7 Ways to Turn Your Tradeshow Giveaways Into Actual Leads
By La Toya Olson
7 Ways to Turn Your Tradeshow Giveaways Into Actual Leads
Because coming home with an empty box of swag doesn't mean your tradeshow was successful.
You spent money on the booth.
You paid registration fees.
Your team gave up their time.
Then you ordered hundreds of promotional products to hand out.
By the end of the event, they're all gone.
But how many LEADS did you actually get?
Giving away 300 branded products to 300 people doesn't automatically mean 300 potential customers will remember your business—or even know what you do.
Your promotional products should do more than disappear from your table.
They should help start conversations, capture information and give potential customers a reason to engage with your business.
Here are 7 ways to make your next tradeshow giveaway work harder.
1. Stop Leaving All Your Swag on the Table
We've all seen it.
A table covered with pens, tote bags, keychains and other freebies.
People walk by.
Grab something.
And keep walking.
You just paid for someone to take your product without learning anything about them.
Try this instead:
Keep some of your merchandise behind the booth and use it to start an interaction.
Your team can ask:
“Have you heard about what we do?”
“What brought you to the show today?”
“What kind of company are you with?”
Now the promotional product becomes part of the conversation instead of something people grab on their way past.
What's in it for you?
More conversations.
And more conversations create more opportunities for qualified leads.
2. Give People a Reason to Scan Your QR Code
Putting a QR code on your booth isn't enough.
Give people a reason to scan it.
Instead of:
“Scan to visit our website.”
Try:
“Scan to enter to win.”
“Scan for your free guide.”
“Scan to unlock your gift.”
“Scan for an exclusive event offer.”
“Scan to see if you won.”
Your promotional product can become the incentive that gets someone to take the next step.
The goal isn't the scan.
The goal is turning an anonymous visitor into someone you can follow up with.
3. Don't Give Everyone the Same Thing
Not every person who visits your booth represents the same opportunity.
Consider creating three levels of promotional products.
TIER 1 — ATTENTION
Affordable, useful products for general booth traffic.
TIER 2 — INTEREST
Better products for people who have a meaningful conversation with your team.
TIER 3 — OPPORTUNITY
Premium products reserved for decision-makers and highly qualified prospects.
Someone who grabs a freebie shouldn't necessarily receive the same promotional investment as someone interested in a $25,000 contract.
What's in it for you?
Your best merchandise—and more of your marketing budget—goes toward your best opportunities.
4. Make Them DO Something to Get the Giveaway
Don't just hand it over.
Create an interaction.
Try:
Spin a prize wheel.
Answer a question.
Complete a quick challenge.
Scan a QR code.
Enter a contest.
Book a consultation.
Play a quick game.
Choose a mystery prize.
Now you've transformed:
“Here's a free pen.”
into:
“Come experience our booth.”
People may forget another giveaway.
They're more likely to remember an experience.
5. Use One BIG Prize to Attract the Right People
You don't necessarily need an expensive giveaway for every visitor.
Consider putting some of your budget toward one highly desirable grand prize.
Display it prominently.
But here's the important part:
Make the prize relevant to the audience you actually want to attract.
A great prize gets people interested.
A strategically chosen prize can get the right people interested.
Use entry into the giveaway to collect appropriate lead information and permission for follow-up.
What's in it for you?
Instead of spending your entire budget on hundreds of forgettable products, one exciting prize can help create buzz around your booth.
6. Put the Next Step ON the Product
Your logo tells someone who you are.
But does your promotional product tell them what to do next?
Consider incorporating:
A QR code.
A memorable URL.
A campaign message.
A call to action.
Instead of only:
YOUR COMPANY LOGO
you might create something that encourages the recipient to:
Book. Scan. Enter. Learn. Visit. Connect.
Your promotional product can continue the conversation after the tradeshow ends.
That's important because your potential customer may not be ready to buy while standing at your booth.
But three days later?
They might be.
7. Have a Follow-Up Plan BEFORE the Tradeshow
This may be the biggest mistake businesses make.
They collect:
Business cards.
Email addresses.
QR scans.
Contest entries.
Great conversations.
Then everyone gets back to the office...
And nothing happens.
Before the event, decide:
Who follows up?
When will they follow up?
What will they say?
What counts as a hot lead?
What happens to everyone else?
Your promotional product got their attention.
Your follow-up is what can turn that attention into business.
The Real Question Isn't:
“How Much Swag Did We Give Away?”
It's:
“What Did Our Swag Help Us Accomplish?”
Imagine two companies attend the same tradeshow.
COMPANY A
Hands out 300 giveaways.
Comes home with an empty box.
Success?
Maybe.
COMPANY B
Hands out 200 giveaways.
Captures 75 leads.
Identifies 20 qualified prospects.
Books 8 follow-up meetings.
Which company had the better tradeshow?
Giving away LESS swag can sometimes produce MORE value.
Before Your Next Tradeshow, Ask These 5 Questions
1. Who are we trying to attract?
2. What do we want them to do at our booth?
3. What promotional product would actually appeal to them?
4. How will we capture the lead?
5. What happens after the tradeshow?
If your only plan is:
“Put the swag on the table and give it away.”
It's time for a better strategy.
Don't Just Order Tradeshow Swag. Build a Tradeshow Campaign.
At Go2Girl Promotional Products, we can help you think beyond simply putting your logo on a product.
Tell us:
Your tradeshow.
Your target audience.
Your expected attendance.
Your budget.
Your goal.
We'll help curate promotional product ideas that support what you're actually trying to accomplish.
More attention. More conversations. More opportunities.
Because the goal isn't to see how quickly you can empty your swag boxes.
The goal is to fill your sales pipeline.