How to Effectively Showcase Your Products in an Online Vendor Show

Why should I participate in an online market?

With everything opening up again, people are excited by the prospect of being able to showcase their products in person. While I am in no way going to suggest that online markets are better than in person events, there is a benefit to both, and both types of markets can grow your business in different ways if you know how to work them effectively. Why an online market?

To expand your network - an in-person event is limited to the geographical area that you are participating in. In an online event you can reach people from all over. Geography is not a limitation. 

No on-hand stock is needed - for an in-person event, you are going to need to have some product on-hand. Sure, you can have catalogs for people to browse and you can help them shop online, but customers who go to an in-person event are expecting to be able to touch and feel the product. Most of them are probably wanting to take home their purchases that day - which means you have to have some inventory that you have to buy upfront. For an online vendor show, you don’t need to have any stock on hand, and you don’t have to worry about personally ordering and delivering the product. This means that your only upfront cost is going to be the cost of your event. 

Less time commitment - For an in-person event, you have to be there in-person. While you still have to be active during your online event, the schedule is a lot more flexible. During an online market, you schedule your posts and check in during times that are most convenient for you, from the comfort of your own home (or wherever your life takes you for that week). 

An important thing to remember is that the way you market your products in an online vendor show or party requires a different strategy than you would use during an in-person event. Chances are if you are using the same strategy for both types of events, one of them is not successful for you. Today we will be discussing the best ways to showcase your products during an online event!  

Sell Yourself 

What do you do? What services do you provide? What solutions can you offer to people? You are an integral part of the experience. It is super important to make sure that you are selling yourself as much as you are selling your product. If your company is established, you need to give customers a reason to shop with YOU over one of the hundreds of other consultants selling the same products. If your company is newer, you need to sell yourself to develop trust so that customers are willing to give your products a chance. Make your content personal. Provide genuine reviews and share a genuine passion for your business with others. Show guests how you use your company’s products in your daily life. Share your personal experiences and reviews of a product. Think about it - why would someone else buy a product from you if you don’t buy and use it yourself? Anyone can hop onto your shopping link and browse your products, you want to create an emotional connection to the products for your potential clients that they wouldn’t get by browsing a web page. . 

What should you really include in a post?

Most people’s experiences are purely visual, so make sure to include lots of pictures! You want your product pictures to be high definition and well staged - customers need to be able to get a good feel for the product without actually being able to touch it. Make sure to get all the different angles and be sure to show off all the amazing features. 

Keep it simple. You can have the most wonderfully written and super informative product information post, but chances are that once your explanation gets past the point where someone has to push that more button, most of your guests have stopped reading. You need to hook your potential customers before that happens! If your posts are too busy, too confusing, or have too much information in them guests will just keep strolling. Don’t overwhelm people with information! You need to paint a picture in as few words as possible showing guests why they need your product and how it will improve their lives or bring them happiness. 

So when it comes to product descriptions, what is it that potential customers really want to know? Start by asking yourself two key questions: 

1. What are the benefits of using your product? There is a common problem that your customer base has, and you have a product that can offer a solution. Share it!

2. What are products that are similar to yours? Pick a brand that most of your customers can relate to - then you are going to explain what sets your products apart from the competition. 

Once you have a guest’s interest and you have established that initial connection, switch to communicating through a private message. Get to know your new potential customer a bit better. Once you know a couple of key things about your client and what they are looking for, you can better decide what information to share that will be most beneficial to them. 

Categorize logically

Most of your customers are not going to go out of their way to search for all your content, so you want to make sure that everything you are sharing is easy to find. Consider labeling your posts and adding post topics for a seamless shopping experience. 

Make sure you are presenting your content in a clear and logical way. Each post should be able to stand out on its own. If you have posts that build on each other make sure that it is easy to find all the pieces and put them together. Remember that even if you post your content in chronological order, they are not going to stay that way once guests start interacting. 

Attract attendees with engaging entertainment 

Even if guests are interested in a product and stop to look at it, they probably aren’t going to comment unless they have a question or are immediately ready to make a purchase. This sometimes makes it hard to identify your potential customers because you obviously can’t see them. You need a way to know who is looking at your posts. Interactive posts or games are a great way to do this. A lot of vendors are afraid to play games because they think they have to offer a prize to the winner. While you can definitely offer a small prize or maybe even points towards an end of event draw, it is not necessary. Most guests will be happy to stop and play just for the fun of it. Whenever possible, it’s a good idea to pick games that you can connect back to your company. For example, a word game where the winning word(s) has a connection to your company or a product you are featuring. This is a super easy and fun way to draw out your guests and see who is looking at your posts. 

Bundle up

You want to provide an experience that is different from what someone would get if they simply clicked on your shopping link and browsed through your website. One of the best ways to do this is by showing products in a bundle. You are the expert on your products and you know what pairs well together - so show it off! By showing products in a bundle, you are able to show customers products items they might not otherwise have considered or purchased. It is also a great way to be able to showcare a popular product in a different way. Bundle together products that complement one another and consider a promotion or a deal for bundled products. Consider taking a product or products that are already on promotion and building a bundle together with it, that way the company has already provided the deal and savings for you! 

Use videos

As I mentioned before, so many online shoppers are visual learners. Videos are a great and creative way of showcasing your products to your potential clients. Consider putting together 30-60 second clips of some of your products! 

Use videos to explain essential features and highlight more subtle benefits that could be overlooked. Consider a live or video product demonstration to show your products in action. Whenever possible, consider creating your own personal video or doing a live video. Remember that you are always trying to sell yourself as much as you are selling your products. Customers want to feel like they know the person that they are shopping with, so let your customers get to know you and how you use your products in your daily life. 

Whenever presenting a video or going live during an event, always be mindful of time. Most of your customers have a short attention span, meaning that your longer videos are not going to get the engagement or viewership you are looking for. If you have a lot of information or features that you are wanting to share, consider breaking it up into shorter segments. Remember to organize and clearly label each category so that your viewers can easily find the information that they want and care about.  

Time

Remember that it takes time for your customers to work their way through the sales cycle. Not every one of your customers is going to be ready to make a purchase the first time you show your products to them. Your products are not going to sell themselves, but if you put in the time to connect and stay in touch with your potential clients, you will reap the rewards of it in the future. 

What’s the takeaway?

When participating in an online vendor show, keep your content simple. Instead of putting your time into elaborate and wordy posts - share teasers, sneak peaks and hooks that are really going to grab people’s attention. From there, you are going to switch to building a personal connection with your new customer through private messages. 

You are not creating posts that are going to sell your products for you. It is up to YOU to sell your products. Use your posts to draw out your potential customers. After you have taken the time to reach out to your potential clients and build that connection - you will be able to share your knowledge and product information in a way that is much more meaningful and personal to them. 

Written By: 

Jennifer Gillap