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How To Make People Read Your Trade Show Graphics Copy

When trade show graphics copy or ad copy doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do, there’s usually a good reason.

Unfortunately, there can be lots of reasons that companies end up with bad graphics copy at trade shows.

1. For example, your marketing team may not see this as part of their assignment.
2. Your trade show managers may not have the skill set to write compelling copy.
3. Waiting for the product managers to decide what they’ll be highlighting at the show wastes time.
4. So does waiting for the engineering department to decide if the newest product will be ready to debut by show time—both of these delays may result in bad copy.
5. Another source of bad copy is to entrust this job to product managers, who come from a technical background. They often write pages of material that just don’t have that “zing” good copy needs.
6. Your ad agency may not be the best place to get graphics copy either. They’re probably really good at highlighting great copy, but may not understand the dynamic environment of the trade show floor or the intricacies of your products, making their copy a recipe for disaster.
7. The final problem that can make graphics copy suck is simply indifference. If no one wants to be responsible to write the copy, you have a problem.

But someone has to do it, even when circumstances make it more difficult. The end result will be that creating new graphics copy keeps getting put off. The task gets moved to the bottom of the to-do list again and again, until it absolutely has to get done.

At that point, it gets assigned to someone that didn’t want to do it, with a minimal amount of time to do the job. It’s no surprise that the odds are against it being done well.

Solving This Problem In Nine Steps:

1. Write copy that focuses on the buyer—not on your company

Wasting precious copy space to list the awards you’ve won or how fast your company is growing is pointless.

Remember, people don’t buy drill bits because they want drill bits. What they may want is a porch light above their door…which needs to attach to the wall. It seems that a screw in a hole provides a way to fasten that light…and drill bits make the holes for that screw…and they do it quickly and easily…This is the key!

Prospects are always looking to answer this question: “What’s In It For Me?”, or “How does it solve my problem?”

The best copy comes from this perspective. Pretend you’re a prospect and figure out an answer to their question.

2. Stress a single benefit

Don’t overwhelm attendees with information. You’re the expert – make your message simple and easy to understand.

2.A Segment your answers if needed

• If your market includes contractors that drill 1000’s of holes, tell them why your drill bits last forever.
• But tell the homeowner’s that they’re simple to use and won’t rust in the tool box.

Think about how you’d write a headline to go with the story you’re trying to tell.

The show floor is just like a newspaper in this way: the headline pulls you into the story, and compels you to want to learn the details.

Your trade show graphics copy should pull prospects in, so your salespeople or booth staffers can tell them “the rest of the story”.

3. Less is more

Short copy reads well. It communicates instantly.

See what I just did in those two previous sentences? Enough said.

4. Enlist the sales staff

They’re on the front lines. Your sales force knows which “hot buttons” prospects frequently respond to. (Example, do your competitor’s drill bits rust, or break easily?)

So ask your sales team what your clients want and get it highlighted in the graphics copy.

They’ll be thankful for the opportunity to contribute.

5. Make it easy for buyers to qualify themselves

Does your copy say, “We make the best left-handed widgets”? If so, the chances are good that left-handed people will want to learn more.

Your graphics copy should give attendees enough information to decide whether to stop or keep moving.

This makes qualifying visitors a little easier, because your copy will have already done part of the job.

6. Write copy that suggests action

Action verbs make your copy more dramatic: “Unleash The Power Of Widgets”!

That sounds much more interesting than simply listing the different kinds of widgets you manufacture.

The same holds true for action-oriented statements like “Breathe Life Into Your Widgets” or “Come See The World’s Strongest Widgets.”

7. Inject some uncertainty into your copy

Raising a question that your product can answer always attracts interest and attention.

“How Can A Widget Do All That?” or “Where’s The Weakness In Your Widget?” both cause passersby to think about their own answer for a moment.

This pause gives your booth staffers a chance.  They can now invite attendees in to prove how well your product solves the problem.

8. Talk to individuals, not the crowd

Your salespeople aren’t going to be talking to scores of people at the same time.

Your exhibit shouldn’t do this, either. Make it a one-to-one conversation, and you’ll attract more attention.

“The Best Widget You Can Buy” has a much more personal appeal than “The Best Widget Money Can Buy.”

9. Use one voice throughout your exhibit

The copy in your exhibit should set a mood, and that mood should remain consistent.

Everywhere prospects can see it, they should see the same theme. That means, in your booth graphics, on shirts for your staffers, in the sales literature – everywhere.

If you introduce too many voices, or change the tone from one situation to another, you only confuse your prospects.

Epilogue: Why Strunk’s “The Elements Of Style” Doesn’t Apply On The Show Floor

You’re not going to be writing sentences and paragraphs here.

You’re delivering short, bold statements.

They should include the key facts you want booth visitors to learn about your product or service.

Don’t let misspellings get by you. At the same time, worry less about whether you need quotation marks around your headline (you don’t).

You’re trying to communicate in a unique environment. Trade shows are their own entity. They are different from advertising, direct mail, brochures and even billboards.

Keep these concepts in mind and look forward to the next time you get to create trade show graphics copy. It can be the most exciting—and challenging—part of your job.

Once you get the copy for your trade show graphics locked in, let us help you make those graphics as dynamic and attention getting as possible.

We offer a wide range of ways to show off and display your graphics copy. Options start with simple banner stands to highlight that last minute product.

We can place trade show graphics on a pop-up booth’s back wall. We create great looking hanging signs, and can make your trade show graphics POP with backlighting.

Check out the many options at American Image Displays. While you’re on our site, you’ll find a large selection of pop-up displays, modular displays and custom exhibits. There is also a wide variety of accessories like literature racks, banner stands and lighting kits. We hope you’ll think of us as your exhibit program’s “one-stop shop” for anything you need.

Call us at (800) 676-3976 or email [email protected].