Is Your Tradeshow Collateral Working for Your Staffing Firm?
It’s tradeshow time! The exhibit space has been reserved, the air and hotel arrangements have been confirmed, and the booth is being packed up for shipping, but are you really ready to attend that tradeshow? Have you done your homework and covered all of your bases to guarantee a return on your investment (ROI)? Market research is needed in order to design your tradeshow marketing plan, and a thorough review of your staffing firm tradeshow collateral must be conducted to ensure a successful and profitable experience.
Assess Your Current Collateral
Let’s start by pulling out everything you have packed away from the last tradeshow that you attended. Are the materials still relevant? Do the case studies feature issues that are outdated, or do the problems still exist in your niche of the staffing industry? What about the printed brochures that describe your staffing firm? Is the information current, or are you now offering additional services for your clients and candidates? Do your business cards have the correct information, or have phone numbers changed and office locations been added? The most important part of assessing your tradeshow collateral is making sure that everything is up-to-date. Handing out incorrect or outdated material is unprofessional and does not build trust in your staffing firm brand.
Honesty Is the Best Policy
Although you definitely are looking to attract the attention of your target audience and generate leads for your staffing firm, using deceptive practices in order to achieve that goal never pays off. Don’t stretch the truth by creating tradeshow collateral that is less than 100% accurate. Implying that you are servicing billion-dollar clients and placing candidates in high-paying, executive-level positions when you really aren’t is not a good practice to get into. Honesty is really the best policy when it comes to creating your staffing firm tradeshow collateral, because inaccurate materials are bound to come back and haunt you. Building up credibility in your brand requires complete transparency in your marketing efforts, and your tradeshow practices need to reflect that.
Keep Things Fresh
A great way to update your tradeshow booth and put a fresh spin on your marketing collateral is to introduce technology into the mix. Tradeshow attendees spend the entire day moving from one breakout session to the next, and during their breaks they are doing their best to cover every square foot of the exhibit floor. Be sympathetic to their needs and try to come up with ways to not weigh them down. Excessive handouts and heavy packets are likely to be “left behind” at the closest recycling station, so save a tree by cutting down on your printed materials. Make use of an interactive kiosk in your booth space where attendees are able to request that materials be mailed or emailed to them. Have a badge scanner available for those who are reluctant to take the time fill out their contact information. Looking for a great giveaway item that doesn’t take up much space? Bring along some customized flash drives that are imprinted with your company logo and contact information, and be sure to pre-load them with pdf versions of your tradeshow collateral. By giving the drives to your most qualified leads, you are building a relationship with them and keeping your staffing firm on their mind every time they use the storage device.
It’s Not All About the Booth
Keep in mind that staffing firm tradeshow collateral does not begin and end in your exhibit booth. Try to come up with other areas to introduce your marketing materials in order to spread your influence and establish your staffing firm as a thought leader. Host a cocktail hour in order to encourage networking and have your materials available throughout the event space. Present on a relevant topic as part of an informational session, and encourage attendees to break out into smaller group discussions. Make sure that your collateral is available for attendees to refer to as they leave the session, and ask tradeshow organizers if there is a centralized area such as the registration desk where you are permitted to leave materials.
Key Takeaways to Is Your Tradeshow Collateral Working for Your Staffing Firm: 
- Begin by assessing your current collateral and replacing anything that is outdated or inaccurate
- Always be honest and ensure that your tradeshow collateral is 100% accurate
- Keep your collateral fresh by introducing technology into the mix
- Think outside of the exhibit booth box, and identify other areas to distribute your tradeshow collateral
About S.J.Hemley Marketing
S.J.Hemley Marketing is a marketing and sales consulting firm focused on driving tangible results for professional services firms. Brand matters, but not without ROI. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience within staffing and recruiting, we have helped to drive successful branding, sales training, lead generation activities as well as defining marketing strategy for top organizations.