Trade Show Banners: Right On Target
Trade show banners are an effective and affordable marketing strategy to boost your brand awareness, generate more leads and increase sales.
But they need a little help from you — the creative end of trade show marketing. You can make your banner stand out by creating unique designs with your company's logo or use one of these templates that were created for you. If you don't have time to create, then just ask a professional. These sites offer everything from stationery to digital printing services at a great cost that will not only get your trade show project done on time but also help promote your brand while providing important information about the product or service being sold during the event.
For more ideas about how to use trade show banners for your business:
• Find out how you can use them to build awareness for your brand and products.
• Redesign a current commercial or website image to fit a trade show banner. (iStockphoto.com)
• Create custom art with the logo of your company and add it to an existing banner design (Banners by Design).
• Embody your brand personality by using stock photos and creating a custom artwork of your logo (Banners by Design). Here's an example of what we can do. See below.
• Brand your show with a unique design that matches your company's style, tone and look (Banners by Design).
Although there is a lot of talk about new technologies and tactics, trade show banners are here to stay. There are numerous ways to incorporate this tried-and-true method into every marketing plan. More than two-thirds of marketers find them to be an effective way to connect with potential clients at tradeshows, according to a survey conducted by the Institute for Trade Show Marketing Professionals. So - whether it is through printing or designing - follow these tips to make your banner stand out from the sea of other competitors at every type of trade event.
TRADE SHOW BANNER TIPS
1. Use images. More than 86 percent of marketers plan to use banners at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, according to the same Institute for Trade Show Marketing Professionals survey. But you don't need to show a picture of a car on that banner for it to be effective. Instead, use an image that will grab more attention and tell more about your product or service. It may be helpful to include a photo of the company's location or staff in an eye-catching way so that it catches people's attention while they're walking by (Banners by Design). Here's an example: See below.
2 . Keep your banner simple. The majority of marketers surveyed plan to use single-sided banners at the 2012 North American International Auto Show. Banners can say a lot about your product, but don't confuse others by adding too much text or information. In fact, the simplicity of banners is what makes them effective, said Jerry Revich, president and chief executive officer at Rethink Exhibitions Inc., which organized the show. "The more you put on there, the less impact it's going to have," he said.
3. Make it reader friendly. If you want to use a single-sided banner, keep it simple. Some people will read only the top half or the bottom quarter of your banner, said John Paffett, president of Bridgeway Group Inc., an exhibit planning and design firm in Long Island City, N.Y. That's why you need to make your message as clear as possible and include everything - from your company name to the product name - on one side of the banner (Banners by Design).
4 . Get creative with a picture. While you can use a photo of the product or service being sold at the show, it doesn't have to be on your trade show banner. Instead, think about which image will grab more attention than others and make it a focal point. Consider using your company's logo or the name of the product without making it too busy. "We get a lot of designers who go crazy with the logos and you can't really see them," Revich said.
5 . Use colors wisely. Just like any marketing campaign, colors can help grab a viewer's attention and keep them interested in what you are selling at the show, Paffett said. But be careful to not overdo it with colors - especially if you're using only one side of your banner. "Typically, I don't use a lot of colors because they just make things more confusing," he said.
6. Make the text easy to read. Any message on the banner can help boost your company's brand and sell its product or service at a trade show, but it has to be easy to read. "People aren't going to read much of that if it's not in big block letters," Paffett said. Here's an example: See below.
7 . Add QR codes. It's important that you include contact information on your trade show banner, but how can you make it more effective? One way is with a QR code. These codes are small, unique pictures that can take people to a website or social media site that they can read more easily. "If you're trying to add a lot of information on there, then I would say it's probably not a good idea," Revich said.
8 . Keep your audience in mind. Not everyone wants to read text or use a smartphone to scan an image. So make sure your banner is designed for the type of event and person you're looking for when presenting it at the show (Banners by Design). Here's an example: See below.
9 . Make it legible; don't be afraid to use boldface type. The Institute for Trade Show Marketing Professionals survey found that 65 percent of marketers plan to use boldface type on the banners. It's not just something designers should do. The data also shows that visitors read more from bolded subtitles than from more normal text (Banners by Design). Here's an example of a trade show banner designed by Bannerworx.
10 . Be original; don't just copy and paste a design someone else has created. You want to make your banner stand out, but don't copy the graphics or information from other companies' signs. "There are so many different designs being shown," Revich said. "They're not all in one category. They're different shapes. They're different colors. Some of them come up from the floor. Some of them are on sticks and animated, so it's a whole variety of things." If you want your banner to be effective, you need to stand out from the crowd in your own unique way (Banners by Design). Here's an example:
Trade Show Banners- by Design
Bannerworx offers a complete line of trade show graphics and exhibit signs designed specifically to meet the needs of every marketing budget. Our website also has free trade show banners templates that allow you to make a banner quickly and easily.
Conclusion
As the cost of trade shows has grown higher and higher, more companies are trying to decide if they really need to invest in a trade show booth. If you want to get the most out of your budget and return on investment, you need to make sure your trade show banners stand out from all of the competition. Whether it's with graphics or colors or text, there are multiple ways for creating a high impact banner. Even if you're only interested in creating one simple image for your banner, you can use the tips above to do it effectively.