Distribution of Trade Show Literature

Submitted by Brian Keobke CME

The type and style of literature you give away at shows can really impact your budget. Careful consideration needs to be given to your approach.

According to the Center for Exhibit Industry Research (CEIR) 72 percent of brochures distributed at trade shows are never looked at. At the same time, brochures represent one of the biggest expenses in your trade show budget. With an average brochure costing anywhere from $2.00 to $5.00 your staff can quickly give away thousands of dollars in material that is read by less than 30 percent of the people who receive it!

If this percentage of discarded material seems high I encourage you to look at the garbage cans near the exit of any exhibit hall when you're leaving. These garbage cans may account for half of the brochures that are thrown out, the other half gets thrown out when people get back to their hotel room and start packing their luggage. It's not a hard decision for most people when over-stuffing a suitcase to decide whether to take home their clothes and souvenirs or brochures from a show.

With these thoughts in mind you should:

• Only distribute brochures to qualified leads.
  

• Placing all of your materials on a CD is convenient for your clients and cost effective.
  

• Don't leave your expensive brochures out to be picked up by all visitors.
  

• Mark your best brochures or product guides as "Exhibit Copy" and if someone still requests it you can retrieve a copy from storage.
  

• A less expensive brochure is usually more suitable for trade show distribution -typically a one page handout sheet that shows an overview of your product line and directs them to your web site for more information.
  

• A more effective way of the distributing brochures may be to offer your potential client the convenience of mailing the brochure to them after the show. Most clients will gladly provide their contact information knowing that they are going to get something from your company and will not have to carry the materials home with them.
  

  
  

  Do you have a strategy for brochures that you would like to share with the industry? If so please do so by using the form below.