One piece of equipment that’s popular among companies that attend or host events outdoors is the canopy. This outdoor gear comes in many sizes to accommodate the needs of any company. Plus, canopies are great for blocking out the sun, rain, and other types of weather.
However, they’ve also started becoming the ultimate marketing device for businesses that attend outdoor events. If that’s something you’ve never considered before and you’re interested in pursuing this idea, review these unique ways to use these canopies as a successful marketing tool.
How To Turn a Canopy Into a Marketing Tool
Before we get into our list, let’s talk about how to turn a standard canopy into a marketing tool. On its own, a canopy is nothing more than a colored tarp on legs. However, if you buy a commercial canopy through a company like Westshade, you can customize the top of your tent with your brand’s colors, logo, and name.
This will turn your weather-protection device into a giant sign for all to see. This tent will have various marketing-related effects depending on where you use it. No matter which marketing strategies you try, they will all be quite beneficial to your company.
Locations You Can Advertise With Your Canopy
Now that you know how a standard canopy can become a powerful marketing tool, it’s time to get into the unique ways you can use this piece of equipment to your advantage. Whether you’re attending an official marketing event or a simple outdoor activity, a branded canopy can always help your company’s advertising.
Industry-Specific Events
One of the most common places you’ll see businesses use branded canopies is industry-specific events. The types of events you attend will vary depending on your industry, but they all work in a similar fashion. You’ll have the opportunity to set up a booth at the event and can talk with interested parties about your product or service. Whether you’re there to make sales, gather leads, or learn from other businesses in your industry, you need people to recognize your brand and come up to your booth.
This is where the canopy comes into play. People walking past your booth will be able to clearly see who you are since the tent will stand tall above the crowds of people. If they recognize your brand or like your tent’s design, the chances of them coming to your booth increase drastically.
We mentioned that these events will likely vary depending on the industry your company is in. While there is some variation, the main types of professional events are trade shows, farmer’s markets, conventions, and expos.
Local Gatherings
Of course, there are plenty of events your company can visit that are specific to one industry or another. These gatherings will usually focus more on catering to locals, which is perfect if you do a lot of business in specific areas. While these event types can vary a bit as well, local events mainly consist of fairs and festivals.
Many companies in the area will be able to pay to set up their own booths at these events to do the same types of things they’d do at an industry-specific event. That means your branded canopy will work in a similar way.
Community Events
If you take getting involved in local towns seriously, there’s a good chance that your company helps out at community-level events. More often than not, your business will be here to serve rather than sell. That means you’ll be helping out at the event or providing the capital to run it.
Either way, your name will be associated with these events, and if you set up a canopy where volunteers can take shelter, people will know who to thank for their efforts. While you might not make any direct sales at these events, your goodwill won’t go unnoticed. Your canopy will act as a good reminder to people at the event that they should try to support your business in the future.
Company Experiences
If you can’t seem to find any good events to attend, your business can host one of its own. Grand openings of new stores, the unveiling of new products, and company-run charity drives are all opportunities that could benefit from a good canopy or two.
Since the people who show up to these events will likely know who’s running them, these tents act more as identifiers. The canopies will help people easily locate your event and subtly remind them who is hosting the event.
Job Fairs
One thing too many companies forget is that not all marketing efforts are for customers. You also need to market yourself to potential employees. Job fairs are the best place to put this type of marketing campaign to the test.
You’ll need a way to stand out against all the other businesses looking for new talent. A well-designed tent will grab the attention of potential employees, giving you more choices on who you want to bring into the fold.
Employee Events
Another way you can gain more interest for people who want to join your company is to use your branded tents at employee events. Whether you’re hosting a company trip to the beach or a tailgating party, using these canopies will show people nearby how much fun your company is.
That can be a big selling point for people looking for a job. Seeing everyone having a blast together will make them want to learn more about your company. This type of marketing wouldn’t be possible if you didn’t tell potential employees who you are with your company tent.
Ways You Can Measure Your Results
These strategies sound great on paper, but how do you know if they work? While determining your canopy’s advertising effectiveness may be more difficult than tracking the results of a standard online marketing campaign, it’s not impossible.
One of the best methods to track success is to simply ask people if they noticed your branded tent. While directly asking people who come up to your booth might not be the best method, there are fun ways you can naturally work this topic into a conversation.
Typically, the best option is to ask through a survey. It’s common to include questions on your survey asking how a customer heard about your company. Whether this survey is for new customers or people applying to your company, putting a response option that indicates the individual saw your tent is a surefire way to determine its effectiveness.
The final thing you can do is have employees pay attention to how many people look directly at the tent. This method isn’t the most reliable, but it’s sometimes easy to tell when someone notices your canopy before coming up to your booth. The upside here is that you won’t have to find a way to work the above questions into the conversation.
