ebook vol3 event marketing

8/14/2019 eBook Vol3 Event Marketing

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ebook-vol3-event-marketing 1/24

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



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

http://theb2blead.com/

http://theb2blead.com/





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





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.

http://www.ericksonbarnett.com/index.php/mprofs08/index2








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.

http://www.twebinar.com/

http://www.twebinar.com/





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





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.





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?

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/PURL.html

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/PURL.html





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?





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?





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





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!





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.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/22/iphone-line-forms-at-apples-flagship-for-absolutely-no-reason/

http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/22/iphone-line-forms-at-apples-flagship-for-absolutely-no-reason/





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.)





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.





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.

http://www.cisco-live.com/

http://www.cisco-live.com/





Checkoutexamplesofeverythingbelow:

HardRockPartyLandingPage:http://www.netqos.com/seo_promo/hardrock/

FlickrPhotosPage:http://www.fickr.com/photos/netqos/

T-shirts: Front: Back:

Guitar Pins: Backstage Passes:





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.





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.





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.





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!





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…

http://www.skype.com/business/index_newuser.html

http://www.messageone.com/news/nws-2007-01-20-1




http://www.skype.com/business/index_newuser.html





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

http://www.bdmetrics.com/

http://www.theb2blead.com/marketing-to-current-customers/after-the-user-group-conference-how-to-stay-in-touch-b2b-marketing-and-sales-tip-93

http://www.theb2blead.com/marketing-to-current-customers/after-the-user-group-conference-how-to-stay-in-touch-b2b-marketing-and-sales-tip-93

http://www.bdmetrics.com/





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.

Ifyouwanttoshareideaswhilelearningfromyourpeers,subscribetoourB2BMarketingRSSfeednow.Wehopeyouwillmakeityourgo-toresourcefortechniquestosucceedin

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

http://www.reachforce.com/resources/index.jsp




ebook vol3 event marketing

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