Business-to-business (B2B) companies are usually in agreement that events generate more leads than any other marketing strategy.
However, investing in an event can seem counterproductive when you consider all the digital technologies at your fingertips to reach many more prospective buyers with a cheaper campaign. Although digital marketing is generally a cheaper investment, in-person events give you the opportunity to speak with potential clients face-to-face for a higher quality connection.
Events are an important way to give your company a face and a voice and personalize it for your target audience. You can be at a conference or speaking about your product at a trade show; whatever it is, you need to fully optimize your attendance and develop a marketing strategy that will maximize your return on investment for your event.
These are some useful strategies for marketing your next event to reach its full potential.
5 event marketing strategies to boost ROI
- Establish a timeline
- Promote engagement before the event
- Use digital tools during the event
- Keep your eye on the competition
- Follow up after the event
1. Establish a timeline
Before jumping right into an event, conference, or summit, set aside time to develop a schedule and integrate each event into your overall marketing strategy. This allows you to use these events as more than just a one-day speaking engagement and creates an opportunity to get support from any prospective clients who are unable to attend.
Fred Tomlinson, an event marketing expert at Ox Essays and State of Writing explains:
“Instead of just going to the same shows every year, look for new events that can fit in to your strategy. Having a developed timeline means that you can maximize your presence and resources for each event.”
2. Promote engagement before the event
It’s important to share your attendance at the event on all your marketing channels. Use your website, newsletter, and social media presence to share with your audience that you’ll be speaking, attending, or exhibiting at the event. If there are any relevant online communities in that industry, consider posting about the event there too. Request that the sales team mention the event to any clients when they’re speaking with them.
This portion is perhaps the most important because it allows you to get potential leads at the event and interested in your company. Make sure that all the content you develop to advertise the event and promote your presence is clear, professional, and professionally proofread and edited.
3. Use digital tools during the event
When the event is ongoing, you should interact with your audience in person and also your digital audience. This will help you expand your reach during the same event to many more prospective clients than just those who go to your booth or attend your lecture. Use digital strategies like live tweeting and video highlights to create an experience that your audience at home can follow.
Post about your attendance on LinkedIn and LinkedIn Groups that are related to the event and the industry. Be sure to exchange contact information with everyone that you meet because the majority of people you meet are prospective clients.
4. Keep an eye on the competition
There’s no better way than an event to keep an eye on what the competition is doing. In fact, Danny Jonsson, a tech writer at Paper Fellows and Big Assignments, explains that attending an event:
“Allows you a glimpse into the industry and see who your main competitors are, as well as new trends and developments that you should be familiar with. Your interactions with various attendees will help you develop your target audience and buyer personas to tailor your future marketing strategies towards them.”
5. Follow up after the event
Once the event is over, there is a lot more work to do. The first step is to follow up with all the leads you captured at the event via their contact information. You can use the opportunity to share your slides or any articles relevant to your lecture. Connect with good prospects on LinkedIn to get started on conversations early. Don’t forget to monitor all of these leads as they move through the sales cycle to get more insight on how to tailor your event marketing strategy in the future.
You should also think about what worked well and what should be improved next time. If you brought any colleagues along with you, ask them for their thoughts and feedback afterwards. You should also speak with your sales team and ask them for reports as the new leads work through the sales cycle.
Remember these tips for your next event
What’s important to remember is that every stage of the event marketing process has some valuable opportunities to optimize your return on investment. All of the tactics that you use before, during, and after the event should be geared towards generating more leads and boosting sales for your company.
Need even more help preparing for and planning your event? Check out the best event planning software on the market today, only on G2.