Customized trade show promotional items can be powerful marketing tools for increasing booth traffic. They provide a means by which exhibitors can attract high-opportunity prospects to their trade show display area and engage in meaningful conversation with a greater number of potential buyers at an event.

Yet, not all promotional incentive gifts are worth your investment (or time) and some giveaways may even inhibit your ability to achieve trade show exhibit goals. So how do you choose giveaway items that advance your event objectives without burdening your annual trade show budget?

First, you need to clearly define the role your promotional items will play in your overall trade show marketing strategy. For example, you may determine that attracting booth visitors is just one of the many ways your customized incentive gifts support show objectives.

A carefully selected giveaway can do “double duty” at a targeted conference or event by serving as a vehicle to:

- Enhance brand awareness;

- Help introduce a new company product or service: and/or

- Communicate your key contact information (e-mail address, website address, phone numbers, etc.).

In addition, you may want to use your incentive gifts after the trade show to send to your top, current customers who were unable to attend the event.

Thoughtful Selection of Promotional Items

Considering how you plan to use your promotional items in support of trade show objectives, carefully select a giveaway that can serve multiple purposes and has a strong link or connection to your product offering. In addition, make sure your selection is:

- Unique from what trade show attendees typically see and receive;

- Meaningful to your trade show display booth visitors; and

- Reflective of the image you need to portray.

An alternative to a free promotional gift is writing and printing an information-style tip sheet or brochure filled with practical ideas and tips related to your target audience's needs (and your product). Event visitors are always attracted to tools that make their jobs easier, help them increase work performance and facilitate the achievement of results.

Effective Distribution of Giveaways

In the trade show exhibition hall, it is important to be selective about when you hand out your promotional item -- and to whom. Don't have your giveaways stacked up on a table or displayed for everyone to see and just anyone to take.

Rather, have a plan to ensure that viable prospects and customers are the only individuals who benefit from receiving your promotional item. Consider asking tradeshow booth visitors whom you've never met a defined set of prequalifying questions and only give your promotional items to high-potential prospects. This will help you save costs and enable you to target the most opportunistic trade show booth visitors during and after the event.

It is also appropriate to request a business card or other key contact information before handing out a promotional item. This will give it more value to the trade show booth visitor and support the impact of your post-show follow-up activities.