The tail end of summer means state and county fair season is quickly approaching. People flock from all around their states for fun times and fried food. Fairs may take place in small towns, but their marketing opportunities are anything but small. They are fantastic ways to generate leads and earn new business. There are plenty of ways to market your business at state and county fairs, and we’re going to tell you how.

Buy an ad in a fair’s event program.
Event programs are necessary for almost all fair goers. They contain maps of the grounds and lists of food and drink vendors. Since programs will be in the hands of most visitors, it would be smart to buy an ad space. Be sure to determine what size will be the most affordable and effective for your business. Your ad will have great reach across fair visitors and hopefully earn you some new customers.

Be a sponsor on a fair’s website.
By helping to sponsor your local fair’s website, you’ll likely earn a mention or logo linked to your own site. This is great for SEO and will hopefully lead traffic to your website and increase your business. Sponsoring a website is often an affordable way to attract site visits.

Hand out materials.
Everyone likes free stuff. Enlisting a street team to hand out promotional items at your local fair is a great way to increase brand awareness among consumers. You’ll want to pass out items fair goers will be drawn toward. They likely won’t be interested in fliers, which can turn into trash on fair grounds. Think about what your target audience will actually use. Some ideas include branded chip clips, yearly calendar magnets and pens.

Sponsor an event.
Most county and state fairs have some sort of big event each night, typically a concert. These events provide an opportunity to make your brand more visible. By becoming a sponsor, your brand will be seen on promotional posters, fliers and possibly even the stage. If this is something your business is interested in, be sure to contact your local fair organizers about event sponsorship opportunities.

Donate an item to be auctioned or raffled off.
If your marketing budget is tight, but you still want to get your name out at a local fair, consider donating an item or service to be auctioned or raffled off. Nearly every bidder or raffle-ticket buyer will see what you’re offering. This will not only increase brand awareness, but it will also hopefully lead to site traffic and new customers.

Make it easy for customers to join your mailing list.
People walking around the fairgrounds will likely have their hands full of food and prizes, so they likely won’t be free to write down their information. Instead, have a few tablets handy and ask if you can take their info for your e-newsletter or mailing list. They’ll appreciate not having to fumble around with their belongings as well as your customer service. This will hopefully turn into future customers and brand advocates.

Follow up.
Once your time at the fair has ended, you’ll likely have made contact with a good amount of leads. It’s now time to follow up with personal, engaging content. Put their names in your emails and subject lines, and tell them what all you can offer them. Your potential customers will appreciate the personal touch and possibly will become customers.

County and state fairs are fun and effective avenues for marketing your business. They offer multiple ways to engage with your target audience and get to know them one-on-one. If you choose to use any of the above tactics, you’re sure to increase your brand awareness and your potential customer base.