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8/14/2019 eBook Vol3 Event Marketing
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips
from The B2B Lead
Generating Leads and driving revenue through webinars,
customer events and trade shows
Event Marketing
VOLUME THREE
P R E S E N T E D B Y
8/14/2019 eBook Vol3 Event Marketing
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16 Event Marketing Tips or Driving Lead Generation
With the ups and downs in the economy and advances like virtual trade shows, event marketers need to fnd creative ways to make the most out o every event. Tradeshows can be
true lead generating events, webinars can have high attendance and customer events can help create lasting relationships while increasing revenue.
In this collection o 16 event marketing tips rom The B2B Lead, you will fnd inormation on increasing webinar attendance, driving more trade show trafc, making the most out ocustomer events and much more. Here’s a ew o the included tips in this eBook:
• TenTipsforUsingWebinarsforLeadGeneration
• LeverageExclusiveEventstoIncreaseTradeShowTrafc
• DriveRevenuefromCustomerEvents
• UsingEventsSpendtoDriveSalesConversions
I you like what your see here, be sure to check out theb2blead.comformoreB2BMarketingandSalestips.
Contentcontributedby:
AmyHawthorne,DirectorofMarketingatReachForce
Pam O’Neal Mickelson, VP o Marketing at BreakingPoint
SuaadSait,CEOatReachforce
AndreaStout,MarketingProgramsSpecialistatNetQoS
LeighAnneWallace,MarketingCoordinatoratReachForce
CodyYoung,CustomerSuccessManageratReachForce
101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 2
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 3
Table o Contents
Webinar Tips
1. 12 Ways to Turn 300 Webinar Attendees Into 3,000+ Part I
2. 12 Ways to Turn 300 Webinar Attendees Into 3,000+ Part II
3. QuickWebinarTips
4. TenTipsforUsingWebinarsforLeadGeneration
Tradeshow Marketing Tips
5. MaketheMostofYourTradeshowInvestmentUsingWordofMouthMarketing
6. DevelopanIntegratedThemeforTradeShows
7. Top10WaystoGetBoothTrafcataTradeshow
8. LeverageExclusiveEventstoIncreaseTradeShowTrafc
9. TradeShowAccountability
10.HowtoGet3,190PeopletoWatchaDemoataTradeshow
11.LeveragingCurrentCustomersataTradeshow
12.DrivingMoreTrafcatTradeShows
13.UsingEventsSpendtoDriveSalesConversions
14.Another90%StatisticAboutB2BMarketing;Really!
More Event Marketing Tips
15.AftertheUserGroupConference,HowtoStayinTouch?
16.DriveRevenuefromCustomerEvents
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 4
12 Ways to Turn 300 Webinar Attendees Into 3,000+ Part I
A Roadmap or Webinars in a Web 2.0 World
Thisweek’sMarketingProfsB2BForumhasbeenanenlighteningexperience.NotonlyhaveIpickedupafewgreatsocialmediaideasandtechniques(thankyouErickson Bar-
nett),butI’vestartedtoshiftthewayIthinkabouttheroleoftraditionalMarketingtechniquesinourWeb2.0world.Inthiscase,I’mreferringtoWebinars–thatoldstapleofleadgeneration or B2B Marketers.
So,asIpreparedformypresentationonWebinarsinaWeb2.0world,Icameupwithalistoftipsforproducingandpromotingwebinarsorreallyanyformofeducationalcontent.
ThoughtI’dsharethemwithyouina2partpost.Herearetherst6tips.FeelfreetochimeinwithanyothersthatImissed.
1. Startbygettingintotherightmindsettomakethemostofyourwebinar.Itisimportanttorealizethatwebinarsarejustanotherpartof“theconversation”youarehavingwith
yourcustomersandthecommunityasawhole.Sostopthinkingaboutmarketingthemlikeanevent.Thinkaboutusingthemasawaytokeeptherelationshipalive,builda
community o ollowers, to spark group discussions or change the way people think about an issue.
2. Next,packagethewebinartomakepromotingitmoresuccessful.Youmightconsiderbreakingitintoaseriesofwebinarstobeheldevery6weekstokeepyourfollowersinter-
ested in what you have to say. Produce complimentary content such as white papers, assessments, tools, etc. that you can email to registrants.
3. Whenyoudraftthepromotionalcopy,remembertowriteforyourtargetpersonae.Usesimple,butcompellinglanguage.DrivehometheWIIFM(What’sInItforMe)message.NOTE:Youshouldalsousetherightwordsinyourcopy.UseGoogleTrendstoseewhichtermsyouraudienceisusingtosearch.Forexample:theword“webcast”issearched
forfarmoreoftenthantheword“webinar.”
4. Here’sanotherimportanttipforpackagingyourwebinar.Postyourslidespriortothedayofthewebinarsopeoplewillhaveagoodideaofthecontentyouwillcover.Several
yearsago,IengagedinasurveywithWebtorialstoassesstheeffectivenessofpodcastsvs.webinarsandunderstandwhy–formycompany—customersrespondedbetterto
webinars.Thekey:theslides.Funny,howpeoplelovetohatePowerPoint,butwhenitcamedowntoit,theyreallyneededtheslidesforcomprehensiontoassesswhetherthey
wanted to spend a precious 30 to 45 minutes listening in.
5. Usesocialmediatotriggerviraldistributionofyourinvitation.Identifyalistinuencers,reachoutandaskthemtohelpyouspreadthewordaboutyourwebinar.UseTwitterto
taptheinuencerswithalargefollowingand“directmessage”them.PosttoFacebookgroupsinterestedinthetopic.And,sharewithyourLinkedInnetwork.Afterall,youare
offeringaservicetothesefolks–theopportunityforfreeeducationonatopicofinterest.
6. Post your slides using slide sharing sites to get your content in ront o people who are actively seeking content/education. I your slides are crated well, you will trigger what the
authorsofMadetoStickcallthe“painofknowledgegaps”whichshouldenticetheviewertotuneintoyourwebinar.
And,speakingofknowledgegaps,there’smoretocomeinthenextpostwith6cleverwaystogetadditionalmileageoutoftheactualcontentyouproduce.
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 5
12 Ways to Turn 300 Webinar Attendees Into 3,000+ Part II
In the frst hal o the B2B Lead blog series on 12 Ways to Turn 300 Webinar Attendees Into 3,000+, I shared 6 tips or getting the most out o your webinar. I recommended that
youstartbygettingintotherightmindset.Itisimportanttorealizethatwebinarsarejustanotherpartof“theconversation”youarehavingwithyourcustomersandthecommunity
as a whole. Think about using them as a way to keep the relationship alive, build a community o ollowers, to spark group discussions or change the way people think about an
issue.
In today’s post covering tips 7-12, I’m going way out on a limb to suggest some other cutting-edge practices that a new generation o B2B marketers are using.
7. Turn your webinar into a twebinar–awebinarandTwittermash-upwhereconversationstakeplaceinreal-timebefore,duringandafterthewebinar,onTwitter.Twitterisagreat
waytospreadthewordbeforethedayofthewebinar,andanevenbetterwaytofacilitateQ&Aorcapturesuggestionsduringandafterward.
8.Don’twaittoreachoutandengagewithregisteredattendees.Contactthosewhoregisteredearlytooffermoreinformationandcontinuetheconversation.Someideasforthis
includesharingawhitepaperonarelevanttopic,distributingeventmaterialsorresearchndings.BulldogSolutionsclaimsthatthiswillenableyoutoengagewith10%ofthe
registrants beore the webinar takes place.
9.Pickonecoreslidethatismostintriguingorhighlightsyourcorecontent.DraftafewsoundbitesaroundtheslideandexcerptthecontentforaPodcast.Embedtheslideimage
andpodcastinapressreleaseoronyourcommunitysite.Usethistomarketthearchivedor“on-demand”versionofthewebinar.
10.Don’tforgettopromoteyourwebinarseriesviaalloftheprogramsyouarenormallyproducingincluding:tradeshows,pressreleases,PPCsearchengineads,webpages
including your home page, community, blog and customer support pages.
11.ContinuetheconversationonyourblogbyusingitforQ&A.Ifyourmaterialisgood,theQ&Asegmentcanproducelotsofgreatcontent.TaketheconversationtoyourCommu-
nity area to show prospects all o the materials they can fnd there. This will help you keep a loyal audience.
12.It’sofciallythe“RemixEra,”sotakethematerialsyoudevelopedforthewebinar,remixthemandpostwhereappropriate.Issueapressreleasewithhighlightsembedded.
TranscribeandpostthecontentasacontributedarticleonHubpagesorScribd.SyndicatethearchivedeventonsiteslikeOn24.
I’mreallyinterestedtohearwhatyouhavefoundtobesuccessfulontheWebinarmarketingfront.Isatwebinarreallyeffective?Doattendeesreallyconverttoblogreaders?Can
youeffectivelyengagewithregistrantsbeforetheyattendtheWebinar?Chimeinwithyourthoughts.
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 6
Quick Webinar Tips
Ihaverecentlyattendedafewwebinarsoncreatingwebinars.BothweresponsoredbyGoToMeeting.Idon’thavealotofexperiencewithwebinarsbutIamplanningonefornext
quarterandIhopetoimplementallthatIlearned.HereareafewgoodtipsIpickedup:
• Alwayssticktothetimeframe
• Promotethroughpartners–makeitveryeasyforthemtoaddalinktoalandingpage.Considerco-sponsoringawebinarforincreasedvisibility.
• Knowwhatyourgoalisanddon’tmisrepresentittoyourattendees–Don’tmakeitasalespitchifithasbeenpromotedaseducational.
• 2Speakerscanbebetter–differentspeakingstylesandpresentationskillswillengagedifferentlisteners
• Giveanincentive–publicizeitinallcommunications,makeitvaluable(acompellingwhitepaperisalwaysgood),Rewardpeoplewholistenedtotheentirepresentationbygiv-
ing the incentive at the end
• Besuretoprepareaheadoftime-checkallaudioandtechnologyaheadoftime
• EngageyouraudiencewithpollsandQ&A
• Experimenttoseewhatdates,timesandlengthwillworkbestforyouraudience
•MaybewehavejustbeenconditionedbutbothwebinarssaidhourlongwebinarsTuesday-Thursdayat1or2PMESTworkbest.
• Proleyouraudiencewhentheyregistersothatthespeakercanbemorerelevanttotheaudience
• Promotethattheaudiencewillgetachancetoengagewiththespeaker(s)–“ThisisyourchancetoaskSethGodinanythingyouwant”(Ifthisisabigpartofthedrawbesure
toallowplentyoftimeforQ&A,possibleaskforquestionsaheadoftime.Peoplewilltuneintoseeiftheirquestionisanswered)
Formoretipsonincreasingwebinarattendancecheckout12WaystoTurn300WebinarAttendeesInto3,000+PartI-B2BMarketingandSalesTip#105and12WaystoTurn
300WebinarAttendeesInto3,000+PartII-B2BMarketingandSalesTip#107
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 7
Ten Tips or Using Webinars or Lead Generation
Webinars have become increasingly popular in the last couple o years. Not sure i that’s because the cost to travel to l ive events has sky rocketed or i its because webinars can
nowbere-purposedintoavarietyofonDemandeventsthatcanhavemultipleusesanddraws.Thebiggestchallengestillexiststhough,regardlessoftheeventbeingliveoronline
- getting people to give up their time and actually show up.
AtReachForcewearegearingupforourownwebinarseriesandhavebeendoingalotofresearchonbestpracticeswewanttobesuretoimplement.I’vereadalotofgreatinfor-
mation so I thought I’d share what I’ve ound and wil l be sure to implement…
Gettingpeople“there”–
1. Get their attention rom the beginning with an eye catching event title
ItalwaysamazesmehowlittletimeisspentonnamingWebinars.TherightWebinartitlecanimmediatelyelevateyourWebinartoa“mustattend”event.
HowdoyoudecideonaWebinartitlethatstandsoutintheinbox?
StartwithyourSalesteam/s.Findoutwhattheyarehearingoutinthemarketplaceandaskthemtohelpidentifyhotbuttonsyoushouldconsiderforyourtitle.
Otherdetails-BesuretheWebinartitlesrunnolongerthan30characters,andconsiderusingwordslike“Webcast”or“you’reinvited”.
2. Format Invites or Maximum Engagement Peoplejustdon’treadanymoresoyouhavetobesuretogettothepointquickly.Peopleseemtoreadtherstsentenceandthenlookforthingslikephotosofyourspeaker/s,
bullet points or other images included.
3. Make It Easy to Register
Seemslikeagiven,right?We’vealltriedtosignupforWebinarsthattookustomultiplelandingpagesoraskedustolloutaformthatwasjusttoolongandwantedtoomuch
information.Keepitsimpleandmapoutaplantocollectmoreinformationfromregistrantsasyoucontinuetofollowupwitheventreminders.
4. Sell Your Event, Not your Products or Services
Remembertosellthebenetsofyourofferinginthecontextoftheevent.Here’sanexample–Insteadofsaying,“Oursolutionsacceleratesalescyclesby2X,”say,“Joinus
forafreewebinarandlearnhowtoaccelerateyoursalescycleby2X”.
5. Call to Action: Front and center Don’twaituntiltheendofyourinvitetoaskpeopletoregisterforyourevent.Rememberlotsofpeoplescan/viewemailsinthepreviewpane.Includeclickablelinksorbuttons
in the header or headline and in the body o the email at least twice. It may seem like overkill but your goal is to get them to register, don’t make them hunt or the right but-
tons to do so.
6. Remind them why they are there, on your landing page that is
RecenttestshaveshownteststhatB2BprospectsprefermoredetailedinformationonWebinarlandingpages.Theywantmoreinformationonwhattoexpectfromyourwebinar
andwhatisgoingtobediscussedbeforetheycommit.Don’tforgettoincludeyourspeakerbiosheretoo.Peopleliketoknowmoreaboutwhotheyaresigninguptolistento.
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 8
7. Consider a personalized landing page (PURL) and pre-populated orms
Inarecenttest,morethan75%ofWebinarregistrationscamefromPURLrecipients.Peopleliketheideathattheinviteandinformationisbeingcustomizedforthem.Most
marketing automation systems have this capability, be sure you’re using it.
8. Add links to additional inormation or content in your landing page
This specifc webinar may not be o interest to your prospect but that doesn’t mean all o your oerings and/or content aren’t o interest to them. Oer additional inormation indierent ormats, maybe a previous webcast, a podcast, whitepapers or eBooks.
9. Oer an OnDemand Recording o the Presentation
Somewherebetween33%and50%ofthepeoplewhoregisterforyourWebinarwillactuallyshowup.SobesuretoofferanonDemandrecordingofyoureventforthosethat
can’tmakeitandremembertotellthemit’soutthere.Thisisagreatexcuseforfollowupwiththosethatdidn’tattendandthosethatdid.Peoplethatdidattendmaywantto
forwardtheonDemandversionontoothersinthedecisionmakingunit.Thatway,peoplecanviewyourcontentatatimethatworksbestforthem.
10. Say Thank You
Don’tforgetyourcommoncourtesy.Rememberpeopletooktimeoutoftheirbusyscheduletohearwhatyouhadtosay.Followupwithathankyouandbesuretoinclude
linkstomoreapplicableinformation.Followthoseclick-throughsforlasertargetingyournextmessage.
Havewemissedanythinghere?Whathashelpedyoudrivemoreleadsoutofyourwebinars?
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 9
Make the Most o Your Tradeshow Investment Using Word o Mouth Marketing
Attention Conservation Notice: The following post provides a few tips on how to turn your tradeshow experience into a word of mouth marketing success.
WhenmostB2BMarketersthinkofWordofMouth(WOM)marketing,theythinkofonline/viralcampaignsorcustomerreferralprograms.But,tradeshowscanbetheperfectset-
ting or some o the best WOM marketing campaigns. Where else can you get so many people o like mind together in one place, short o Internet orums.
There’snothinglikeagoodstunttogeteveryoneataneventtalkingaboutyourorganizationwhichcontributestobothbrandawarenessanddemandgenerationifyouhandlethe
leadcaptureandnurturingprocessappropriately.TheguysoveratGamePlanMarketinghavebeenpraisedfortheirstrokeofgenius,“OperationBlueshock¸aguerillastuntthat
involvedsending150maleand150femalemodelsdressedtotheninesontotheInternationalConsumerElectronicsShow(CES)showoortotalkuptheBluetoothSpecialInterest
Group.Forvideoofthestunt,visithttp://www.gpexperience.com/work.php.
Theresultswerestaggering:onthedaythemodelsshowedupatCES,theBluetoothwebsitehad18,500hits–a42-percentspike.Inthepost-showsurvey,60percentofrespon-
dentssaidtheyknewmoreaboutBluetooththanjusttwodaysbefore.
Socalled“guerillastunts”neednotbeone-hitwonders,however.AsuccessfulWOMeventorchestratedbyNetQoShasnowbecomeanincreasinglysuccessfulyearlytradition.In
anefforttocatchtheeyeofCiscoandgetaverytarget-richenvironmenttotalkaboutthecompany,NetQoSmarketersexecutedaWOM“stunt”atCiscoNetworkersacoupleof
yearsago.ThecompanysentoutinvitationstoanexclusivepartyatTheMIXloungeinVegasforanafter-hourspartystartingat11:00pm.Thisgeneratedagreatdealofbuzzon
theshowoorwithattendeesclamoringforaninvite.Thoseluckyenoughtoattendweregivenshirtstowearthenextday.Thisresultedinmorethan200NetQoS-cladadvocatesin
sessionsandontheshowoorwhichhelpedtoincreaseleadgenerationby120%fromthepreviousyear.Thenextyear,weexpandedourpresencefurther,bookedtheHouseof
Bluesandincreasedleadcapturebymorethan300%.WealsogaveoutFlipcamstoencourageattendeestospreadthewordviaYouTubeandtheblogosphere.
HowhaveyouusedWOMtoimproveyourtradeshowexperience?
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 10
No Matter How Cool the Giveaway, Not Everyone at the Trade Show Will Want One
Thisweekwe,atReachForce,areannouncinganewdatasolutiontohelpeventmarketersturneventboothvisitorsintorealhigh-octanemarketingdataforleadgeneration. As we talk about events and the uncertainty around them being able to deliver real leads that actually convert into the sales pipeline, I’m reminded
ofafewofmypasttradeshownightmares,soIthoughtI’dshareforaquickgiggle.ThesewilldenitelybeledunderMarketingWTF??
Inmyearlydaysasamarketer,Iwasthrustintomanagingalltradeshoweventsformycompanywithabsolutelynoexperience.Myrsttradeshowwasmade
quitememorablebymyproductmarketingguy.Hesaidheknewaguywhodidpromoitems.MyrsttimeCEOwasconvincedthatbrandedcoffeemugswere
thehotgiveaway.Thisbeingmyrsttradeshow,Ididn’tknowwhattoexpectsoIwentwithit.Theonlythingtheyaskedmewashowmanyattendeeswillbeat
theshow–6,000.ThiswasthelastofthemugtalkuntilIgotacallthedaybeforeIwastoleavefortheshowinNYC.
Product marketing guy ordered the mugs and instead o having them sent to the show he had them sent to the hotel we were staying in. The day beore I leave
fortheshowthehotelclerkcallstotellmethatthemugshavebeendelivered.Myimmediateresponse-Great!No,hesays,“Youdon’tunderstandMiss.There
isasemioutsideblockingtrafctryingtodeliver6,000coffeemugstoyouhereatthehotel.”AtthattimeIstilldon’tthinkIunderstoodthemagnitudeofthe
problem.WeagreedthatIwouldjustpayforthatnightatthehotelandtheywouldmovethemugsintomyroom.WhenIarrivedthenextday,itwaslikeIwasacelebrity.WhenIgotthereandannouncedmynameatthecheckincounter,peoplestartedcomingoutofthewoodwork.Everyonewantedtoseethegirlthat
stoppedtrafcinManhattanoversomecoffeemugs.Ijustsmiledandapologized,stillnothavingacluewhatIwasinfor.Finally,Iwasgreetedwiththeoorto
ceilingboxescoveringmyroom.Therewaslittletonoroomtowalkaround.Thiswasgoingtobefun–NOT!Theshowwasokayandwetriedtogiveeveryone
wesawamugbutwedidn’tgetthroughevenhalfoftheboxes.Nowwhat?Ihatethesemugs…CouldIleavetheminNYC(stillinmyhotelroom)?Icouldn’t
possiblypayFedExtoshipthemallbacktoAustin…soinsteadIdecidedtocallafreightmovingcompanytocomepickthemupandtakethembacktoAustin,
innohurryImightadd.ThinkingIwasallset,Ischeduledthefreightlinertocomethenextmorning.Youseewhat’scomingnext–onceagainIshutdowntraf-
fc in Manhattan or these silly mugs. Needless to say the hotel was glad to see me go.
Lessonslearned–
1. Never let product marketing make decisions alone when it comes to event give aways.
2. Youneverneedasmanygiveawaysastherearepeopleexpectedtoattend.
3. Logistics, logistics, logistics.
Sincethereweresomanymugslefttheywenttothenextshowaswell.Butthistimeweluckedoutandtheboothacrossfromushadakegandwasgiving
awaybeer.Itwaslikewehadplannedtobenexttothemwithmugsinhand.
Maybe the more important takeaway I have learned rom the giveaway fasco is that obviously not everyone will want your cool giveaway but does the cooler the
giveawaytranslateintoevenmore“leads”thathaveNOinterestinbuyingmyproduct?
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 11
Develop an Integrated Theme or Trade Shows
Oneofthegreatestchallengesforeventmarketersisstandingoutfromotherboothsatatradeshow.Theobviouswayistohavethebiggestbadestboothintheexpohall,butwith
tightening budgets, spending more may not be an option. A more low-cost approach is to have a theme.
HereatReachForce,wehaveahistoryofgettingattention(mostlygood)atDreamForce,salesforce.com’sannualusergroupconference.Eachyearwehaveadifferent,fullyinte-gratedthemetohelpattractmoreboothvisitors.LastyearourthemewasLet’sMakeaDeal(youknowtheoldgameshowhostedbyMontyHall).
Ifyoudon’trememberthegameshow,I’llgiveyouaquickrundown.MontyHall,thehost,barteredwithcontestantsdressedincostumeandwouldallowthemtochoosetheirprize
frombehindoneofthreecurtainsorfromoneofseveralenvelopes.Thecontestantsalwayshadanopportunitytotradeintheirprizeforanothermysteryprize.
WedecidedtoplayLet’sMakeaDealtodrivemoreboothtrafcandengageattendees.IfyouattendedDreamForcelastyear,youmayrememberseeingFredandWilmaFlint-
stone;thatwasus.FredandWilmawalkedtheoorhandingoutenvelopeswith$1billsandtoldattendeesthattheycouldtradeintheirenvelopeforachancetowinmuchmoreat
theReachForcebooth.Thoseofusworkingtheboothwereincostumeaswell(yes,IwasLittleBoPeep).BoothvisitorscouldthenplayagameofLet’sMakeaDeal.Todosothey
had to take a demo o our latest sotware oering.
Intheend,wereachedallofourgoalsforcapturingleadsandgavemoredemosthanexpected.Andpeoplestillrememberus.Onelessonlearnedwastoconsiderwhoyouare
puttingincostume.OursalesguyhadmorethanafewpeopletellhimtheyjustcouldnottakehimseriouslywhilehewasdressedasFredFlintstone.Besuretodrawattentionbut
not at the cost o distracting rom your message.
Differentareaswhereyoumightconsiderincorporatingatheme:
• Pre-showpromotion
• Post-showfollow-up
• Giveaways
• Costumes
• Boothsignage
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 12
Top 10 Ways to Get Booth Trac at a Tradeshow
Pamrecentlybloggedabouthowtouseafterhourseventstodriveboothtrafcandbuzzatyourtradeshows.Today,Iwanttosharemytricksforgettingthemosttrafctoyourbooth.
1. Know your audience-Studytheirlikesanddislikes.Thiswillhelpyouselectgiveawaysandpresentationtopics.
2. Oer good content - Attendees love getting tips and best practices so ocus on creating interesting and educational theater presentations.
3. Market your presentations-Doyouhaveaspeakingslotattheshow?Areyougivingpresentationsinyourbooth?Designabusinesscardthatcontainsyourpresentation
topic and timeslot and place it into the badge holder o the attendee you scan.
4. Build brand awareness-Haveyourlogoprintedonstickersandplacethemonthebadgeoftheattendee.Everyonewillseeit.Ihavealsoseenexhibitorsplacetemporarytat-
toos on booth visitors.
5. Don’t hand out junk-Thebestgiveawaysarethosethatcanbekeptonanofcedeskorgiventochildren.AnythingthathasanLEDlightandashesispopularrightnow.
6. Show them the way-I’vefoundthatbuyingadvertisingspaceinconferenceguiderarelyworks.About5%ofourtrafcisdrivenfrombaginserts.Don’twasteyourmoney–
place good signage throughout your booth instead.
7. Play music - Beore you begin a theater presentation, play music. The sound will attract people rom nearby booths.
8. Shoot video-TakeaFlipcameratoyourbooth.AddthevideoyoucaptureinyourboothtoYouTube–thiswillhelpyouinsearchenginerankings.
9. Location, Location, Location -Realestateisprimeontheexhibitoor.Trytogetaspaceclosetotheentranceastheattendeesmustwalkbyyoutoenterandexittheshow
oor.Stayawayfromyourcompetitorsandtrytogetaboothnearyourpartnerssoyoucangetreferrals.Ifyou’reinasmall10×10space,makesuretogetacornerspot.
Yourboothwillgetlostifyouareboxedinbetweenotherexhibitors.
10. Feed them-Itsoundssosimple,butitworks.Anytimeyoucanplaceabowlofcandy,abucketofbottledwater,oranyothersnacksinyourbooth–doit!
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 13
Leverage Exclusive Events to Increase Trade Show Trac
Evernoticehowpeoplewillgowayoutoftheirwayandwaitinthelongestlinestobepartofanexclusivegrouporthersttoexperiencesomethingnew,thenwordspreadsanda
frenzyensues?WitnesstheiPhone phenomenon.Hereareafewtechniquesforstimulatingyourownfrenzyoftradeshowtrafc.
Inmylastposition,Iwantedtocalloutallofthestopsatonemajorindustryeventtotakeourboothtrafctonewlevelsandstimulatehugebuzztoraisebrandawareness.Ide-cidedtoleveragewordofmouthtechniquestoaccomplishthisgoal.So,myteamproducedanexclusive,invitation-onlyafterhourspartyataswankclubinLasVegasimmediately
followingthecloseoftheshowoor.
Wegaveasmallnumberofinvitationstoourcustomersandpartnerswhowereattendingtheeventandtheyhelpedusgeneratesomuchbuzzfortheeventthatwehadattendees
liningupattheboothforachancetogetaninvitetotheparty.Onceinsidetheparty,welavishedourguestswithfood,drinks,attentionandgifts—oneofwhichwasakillert-shirt
thatmanyworetotheshowthenextdaywhichledotherstovisitthebooth.
TheeventhasnowbecomeanannualaffairforNetQoSwhichmorethan500attendingthelastpartyinAnaheim.Theeventisnolongerexclusive,butitdoeshaveawidespread
reputation as the must-attend event at Networkers.
So,takeatipfromNewYorkclubpromotersandofferexclusivestogetpeopleexcitedaboutyouandstimulateWOM.Inviteyourcustomersandpartnersandencouragethemto
spread the word or you.
Oh,andhere’sanotherrelatedtipfordrivingboothtrafc:sponsorakeynotedrop.What’sakeynotedrop?Sometradeshowsenablemarketerstoproducecardsoryersthatare
placedontheseatsattheKeynotepresentation.It’smoretargetedthanahoteldropandinstantlyactionable.Ifthetradeshowdoesnotofferingakeynotedrop,that’sevenbetter.
Contacttheshoworganizersandoffertosponsoritexclusively!Theywillbehappytohavetheadditionaldollarsandyou’llbetheonlygameintown.
Playing Dress-Up is Not Just or Halloween - Marketing WTF?
CanyoubelievethisisatatradeshowandnotHalloween?That’sright,atthisyear’sDreamForce,salesforce.
com’sannualuserconference,ReachForcefoundafunwaytostandoutfromalltheotherbooths.Thetheme
wasLet’sMakeaDeal.YoucanseeMontyHallinthecenterwithhiswackycontestantsaround.Thetheme
denitelyworkedandgainedalotofattentionforReachForceandtheirdebutsoftwareproduct,Insight.One
lessonlearnedthoughwasthatsomepeoplehadahardtimehavinganintelligentconversationwithFredFlint-
stone.Ifyoutrytogetnoticedatyournexteventwithcostumes,choosewiselywhowillwearthem.
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
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Trade Show Accountability
Icountitasgoodfortune…abigpartofmyjobinvolvestalkingtodozensofdifferentmarketerseveryweekaboutleadgeneration.Lately,Ihavekeptmyearsopenforsignsof
downwardsecondhalf’08pressureonbudgetsduetotheeconomy.Andwhilemyreportishardlyscientic,IamhappytosaythemajorityofcompaniesI’mintouchwithseemto
beintunewiththefactthatthebestformulaforsalesandmarketingsuccess(inanyeconomicsituation)is:
Sustainability+Execution+Accountability=MarketingROI
Inrealworldterms,ifyou’redrivingsomewhere,you’vegottokeepyourfootonthegasandyourcarontheroadatthesametime.Marketingaccountability(directionandmea-
surement)areequaltothosewhitelinesweallstrivetostaybetweennomatterhowfastorslowthespeedometersayswearegoingatanygiventimeduringthetrip.Sowhen
companiesdoknee-jerkreactionstoeconomicnewsandparalyzetheirsalesandmarketingeffortsbyraidingthemarketingbudget,I’vealwaysequatedittodrivingbythosebad
plannersalongsideoftheroadwhohaverunoutofgas…youfeelbadforthem,butatthesametimeyoucan’thelpbutwonderhowinthehecktheyletthathappen.Didthey
reallythinktheycouldgettowheretheywantedtogo,withoutkeepingenoughfuelinthetank?
Takingthegasanalogyonestepfurther–inaneconomywhereresponsiblemarketersneedtobedoingmorewithless–Iequateanoverrelianceontradeshowsforleadgenera-
tiontorushingoutandbuyingaHumvee.Sure,the“let’shaveaparade”factoristhere.Thebigtires,shinygrillsandoverheadlightslookcool.Youcanpaintlogosonthemand
golikeabat-out-of-hellfortwodays.You’llhaveplentyofconversationswithlotsofbleary-eyedpeopleabouthowrugged,yetchicitalllooks…butattheendoftheday,poorly
executedtradeshowcampaignsareaboutthemostwastefulthingIcanthinkoffromaleadgenerationperspective.
I’m keenly aware that trying to steer some olks away rom over relying on trade shows or leads almost means talking them into a complete redo o their very persona on a proes-
sionallevel.Thesuccessoftoomanymarketersaregaugedbyhowtricked-outboothslook,orhowefcientlytheycanshipdozensofboxesfromonecitytothenext.Mostlarge
companieshavefulltimeemployeeswhodonothingbutregisterforevents,manageshippingandlogisticsvendorsandght-oops,Imean“coordinate”-withthesalesteamabout
whotosendtothisorthateventwithexhibithallpasses,matching$60golfpolosandthousandsofdollarsworthofbagsandtrinketsthateveryoneforgetsintheirhotelroomon
checkoutday.Thennally,thetwohourmeetingwithnanceweekslateraboutwhethersalesormarketingisgoingtopayfortheexpensereports.Soundfamiliar?Youknowwho
you are.
ForthesepeopleI’dliketoI’dproposeafewthingsthatcanbedoneaspartofyourtradeshowproductiontoratchetthingsupaccountability-wise.Thegoalistogobeyondcount-
inghowmanybusinesscardsareinyourshbowl,orthenumberofbadgesyou’vescannedwithyour$300perevent“rent-a-scan.”
1. As ar in advance as possible, begin processing event attendee registration lists as i they were an operational database. That is, weed out irrelevant contact data, then re-
search,segmentandprioritizerelevanttargets.AddthisdatatoyourCRMandmarketingautomationsystems.Thendirectpre-show,at-showandpost-showcalls-to-actionatthemwithembedded“keydriver”messaging.It’sreallyaboutknowingwhoyouwanttospeakwithbeforeyourteamgoestotheevent,insteadofpassivelywaitingforpeople
to visit your booth ater the show has started.Many events these days oer incomplete contact data or trade show registrants and/or have limitations about how it can be used.
Asthistrendgrows,agoodapproachistousecustomcontactdatabasebuilderslikeReachForcetoquicklyresearchthecompanieswhoaresendingattendeesandprovide
you with names and contact inormation o those who are most relevant to your sales eorts. Very oten these results track to same people who have registered. I not, it’s still
nice to have the right names when you speak to their co-workers to arrange getting your sales people networked in.
2. Game-planeacheventasifyouwereabasketballcoach.Considertheentireexhibitoorastheeldofplaywiththeunderstandingthatnobasketballteameverwonagame
withall5playersstandingunderthehoop(inthiscase,aroundthebooth).Dependingonhowmanypeopleyouhavegoing,youatleastneed1)agoodPointGuard(some-
oneworkingtheentirecourt,drivingactivitytowardthegoal/booth2)agoodDefensiveForward(someoneworkingtheentirecourt,talkingtocompetitors,theircustomers,
mediacontacts,consultantsandanalyst)and3)asolidCenter(someone–notaboothbabe–whocandelivervalueproposition,demos,etc.inanintelligentandmemorable
way. Think o this as someone who instills confdence, with whom the visitor would want to personally do business.)
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3. Onceyouhavetheseplayersinplace,makesuretheyallhavemeasurableobjectivestoshootfor.Givethemaleaderandmissionandmakeknowninapostshowreportto
executivemanagementwhetherornotobjectiveswereachieved.Inotherwords,haveasolideventexecutionprocessthatholdspeopleaccountablefortheirindividualassign-
ments.Thisisagoodwaytoavoidtheperceptionthattradeshowsarejunkets.
4. Ratherthandoingfree-formsalespitchesatyourbooth,strivetoquantifywhatvisitorsthinkofyourproductoroffer(usuallyafterademo)byusingan‘askedandanswered”
approach.Akiosk-basedsurveysystemcanbeusedtopose“key-value”and“key-driver”questionswithmultiplechoicequestions.Assignpointvaluestoeachresponse
choiceandtabulatetheminawaythatcanbemathematicallyanalyzedaftertheeventto“score”eachvisitor.Ifyou’regoingtogiveawaytrinketsmakethemgoodones,and
give them to survey-takers.
5. Setmediacoverageobjectivesforeachevent(bydoingproperpreparationwork,settinginterviews,etc.withattendingmediacontactsupfront)andmeasureeffectiveness
intermsofadvalueequivalency.I.e.measurewhatsamecoveragewouldhavecostifyouboughtanadfromeachoutlet.Thisisnotreallyapureleadgenerationissue,but
tradeshowsareusefulforcreatingthought-leadershipbuzz,ifdonecorrectly.It’simportanttocraftacompelling,newsworthypitchsuchasanewproductlaunch,orstories
linking important key drivers with how your company is positioned to address them. And i you don’t have a couple o client/promoters who are willing to be a part o anything
you pitch to the media, don’t even waste your time. I don’t know too many reporters willing to write a story unless there are solid use cases and customer testimonials to back
your claims up.On this same note, try to coordinate the timing o your more meaningul press releases with your event schedule. A strong story released with a dateline rom a
majorindustryeventisagoodwaytocompelmediacontactstomeetwithyouthere.Italsohelpsgiveyourpresenceattheeventathemetoworkwith,whichisalsohelpfulin
creatingbuzz.
6. Asanaldig(Ijustcan’thelpmyself)alwaysbringareextinguishertoeachevent.Thatwayyoucanputouttheamesfromallthebudgetdollarsyouareburningwhenitstarts to get out o hand.
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 16
How to Get 3,190 People to Watch a Demo at a Tradeshow
AftermylastguestpostonGettingMoreTrafctoyourTradeShowBoothIthoughtIwouldshareaninsidelookatthesuccessbehindNetQoS’stradeshowmarketing.Iturnedup
theheatonCiscoNetworkersthisyearwithapartyattheHardRockHotel.
Everyyear,companiesspendmillionsofdollarsontradeshowsworldwide.AtNetQoS,thereisoneshoweachyearthatproducesthebestleads.Cisco Networkers Live is an eventthat brings together thousands o networking proessionals or our days o training.
Aswithanyexhibition,thekeytosuccessisknowingyouraudience.Withmanyboothstochoosefrom,it’shardtogetprospectsinterestedinvisitingyou.InJanuary,theNetQoS
marketingcommunicationsteammettodiscusstheoverallstrategyfortheJuneCiscoshow.Knowingthatwehadtochooseatheme,weidentiedthemostimportantcharacteris-
tics o our target market. They are as ollows:
•Male
•Aged25-45
•WorksintheITeld–mostareresponsiblefortheperformanceoftheirorganizationsnetwork
•Unlikelytobeelected“PromKing”inhighschool
Withsongslike“PartyLikeARockstar”byShopBoyzand“IWanttobeaRockstar”byNickelbackrulingtheradio,wedecidedthatweshouldtreatourprospectsandcustomers
liketheyarerockstars–networkrockstars.Withthistheme,wewereabletoselectpromotionsfortheboothandplanalargecustomerparty.
Eachyear,wehandoutt-shirtsinourbooth.Wedecidedtodesignashirtthattsinwiththevintageshirtsthatarepopulartoday.Inaddition,wepurchasedblinkingguitarpins
thatcontainourcorporatelogo.WehavefoundthatanythingthatwithaashingLEDlightattachedtoitisahugeitemattradeshows.Asageneralruleofthumb,ifitcan’tbe
stored on a desk or given to a child, it’s trash.
Forourparty,wedesignedalandingpagewherecustomersandprospectscouldregisteronline.Weaskedthemtoprintofftheirconrmationandstopbyourboothduringtheshow
topickuptheirVIPbackstagepass.Thisawardedusalotofattentionasothertradeshowattendeesnoticedtheexclusivepassesbeingwornaroundtheshowbyourcustomers.
Fittingwithourtheme,webookedtheHardRockHotelasourpartyvenue.WepassedoutElvisglassesasattendeeswalkeddowntheredcarpet.WesetupGuitarHeroandRock
Bandinthecorneroftheroomwhichwasahugehit.Inthepastwelearnedthatourguestsdon’tlikeloudmusicsowenixedthebandthisyearandoptedforaDJ.Also,never
skimponfood.Ifyouraudienceismostlymale,feedthemwell.WehiredaphotographerfromEventMalltotakepicturesofourguestsandprintcopiesonsite.Inaddition,wehiredtwocelebrityimpersonatorstoentertainthecrowd–GeneSimmonsandOzzyOsborne.
The Results:
Forthersttime,weranoutofall3,500t-shirtswehadprintedbeforetheshowwasover.Ontherstnightalone,wescanned931badgesintwohours.Wehad3,190peoplesit
through product demonstrations in our booth during the show. We handed out 3,000 blinking guitar pins in two days. At the party, we had 400 guests who have given us nothing
but positive eedback.
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Checkoutexamplesofeverythingbelow:
HardRockPartyLandingPage:http://www.netqos.com/seo_promo/hardrock/
FlickrPhotosPage:http://www.fickr.com/photos/netqos/
T-shirts: Front: Back:
Guitar Pins: Backstage Passes:
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Leveraging Current Customers at a Tradeshow
Guestblogger,AndreaStoutsharedsomegreatideasMondayonGettingMoreTrafctoyourTradeShowBooth.Iwanttoaddonemore-leverageyourcurrentcustomers.Gener-
ally your current customers will be attending the same events as your prospects. I you can convince a ew to be evangelists or you, they will be more impactul than your best sales
reps.
Acolleagueofminehadgreatsuccessatatradeshowlastyear.Themessagingattheboothwasallaboutbeingpowerdrivenwhichisalsotheircompanytagline.Eachoneofher
customerevangelistsworeabuttonthatsaid“IamPower-Driven”whileallemployeeswore“AskMeHowYouCanBePower-Driven.”Theytripledtheamountofboothtrafcfrom
the year beore.
Here are a ew things you might want to keep in mind when planning to use current customers at a tradeshow:
1. Plan ahead-Askyoursalesrepsandaccountmangerstondoutifanyofyourbestcustomerswillbeattheshow.Considerinvitingafewtobeyourguest.Acustomeradvi-
sory board is a great resource, i you have one.
2. Ask in advance-Mostpeoplewillbeatteredthatyouasked.Donotwaittilyouseethemontheshowoortoask.
3. Set expectations-Makesurethatyourcustomersknowexactlywhatwillbeexpectedofthem.Doyoujustwantthemtojustsingyourpraisesorwilltheyneedtobeableto
answerquestionsfromprospects.
4. Integrate with your overall theme-Ifyouhaveathemeorspecicmessageforyourboothbesurethecustomersenhanceandaddtoyouroverallobjectives.
5. Give them something to wear -Askyourcustomertowearabutton,hatorshirtsothatattendeescanndthem.Likeintheexampleabove,thisdoesnothavetobeyourlogo
- being dierent is a conversation starter.
6. Thank your customers-Cocktailparties,dinneroragiftattheshowareafewideas.Whenyouaskthemtobeanevangelist,letthemknowhowtheywillbethanked
Anotherideaistoincludeyourcurrentcustomersatanypartiesyoumightbethrowingduringtheshow.Thiscanbeamorecomfortableenvironmentthatontheshowoor.Weall
haveafewcustomersthatjustcouldneverbesatised.CheckwithSalesandAccountManagementtobesurethateveryoneyouareinvitingisahappycustomer.
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VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 19
Driving More Trac at Trade Shows
Drivingboothtrafcatatradeshowcanalwaysbechallenging.Withsomanyotherboothsvyingforattention,howdoyoumakesurethatattendeesstopbyyourbooth?Sometimes
youhavetogetcreativetouseasmallerbudgetthanyourcompetition,andhaveequalorbetterresults.
TwoyearsagoatDreamForce,salesforce.com’susergroupconference,weutilizedseveralstrategiestodrivemoreboothvisitors.Wecreatedathemetomakesureallelementsofourstrategytiedtogether.Ourthemewas“NoMoreLists.”Beingaproviderofrole-basedcontactdatabases,wewantedtoendtheuseoftraditionaltitle-basedlistuse.
Attendees knew about us beore they even walked through the doors o the Moscone center. We hired temporary sta to be picketers on the sidewalk holding various signs with the
NoMoreListsthemeandchanting,“NoMoreLists!”Asattendeeswalkedpast,thepicketerswouldhandthem“NoMoreLists”buttonsanddirecttheattendeestotheReach-
ForceBoothtogetcash.
Iwillnotethatinsomewaysthisisacautionarytale;wedidhavethecopscalledonusbytheorganizersoftheevent.Thepoliceactuallysidedinourfavor,butwedecidedtodrop
thepicketersfortheseconddayoftheconferencetokeepfromrufingtoomanyfeathers.
Oneofusalsowalkedtheoortohandoutmorebuttonsanddirecttrafctoourbooth.Ifanattendeecametothebooth,weletthempickanenvelope.Eachenvelopewaslled
withcashrangingfrom$1to$50.Ifyouaretryingtogureoutthemostcompellinggiveawaykeepinmindthateveryonelovescoldhardcash.
Ourboothstrategywasasuccess.Wecreatedlotsofbuzzwiththepicketersoutsideandexceededourgoalsforboothtrafc.Wealsogeneratedenoughrevenuetopayforthecosto the show.
As you are developing a strategy to drive more booth trafc, keep these ideas in mind:
• Create buzz beore attendees reach the show foor–thisdoesnothavetobeoutsidetheexhibithalllikeourpicketers.Youcanstartthebuzzonyourblog,throughTwitter,in
a press release, a pre-show party, pre-show mailer or email.
• Have giveaways that people will tell their riends about–eitherhavethelatestmusthavegadgetoradesirablegiveawayforeveryvisitorlikecash.
• Make as many people at the show your brand ambassadors –wedidthiswithbuttonsbutyoucouldalsogiveawayt-shirtsorhats,anythingpeoplewillwear–thenreward
them or wearing it.
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101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 20
Using Events Spend to Drive Sales Conversions
Eventbudgetsaretypicallyprettyspongy.Theyareusuallyhandedoutinlumpamountswithverylittlesuccessmeasuresputinplacearoundtheseevents.Hereareafewideasto
drive real leads rom event spend.
• Makesureeachpersonattendingtheeventhasgoalsassignedtothem.Someexamplesinclude–X#ofpeoplescanned,X#ofdemos,X#ofconversationshadoutsideofthecompanybooth,#ofbusinesscardscollected.Usealittlebudgetforprizesforthewinners.
• Assignsomeoneoragroupofpeopletovisiteveryothercompanyparticipatingintheevent.Youobviouslyhavesomethingincommon,youareatthesameevent.Challenge
teammemberstogetothercompaniestodrivetrafcyourway.Again,giveawayprizestothecompanythatsendsthemostpeopleyourway.Gooduseof$$here,notonlyare
you getting a chance to meet people who may not have stopped by to see you, you are also starting a new relationship with your orwarding riend.
• Askeachpersonthatstopsbyyourboothaboutthepersonresponsibleforusing/buyingyourproductorservice.Giveawayanotherprizeheretotheteammemberthatgets
not only a name but also contact inormation and a reerral rom the person attending the show.
• Ifyouhavepartnersattendingashow,puttogetheraprogramthatencouragespeopletovisityourpartner’sboothandviceversa.
• Onceyoureturnfromaneventandaregettingreadytohandthewarmandhotleadsovertosales,STOP.Rememberifyouarepassingaleadonthereshouldbesomeaddi-
tionalinformationthatgoesalongwiththelead.InformationthatdeemsitSales-ready.Fortheseleads,usealittleeventbudgetandincenttheSalesteamtopushtheseleadsandtokeepyoupostedontheirprogress.Everyonelikestoberewarded,alittlepieceofyoureventbudgetforprizesandeveryonewins.
• Leadsthataren’tSalesready,dividethoseinto2groups–thosethatyouhavetherightdecisionmakersnameandpossiblecontactinfo.Thesepeoplearereadyforavery
targetedmarketingprogram.Forthosethatyouonlyhavetheinformationofthepersonthatstoppedbyandvisitedyouattheshow,investincontactdiscoveryforthese.It’s
worththeextradollarstobeabletoturnotherwisedeadeventdataintoanactionablelead.Thesenewlydiscoveredleadswillthenbereadyforyourtargetedmarketingpro-
grams.
• Don’tforgettokeepupwithyourspend.You’llneedthistocalculateyourROI.You’llalsowanttousethisinfo.tomeasurethenewtacticsyouaretryingout.
• TageventleadsinyourCRMsystem.Thisinformationwillbeusedforfollowup,forcontinuedmarketingwithrelevantmessaging,andmostimportantlyit’sneededtomeasure
ROIoftheevent.
Gotanymorecreativeeventspendideas?Pleaseshare.
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VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 21
Another 90% Statistic About B2B Marketing; Really!
Tradeshows–Conferences–UsersGroupEvents–Maythereligiouswarsbegin.Saleslovesthem,marketingthinkstheyarecoolastheymakeforalotofcreativefodder–CEO’s
likethefactthattheircompanyisaplayerintheindustry–businesses,atleasthightechonesspend25%ormoreoftheirmarketingbudgetonevents;togiveawayt-shirtsand
build“brand”.Myviewisthatifyouareamid-sizedbusiness,theonlybrandingyouwanttohearaboutistheoneusedtomarkandtrackcattle.
Here’sanother90%WASTEstatisticIheardaboutfromSiriusDecisions–lessthan10%oftradeshowleadsarefollowedupbySales.Sowhathappenstotherest?
Whatarethebestpracticesforreducingthe90%wastewithoutalltherhetoricaboutbranding–“wasworthitbecauseofthebranding?”Igetit,awarenessonthebusinessis
importantbutwhythrowoutthebabywiththebathwater?
My view, as always, is to step back take a deep breath and think about this:
Whydidsalesonlyfollow-upon10%ofthe“leads”?
Whatwasthemakeupofthe“goodleads”orGlengarryleads?
Weretheattendees(thecompanies)theycamefromagoodt?
Didyoucomebackwiththerightcompanybutwrongcontactnames(theITAdminwasattheeventbutoureconomicbuyerissomeoneelsethatwewanttotarget)?
Howdowedenetherightcompanyandlterthemagainstthosecriteria?
Whoistherightperson/peopleatthecompanyyouwanttoreachoutto?
Nowthatyouhavetheanswerstothequestionabove,it’stimetoturnthe90%wasteintoHIGHoctaneleadsformarketingandselling.Theyieldwillnotbe100%butevenifyou
end up yielding 1/3 o the 90%, you will be at 300% o where you are today with event leads.
Don’tletthedatayoucollectfromatradeshowsitaround–mobilizeittocreateactionableleadsinyourbusiness.Takeitfromsludgetohigh-octanedata!
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VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 22
Ater the User Group Conerence, How to Stay in Touch?
Usergroupconferencesareexpensiveandtimeconsumingbutarethebestwaytohaveyourcustomersnetworkwitheachotherandforyoutogetrealfacetimewiththemto
updatethemonnewproductsandfeaturesandgatherinputonwhereyoushouldbeheadednext.Iwasspeakingwithacolleagueaboutherusergroupconference.Shehasman-
aged them in the past but wanted a better way to stay connected with customers ater the conerence. Her boss wanted her to create an online community because social media is
sohotrightnow.However,anonlinecommunitydidn’tseemlikearighttbecausehercustomerswantedrealanswersfromexecutivesnotjustresponsesfromwhoeverinclientservices happened to be monitoring the discussion boards that day.
I recommended that she continues to hold events throughout the year but to instead make them virtual. As part o the goody bags at the user group conerence she could give
everyoneawebcam.Then,onceaquarter,shecouldorganizealivevirtualconferenceonSkype(ifOprahcangethousewivestouseit,youcangetexecutivesto).Usersmaynot
beabletointeractwitheachotherasmuch,butanexecutivecouldbeonhandtomakeannouncementsandanswerquestions.NowIamarmbelieverinpushingyourmessage
through as many media as possible because everyone’s preerences are dierent. Ater the live web conerence, she could turn the highlights into a webcast or those who couldn’t
make it and send a newsletter with updates as well. That way people can digest the inormation in their own way.
Thepointhereisthatnomatterwhatyoudotostayintouchwithyourcustomers,dosomething.Welearninschooltheimportanceofkeepingourcurrentcustomers,“Itiseasier
tokeepacurrentcustomerthantogainanewone.”Somewherealongthewayacquiringnewbusinessbecamethefocusandweforgotthatourcurrentcustomersareourgold.
Asafootnote,Ihavenotexecutedacampaignsuchasthisone.ThiswastrulyanideaIhadinthemomentwhenmycolleaguetoldmeaboutherdilemma.Iwouldlovetohear
fromanyoneouttherewhohasdonesomethingsimilar!
Live Animals on the Show Floor - Marketing WTF?
Intoday’sMarketingWTF?,wehighlightacampaignthatraisedthehacklesofthefolksatPETA.MikeRosenfelt,ExecutiveVicePresidentofMessageOne,is
neveronetoshyawayfromtheoutrageousinanefforttogeneratebuzz.Inanoddploytoillustratehowunexpectedfactors—such as a goat chewing throughyour ber conduit–cantakedownyouremailsystem,hebroughtalivegoatontothetradeshowoorattheInternationalLegalTechnologyAssociationshow.
Thenextyearheone-uppedhimselfbybringingalligatorsandpythons.Theconnection?Thealligatorshadeatenthegoat,orsotheysaid.Liveanimalshave
nowbeenbanned,soweareallonpinsandneedlestoseewhatRosenfeltwillthinkofnext.Ashesaid,theyonlybannedlive animals…
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VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 23
Drive Revenue rom Customer Events
InapreviouslifewhenIwasVPofMarketingatahightechsoftwarecompanywehadthousandsofcustomerswithhugeupsellandcrosssellingopportunities.Sincemanyof
these customers were long time customers we decided a live event would not only give us the opportunity to update them on our additional products and services but would also
allow us some ace time or urther relationship building. Our overall goal or the event was to drive more revenue rom our current customer base. As we were brainstorming on
theeventdetailswewantedtobesurewehada3-Dviewoneverythingwedid.Wewantedtobesurewewereeducatingourcustomers,buildingcustomerloyaltyandgetabetterunderstandinghowweweregoingtocontinuetomonetizetheserelationships.I’veincludedafewtipsbelowforeachofthesecomponents.
Education –
• Makesureyouragendafortheeventisnotbiasedtowardsyourcompanyandwhatyourcompanyhasgoingon,butinsteadshowinteresttosolvingTHEIRbusinessproblems
and what really impacts them.
• Thinkaboutwhatyouwantthemtotakebackfromthisevent?
• Considerbringinginindustryleadersoranalyststospeakontheirexperiencesinthemarketplace
• giveawayaneducationalbookortakehomeinformationtheycouldsharewithothers
• Addapanelofhappycustomerstodiscusstheirexperiencesandresultsfromworkingwithyou
Loyalty –
• Makeeachcustomerfeelliketheyareyour#1customer
• Treatthemtoanicevenue,easytransportationandgreatfoodtostart.
• Mostimportantly,makeyourcustomersfeeltheyarepartoftheinnercircleandbybeingattheeventtheyareprivytoinformationothersaren’t.Forexample,showanexclu-
sive demo o new or upcoming product releases.
Monetize –
• Holdyoursalesteamresponsibletohavetherightcustomersattheevent.Oneswhobringthemostmoney,oneswhohaveproblems,onesthatwouldbenetthemostfrom
being there.
• Whileattheevent,setupcustomerface-to-facemeetingswithkeyexecutives.IhadaspreadsheetwitheveryoneIwasmeetingandknewtheirproblemsgoingintothecon-
versation so I could bring the solutions. This was key.
Eventhoughtheeventendedonahighnote,wewouldhavetowaitanotheryearforthistypeofcustomerinteraction.Today,wewouldn’thavetowaitanotheryeartocatchupwith
ourcustomers.CompanieslikeBD Metricshavealreadystartedtotacklethisobstacle.BDMetrics’You-Based™personalizationtechnologyforleadingtradeshowsandassocia-
tionstohelpmakesureoncepeopleleaveanevent,allisnotforgotten.I’msurethereareothersouttherealsohelpingextendthemomentumofliveevents.Whathaveyouseenor
used?Howareyoustayingintouchwithyourcustomers365daysayear?
Here’s another continuing customer event idea or you to ponder… ideas
8/14/2019 eBook Vol3 Event Marketing
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ebook-vol3-event-marketing 24/24
101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B LeadP R E S E N T E D B Y
VOLUME THREE • Event Marketing 24
About ReachForce
ReachForcedeliverssoftware(SaaS)anddataservicesthatenableB2Bcompaniestolasertargettheirleadgenerationprograms.ReachForcesolutionsallowmarketingandsales
teamstotargetmarket‘sweetspots’usingCRMandwebsitevisitordatathenreachtherightbuyersinthesecompaniesusingrole-basedcontactdiscoveryservices.
ReachForcewascreatedtoensureMarketers,keeptheirseatatthetable.AsateamoflongtimeMarketerswedecidedweweretiredofitbeingoktobewrong97%ofthetime.
With marketing response rate industry averages being less than 3%, there is something undamentally wrong with the way we as B2B Marketers have been driving lead generation
initiatives.Responseratesdon’tequalleadsandleadsdon’talwaysmeanqualiedbuyers.
AtReachForce,wedon’tcareaboutormeasureresponserates,wedriveandmeasurerevenuedeliveredtothebusinessfromleadgenerationinitiatives.Byaddressingthefounda-
tionofanymarketingprogram,thedata-or“TheWHO”aswecallit,ReachForcewasfoundedwithonegoalinmind:toprovidebusinesseswithrevolutionary,highquality,cost-
eective data to uel their marketing and sales lead generation initiatives.
About The B2B Lead
We’vedesignedTheB2BLeadblogtodeliverrealworld,practicalB2BSalesandMarketingTipstohelpyoucapturemorequaliedbuyersandconvertthemintoprotable
customerrelationships.Eachweek,wewilldeliversnack-sizehow-to’sandthought-provokingcommentaryfromB2BMarketersforB2BMarketers.ReachForcecustomers–who
includeDirectorsofMarketingCommunications,SalesProfessionals,MarketingProgramsManagers–andotherguestwriterswillsharetechniquesthathelpyoutakeamoredelib-
erateandpredictableapproachtoincreasingthevelocityandefciencyoftheMarketingandSalesfunnel.
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the new world o metrics-driven Marketing.
ThisisthethirdofavevolumecollectionofB2BMarketingandSalesTipsfromTheB2BLead.Belowarethepastandupcomingvolumes.Todownloadall101 B2B Marketing
and Sales Tips, check back in the coming weeks.
Volume One: Online Marketing
VolumeTwo:DirectMarketing
VolumeThree:EventMarketing
VolumeFour:MarketingandSalesAlignment
VolumeFive:MoreMarketingandSalesTips