Trade shows can be an incredibly effective promotion and sales tool for small businesses. Whether you're a trade show tyro, or an experienced trade show participant, these tips will help you get the best return on investment from any trade show you attend.

1) Set clear goals for your trade show participation.

What do you want to get out of it? Do you expect to sell a particular amount of inventory at the trade show, or expect to become known to a certain number of wholesale suppliers? Are you focusing on promotion or hoping to launch a new product?

You can have more than one goal, of course, but the point is that you need to be clear about what your participation in the trade show is going to achieve.

2) Do your research.

You need to choose the trade shows that will give your business the best ROI in terms of your goals

If your goal is on-site sales, having a booth at that big splashy trade show where your booth is one of a dozen that sell similar products may not be the best choice.

You want to choose a trade show that best targets the audience that you want to reach, and best suits your participation goals. Find out what the particular trade show's objectives are, and investigate and evaluate the show's audience.

3) Once you've chosen a particular trade show to attend, plan your budget and book your space

Find out everything you can about your space, including where it is on the floor, what kind of other exhibits will be around it, whether it's a high traffic or low traffic area, and the physical conditions of the booth space, such as lighting

4) Plan your exhibit in terms of your audience.

Who is it that you're targeting with your trade show display? Retail customers? Wholesale buyers? Other businesses in your industry? Different audiences "shop" trade shows differently, and have different needs.

5) Advertise in advance.

Put the word out that you're participating in a particular trade show, by inviting your clients, customers, suppliers, and other contacts to attend the show. (Be sure you give them all the details, such as your booth number.) If you have one, be sure to advertise your coming trade show attendance on your Web site as well.

So now you're ready to attend that trade show - almost. On the next page are tips for putting together a trade show display that will wow your audience and some tips for making sure that your trade show booth is one of the ones that draws a crowd.

More tips: Using Trade Show Trade Show Display Tips | Giveaways