How to become a successful event marketer

While the rise in popularity of webinars and virtual events is often cited by advocates as sounding the death knell for face-to-face marketing, reports of the latter’s demise are greatly exaggerated – to badly misquote Mark Twain. RIBA Insight’s own Consultancy Days and CPD Roadshows are attracting bigger audiences than ever. So what makes the difference between an ‘average’ event and an outstanding one?

There's an old saying in business 'people buy from people'. With that in mind, getting relevant people together often to talk face-to-face and develop relationships can have a very positive impact on sales. Note the focus here on 'relevant'. Event marketing should not be about getting 'bums on seats', but rather about developing the right messages that will resonate with the required target audience.

Event marketing opens up communication with the target audience, the key focus for any sales person within an organisation.

Getting started

• 1. Events come in many shapes and sizes. An event should therefore be designed to suit your target audience. Different cultures have different preferences. In some countries, for example, evening events are preferred over morning or daytime. Understand what your audience wants and needs
• 2. Keep your event concise and relevant. Attendees need to walk away having learned something new
• 3. Keep it part of an integrated programme. Ad hoc marketing will not bring in the long-term results, so should be delivered alongside activities such as online newsletters and/or lead generation activity
• 4. Keep the event small, personal and targeted.

Metrics

The decisions you make about the metrics for your event depend wholly on the type and size of the event you are organising. Breakfast briefings can work very well for thought leadership style events. These are small, informal round table discussion groups with a facilitator and speaker. Metrics for this type of event might include:

1. An agreed database of 100-150 target companies, with an agreed key decision-making unit of two to three core targets
2. Senior executives from a minimum of eight target companies attending the event
3. Creating a wider community of 'interested but unable to attend' contacts from ten additional companies, who can then be leveraged for future events in the marketing programme
4. Seeking to secure three new business meetings following the event programme.

If working in collaboration with a partner then a larger event may work best for you, or if you want the tone to be less formal, then an evening function may suit you better. Judge your audience and the impression you are trying to put across.

You may have a great response to your event marketing invite, but if you’re struggling to get the relevant leads signed up, what should you do to address this?

Top tips if you’re falling below target

1. 1. Find out why the numbers are low – is it your messaging? Is it the date, or the location?
2. 2. If you’re an agency, let your client know what is going on and why. Provide them with regular status updates. Last minute surprises are rarely welcomed!
3. 3. Try reissuing the invitation to non-opens
4. 4. Ensure you follow up by calling each person on the invite list, if necessary providing them with more information about the event’s objectives and benefits. This will build up a relationship with them and make them more open to communication.

ROI

An integrated marketing programme will ensure leads are nurtured throughout the buying cycle – hence the reason why ad hoc activity should be avoided. Combining face-to-face events with email marketing and lead generation opens a dialogue and builds trust between you and your prospects.

Only by setting objectives – complete with measureable outputs – at the outset of the programme, will you be able to assess its success. Map out how many leads didn’t know about you at the start, through to how many clicked through from your email marketing and/or attended an event, through to how many agreed to a sales meeting.You can then review the cost of marketing against sales won, as a result, providing you with a ROI figure.

Make sure you focus, not only on attendees to your event, but also on those who were interested but were unable to attend, or who signed up but then had to drop out. These are key leads too and must be incorporated into your post event follow-up.

Post event, a debrief document should identify who was at the event, what their needs were and whether they were a potential lead. This will give your telemarketing team assistance when following up, as well as tag ownership for follow up.

When relaying results to the board, ensure you include what the target was for sales meetings at the start of the campaign alongside the actual, detailing when, what and who were involved in the sales meetings. Also include leads which need further nurturing and qualified leads which are at the earliest stage of development. This will show the marketing funnel, representing tomorrow’s sales pipeline. Highlight which current sales leads are opportunities with a value attached to them. These results can then be clearly shown with percentage conversion rates worked out between each stage (or adapted according to your strategy). This will allow you to predict future results based on future activity.

RIBA 2012 CPD Roadshows can help to bring your company face-to-face with dozens of construction professionals at a time.

 

Author McDonald Butler is an award-winning B2B marketing technology agency. A longer version of this article first appeared on B2B Marketing and is published here by kind permission of both.

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