Event marketing is fast becoming a core part of B2B organization’s marketing strategy. In 2018, Bizzabo found the number of companies producing more than 20 events a year increased by 17%. Every field marketer should be thinking about events as an integral part of their marketing plan. Here are a few tips to help every field marketer produce a great B2B event.
Understand your target audience
When it comes to event planning, it can be easy to have the mindset that you are just grateful if anyone shows up. As tempting as that is, it is important to be strategic about your audience outreach. Knowing who you want in the room allows you to tailor your event's messaging and overall content. Your event agenda for a CIO will be different than your agenda for an IT Director. Your audience will appreciate content that speaks to their specific challenges and questions. They will also find value in having their peers in the room with them. Knowing your target audience will provide you and your team concrete direction for planning and producing a successful event.
Know when it’s the right time to sell
We all know that the golden rule of events is not to sell. While great in theory, we also all know that following that rule is not always (if ever) possible. Marketing and Sales executives look to events to accelerate pipeline. The Harvard Business Review found that event attendance reduces the sales cycle by 25%. Selling is going to happen, it is just up to you to make sure it happens in a way that does not take away from the day. A few ways to feature your company and product include:
- Get a customer to tell their story
- Make sure your executives are available (and approachable) to attendees
- Have a designated area and/or booth where attendees can come to you with questions or requests for demos
- Create a detailed follow-up plan with your sales team
Deliver on your event’s promise
We ask a lot of attendees when we ask them to attend an event. Even if it’s just a half-hour webinar, they are still giving up a part of their day (possibly even personal time) to spend it with us. As event marketing leaders, it is our responsibility to make sure they find value in the experience. One way to achieve this is to make sure your event delivers on what was initially promised. Did your conference provide the peer to peer networking opportunity like you advertised? Did your event feature industry experts and real-world examples as shown on your website? Make sure your attendees get what they signed up for along with a few surprises they didn’t know they needed.
Whether putting on a brief webinar or a session packed, four-day conference, these three simple tips will guarantee your event hits the mark with your attendees. What steps do you take to make sure your event is a success? Let us know by tweeting at us at @getbanzai.
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