Is event marketing out dated in the era of all things digital?
Stats from the 2015 B2B Content Marketing Trends report proves not…
Despite the growth of digital trends and technologies, In-person events still come out on top when it comes to B2B lead generation – We’re a sociable bunch and it shows!
Marketing at tradeshows and events isn’t easy (or cheap) but get your event plan right, and you can see some BIG ROI figures as a result. Your event plans need to be about more than just the size and design of your stand. You’ll need an integrated digital strategy with support from your digital marketing mix to achieve the best possible traction from your event investment.
We’ve put together some top tips to help you maximise your sales and lead generation from events like TFM&A, Marketing Week Live and Interop.
1. Optimise your existing activity to engage prospects pre-event
Integrating your event promotion into your email marketing is a cost-effective (and quick) way of communicating the ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘where’ of your next event.
If you’re going to stand out from the crowd and wow your prospects, leave the bland ‘visit our stand’ message and create some exciting pre-event campaigns that will engage your audience and capture leads.
Payscale did just that with their pre-event ‘find your inner purple squirrel’ campaign. Read how they did it here.
Pre-Event Blogging
Getting those event details on your blog and across your website will help raise awareness and give those Google-spiders the opportunity to get your blog ranking further up those search pages.
Your article should include all the key details about the event, but don’t forget to have a little personality too! Give your opinion on the top keynote sessions to attend, offer advice to delegates or even include tips on getting to the event.
Make sure you’re driving engagement through digital on the day
Social
It’s time to shout about your event, but if you’re going to stand out amongst the hundreds of other sponsors and exhibitors, it’s going to take more than a hashtag.
Incorporate the full social sphere from YouTube to Pinterest and Vine and drip feed a social media teaser campaign throughout the day. It’s the perfect opportunity to drive a flow of intrigued delegates to your stand.
B2B Video
It’s no secret that video marketing encourages engagement across digital channels, and events are a perfect opportunity to get video rich.
Think Q&A’s with delegates, words of wisdom with keynote speakers, and introductions from staff on your stand in quick bite-size video chunks. These quick snippets can boost engagement and keep your brand well placed in the event’s social media streams.
Stay connected with your prospects post-event
Get Content Creative
Remember to utilise all that video, photo and written content you collected at the event. And don’t assume that what’s old news to you is to your prospects too. Position yourself as a thought leader and publish key learnings that your wider audience can engage with too.
Turn stats into infographics, edit those video snippets into a compilation and don’t forget to say thanks to the organisers too!
Keep Generating Leads
You know that not everyone will have come and visit your stand, but if they’re interested in your product or service they will visit your website. IP tracking allows you to identify the unknown visitors to your website and follow up on these golden sales opportunities.
Making use of digital technologies to maximise your return on investment from events is a long-term solution to help boost event performance. Not only will you increase the volume of actionable sales leads generated at the event, you’ll continue to do so long after you’ve taken down your stand and the event is over.
Ready to give your event performance a boost? Download ‘Maximising You B2B Event Marketing’ for more hints and tips.
