Branded USB Drives For Trade Shows

Posted by CSW Corp on Sep 22, 2011 in Blog, Featured, Portfolio | 0 comments

At your next trade show do an experiment…go dumpster diving. Not really, but if you did there is one item you would find. Exhibitor print brochures and catalogs attendees dumped before leaving town. A month later print material that did make it back to the office is likely in a file drawer or yeah you guessed it, the trash dumpster.

Many companies allocate significant dollars to print materials that become outdated quickly and often are discarded because as a business community we tend to go online for information. Significant print and shipping cost savings can be realized by placing everything planned to be handed out at your next tradeshow on your company website…and a branded USB flash drive.

A branded USB flash drive is functional, easily portable, and is appreciated because of the value received by the recipient. People use them and don’t file them away or throw them in the trash. Branded USB drives come in a wide range of shapes, colors, sizes and storage capacities. Accessories such as a lanyard can be attached for an additional branding opportunity.

Data preloading a branded USB drive places your company’s message directly in the hands of your prospect. Any catalog or information files can be loaded directly onto the USB drives before the tradeshow. We suggest choosing an erasable format instead of the non-erasable format because it gives the recipient the option to keep the files or erase them for more storage space. Your branding on the outside of the USB drive keeps your company top of mind.

You have an option to use Auto-run which automatically loads your company information when the USB is plugged into a computer. We do not recommend using this option because over time your message may become less appreciated when the user wants to quickly access their files. Company information files can be manually accessed without the Auto-run feature.

Always make sure you purchase USB flash drives with Tier 1 quality memory chips. Samsung and Hynix are well known tier 1 manufacturers. Tier 1 have the lowest error rates, longest life spans, and the fastest transfer speeds. Make better use of your budget by ordering fewer Tier 1 flash drives than a larger number of Tier 2 or Tier 3 drives. Tell clients your company only distributes Tier 1 flash drives and they will appreciate your consideration with protecting their files.

At any tradeshow the exhibitor should have a high priority on qualifying leads. Branded USB drives should be reserved for qualified leads who provide follow-up information for future contact. Prospects will appreciate the gift rather than you handing them print materials to carry.

Your company branded USB drive is easily customized for individual tradeshows. If last minute changes to marketing or sales information is required it is easy to download the material. Consider promoting upcoming company events such as a webinar or other trade shows.

Your innovation shows when you provide branded USB drives as a resource for potential clients. People who receive your branded USB will appreciate that 1GB or 2GB of memory can store 1,000’s of their files. They will use it over and over again for multiple advertising impressions.

Scott F. McFadden, Ph.D. is President of CSW Corp.