Do Your Booth Attendees Feel Like They Belong?

“Throughout history, humans have been connected through group experience: hunting together, building together, parenting together … Marketing can make a profound impact when it says ‘yes, you belong,’ bypassing the need for ‘proof.’ ”   Forbes Community Voice – May 2017

This quote was taken from a Forbes article written by Heather Pinay, Business Consultant and Founder of Authentically: Business & Life Solutions,  In it, she explores the human brain, and specifically how marketers must target.the limbic part of the brain to build lasting brand loyalty.

Why? Because the limbic brain is constantly asking, “Do I belong here?”  This feeling is primal and influences behavior and fosters connections more powerfully than any marketing message can.

Brands like Harley and Apple do this extremely well; witness the lines of people camping out for the newest Apple device, or the people wearing Harley-branded clothing and participating in the Harley culture … who don’t even own a motorcycle. These people aren’t just brand loyalists; they belong to a tribe.

This raises the question … how can you make your target audience feel like “they belong” in your booth?

Professional Engagers: Booth design and colorful video may communicate your brand’s look and feel, but nothing connects with a human being better than another human being.  Successful booths have trained staff who greet attendees and make them feel “at home” by connecting with them on a personal level, asking relevant questions, and making them feel like they’re in the right place to find what they need.

Relevant & Immersive Messaging:  After an initial greeting, booth presentations, demos, or interactive activities should focus less on your what your product or service does–talking at someoneand more on what your attendee needs–talking with someone.  By identifying a shared challenge, people come together and start to feel part of the group … part of the tribe.

Codified Metrics:  You can’t make someone feel like “they belong” if you know nothing about them.  Professional Engagers initiate this process, but your in-booth engagement strategy must include ways of gathering detailed metrics. This information helps sales reps follow-up with relevant, even personal, information that fosters the feeling of “belonging.”.

If you think of yourself as the “host” of your exhibit … welcoming guests and seeing that their needs are met… your target audience will react accordingly; they’ll let their guard down a little; they’ll increase their dwell time; they’ll give your messages greater mindshare; and most important, your exhibit–and your brand–will become a safe haven where “they belong” on an otherwise noisy and hectic tradeshow floor.