy and execution.
"You cannot be afraid to fail, so don't wait too long to pull the trigger with a product launch"
Matt Brezina, co-Founder of Xobni
If you’re planning on raising the blinds on your new product/service during an upcoming trade show, first of all you have to prepare an action plan. Gather your team and design a calendar of tasks. Do some brainstorming sessions and collect the best ideas for the launching. And don't forget to:
- Contact the Show Organizers.
Remember, you won’t be the only one launching a new product during the event... Contact the trade show organizers and obtain the media list as far in advance as possible. It is important to use industry publications to grow a pre-show buzz for your product.
- Advertise the Launching.
Don't be shy about it: you have something new on the way, start spreading the word!
However, do it carefully: you shouldn’t drop too much details in the beginning… just play with people’s curiosity! Then, on the right moment (for instance, when your booth location gets confirmed) use your social media networks, like Facebook or Twitter, to share your booth number and promote the events you’ll be hosting.
Media coverage of your product launch should be a top priority. You can also build a micro-site or place a landing page on your website specifically geared to your product launch - this way, it will be impossible for your users to miss it!
- Be creative!
Remember: the way you present the product to your target audience (whether they're press members, clients or prospects) is extremely important, since it is the first contact/experience they'll have with the product.
In order to surprise and engage your audience you can, for instance, use guerrilla marketing tecniques, uncoventional effects (mapping, holographics...), organize a live performance, invite celebrities... or simply have someone dress up as your new product interacting with the crowd, distributing flyers or free samples... Imagination has no limits, and this is the moment to make a good use of it!
- Host live demonstrations.
Set a demo schedule and use it as a promotional item to get attendees to stop by your booth. Then, you just need to make your presentation unforgettable: use multimedia, special lighting, epic music... Interactive presentations are also a huge hit.
Invite your audience to touch, try and ask questions. Make sure your sales team is well prepared to answer all type of questions and comments. And of course, always show enthusiasm and a positive attitude!
- Giveaways and discounts.
Gifts are an indispensable part of trade shows. So, if you're launching a new product, your giveaways should be prepared accordingly (whenever it is possible, of course). In addition, offering special discounts to the people who visit your product launch is also a good strategy. In this same line, rewarding customer loyalty should also be a priority: you can, for instance, offer a special gift, price or discount to your older customer and build an even stronger bond.
"The last 10% it takes to launch something takes as much energy as the first 90%"
Rob Kalin, co-Founder of Etsy
Finally, don’t lose your momentum! With your launch you’ll reach many people (potential customers and partners included), so don’t forget to give an extra push to those visitors that were “interested but not ready to buy”.
What should you do then? Send emails, offer free trials, webinars… Or even host a special event off-site to follow up your product launch at the fair. With the right amounts of effort and luck, they’ll (hopefully!) eventually give in!