marketo definitive guide to event marketing

7/28/2019 Marketo Definitive Guide to Event Marketing

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The Denitive Guide to Event Marketing

Table of Contents

Why Should I Read theDenitive Guide to Event Marketing?

Why Include Events inYour Marketing Mix?

Common Kinds of Events

Big Four Reasons for Events

Roles at an Event

Event Technology

Promoting Your Event

Public Relations for Events

Social Media and Events

Online Events

Physical EventsEvent Follow-Up

ROI of Events

Conclusion

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Why Should I Read the DenitiveGuide to Event Marketing?In todays buyer-empowered world, marketers need to seize everyopportunity to start a relationship, generate goodwill, and earn the trustof prospective buyers. Its tempting to want to stick with marketing tacticsthat take the least amount of time and money to execute. But its oftennot in your companys best interests to do so. A solid marketing mixthat incorporates event marketing is critical to connecting with as manypotential customers as possible.

This is your Denitive Guide to Event Marketing. Whether hosting, sponsoring,or presenting at an event, rst-timer or a seasoned pro, youll be armed withall the information you need to get the most out of any marketing event.

This guide provides information, tips, and best practices for every aspect of events.Use it as a workbook take notes, highlight what you nd inspirational, share whatyou learn with your colleagues, and start driving measurable results from your

event marketing.


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Why Include Eventsin Your Marketing Mix?Every business seeks to stand out from theircompetition, and event marketing can help youdo just that. Whether you are hosting a smallwebinar, a large-scale international tradeshow,or an executive-level private function, eventmarketing needs to be an integral part of thedemand generation mix. After all, a strategiccombination of online and ofine marketingis essential to any companys bottom line.


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Why Include Events in Your Marketing Mix?

Todays Buyer

The modern consumer wants more thana pitch when evaluating solutions ormaking a purchasing decision. Eventsoffer a unique opportunity for them tointeract with solution providers to geta rsthand sense of a companysfocus, perspective, and personality.

People like to go to the Apple storebecause they can talk to a human and

experience the products in person, thengo online to purchase. And if most of yourcompanys marketing and presence isonline, hosting events enables yourcompany to make those connections.


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CommonKindsofEvents

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Events come in a variety of avors, and can beheld in countless venues, whether online or off.


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Online Events

Online events connect presentersand participants through a web-basedinterface. Common types of onlineevents include webinars, virtual events,and live streaming events. Thesetypes of events are often less costlythan in-person events and enableyou to easily reach a geographicallydispersed audience. The convenienceand savings of live events for both

sponsors and attendees are toosignicant to ignore.

WebinarsWhether called webinars, webcasts orweb conferencing, these types of eventsrevolve around presentations, discussions,or workshops, are delivered via the web,can happen in real time or on demand,and typically last 30-60 minutes. Real-time webinars enable interaction amongparticipants, providing the opportunity toreceive and discuss information on a topic

as it is presented, through web-basedconferencing tools. Real-time webinarscan be interactive on many levels, andtypically allow attendees to ask questionsdirectly of to the presenters.

Virtual EventsThese events allow individuals in differentlocales to participate in a virtual environmentthat has the look and feel of an ofine event,combining the educational elements ofa conference with the networking andinteractive features of a trade show.Participants visit a virtual booth wherethey can collect materials, meet the staff,ask questions, and even pick up some

virtual swag. These programs tend tohappen in real time for all participants.

Live Streaming EventsThese are live events that you canstream to your viewers. You can conductthese with a simple webcam or employa full production crew for higher qualitybroadcasting. Applications such asLivestream and Ustream, as well as newoptions like Google+ Hangouts, offer alive service that allows you to fully streamyour broadcasts, record them, and engage

your audience with chat and social mediafunctionality. Live streaming events operatesimilarly to a webinar and should bepromoted accordingly. At Marketo, we uselive streaming events for our User Summitsand Roadshow tours so that people whoare unable to attend in person can getthe benet of the presentations. We usea professional production crew to recordour speaking sessions and have hadgreat success getting people signed upto view them.


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Ofine events require physicalattendance, and interaction takesplace in person. While they oftenrequire more investment than virtualevents, ofine events allow face-to-face interactions that are essentialto building long-term businessrelationships. Dont underestimatethe impact a handshake or personalmeeting can make on a prospect

or customer.

TradeshowsA tradeshow is a physical gatheringof individuals in a particular industryor profession in a forum that typicallyfeatures numerous companies in aspecic market. A business may sponsoror participate in a tradeshow to showoff a product or simply to network andstrengthen its presence in the market.

ConferencesConferences are often company-specicmarketing events that gather attendeesfor the purpose of delivering information,such as a user summit. These events tendto be on the larger side (as compared toseminars), and are held by companies fortraining or educational purposes.

SeminarsThe term seminar is usually used todescribe smaller meetings, roadshows,or eld events. Some seminars are set upsimilar to a classroom lecture, where anexpert shares information with the audiencein a traditional, formal style. Others arestyled as roadshow or eld events, throughwhich marketers take their companysmessage out to the public or to employees

or partners.

Breakfasts, Lunches,and DinnersThese are typically smaller, more targetedevents. They can be both customer andprospect focused. These events can bevery intimate with 8-10 people, or can belarger with 50 or more attendees. For thesmaller functions, these are typically highlevel and provide executives a privatesetting for networking. On a larger scale,breakfasts, lunches, and dinners caninclude thought leadership presentationsas part of the event.


Physical Events

7 Secrets to Eventsthat OutperformExpectations

1. Set realistic and targeted goalsupfront

2. Incorporate a strong theme

and be creative3. Include multiple touchesin your promotion

4. Segment your promotionsto reach the right audience

5. Bethersttofollowupwithattendees and non-attendeesalike

6. Make the campaign scalable7. Base measurement around

proving marketing ROI


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BigFour

ReasonsforEvents

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When considering hosting, sponsoring,or participating in an event, your businessshould identify the outcomes it wants toderive from the event and develop a concreteplan of attack for achieving those results.



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Companies choose to participatein an event for various reasons.Small companies may want theexposure that a live webinar canprovide. A large, global companymay need the face-to-face interactionthat a tradeshow affords. Whethersmall or large, companies usuallyparticipate for one or more of fouruniversally compelling reasons:

1. Brandingandawareness2. Generating leads3. Engagingwithprospectsandexisting

customers4. Educating attendees

In the recent BtoB Magazine and Marketosurvey, marketers were asked to name thegoals of their event programs. The mostcommon answers were lead generation,at 83%, and customer engagement at 72%.

Event Program Goals


100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

Generateleads

83%

72% 72%

57%

46%

32%

Customerengagement

Buildbrand

Producteducation

and training

Drivedemand

Customerupsell

0%

Question: What are the goals of your event programs? (Check all that apply).

N=309

Source: BtoB magazine: State of Event Marketing, July 2011

Why Do We LoveEvents? Let UsCount the Ways

When asked about event goalsin a 2012 survey created byThe Event Marketing Institute,83% of marketing professionals

surveyed noted sales and leadgeneration as the number one goal,followedby73%whocitedbrandawareness.53%choseeducatingattendees as their primary goal foreventmarketing.


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Branding & Awareness

A key reason for a business toparticipate in an event is to establishand build its brand. Event marketingallows your company to cultivate andexpress its particular identityrsthand. Through events, you gainthe perfect venue to share your ideas,thoughts, and name in the exactmanner you want to present them.

Your company may choose to partakein an event to align itself with other brandsthat are participating in that event suchas complementary solution providers or to access a targeted demographic.Many businesses choose events basedon the branding opportunity afforded bythe event. Others host events in order tocreate and showcase the personality oftheir business. Hosting events also allowyou to own vs. rent the attention of yourprospects and customers, which can bemore cost efcient.

People have an easier time rememberingexperiences that engage all of their senses,so by having a physical presence at anevent, you reach customers in a verymemorable way. You can also use yourevent to associate your brand withspecic ideas and feelings. Think abouteach of the following events. What imagesdo you associate with them?

TED Conference The Oscars

SXSW (South by Southwest) The Super Bowl Lollapalooza The Olympics Fashion Week

Whether you want to reinforce yourimage as an organization that catersto entrepreneurs, provides luxury, orprotects the environment, there is anevent that is right for your organization.


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Lead Generation

Another important reason businesseschoose to participate in an event is togenerate leads. And what better way todo so than to be part of an event whereyour target demographic is present?The right events allow your companyto interact with a group of prospectsthat already have an interest in whoyou are and what you do.

An event may not be the rst encounterwith a prospective customer, but it can beone of the most memorable and powerful.Using events to showcase your solutionsis important, but couple that with a strongpersonal connection, a platform forconveying thought leadership, all in a fun,informative, interactive environment, andyou have a recipe for a potentially lucrativerelationship.

If your company is hosting an event,you may be inviting prospects as wellas current customers. The key is to invitethose you know will be interested in thechosen theme and topic of the event.In other words, to generate quality leadsfrom your event, you need to determineyour target audience. By carefullysegmenting your database and reachingout to the most interested demographic,

you can attract attendees that areprospective buyers. And by executingpre- and post-event campaigns andscheduling on-site meetings with targetedattendees, you can return to the ofcewith a list of truly qualied leads.


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Customer Engagement & Upsell

Events offer an unparalleled levelof customer engagement, with anopportunity for positive personalinteraction that builds loyalty. Plus,every marketer knows that companiescan realize the biggest ROI on theirmarketing dollars by retaining andgrowing existing customers. Thechallenge is to gain the attention ofyour customers amid the distractions

of daily work. At events, you enjoythe chance to upsell customers byintroducing them to products orservices they may not know about or may not realize could addresstheir needs.

Properly planned and executed eventscan generate a huge amount of buzz longafter the event has ended. In other words,you multiply the impact of your event bygiving attendees a reason to share theirexperience with colleagues and peers

after the fact.

Whats YourLevel ofEngagement?

Wedeneengagedprospectsasthosewhoshowreal interest by attending awebinar,educationalsession,or one-on-one meeting at atradeshow.Thesepeoplearefar more engaged than thosewhosimplythrewbusinesscardsintoyourbowlatthetradeshow.


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Education

Most people attend events for one oftwo main purposes: to network or tobe educated. Both are powerful drawsin their own ways. If an individual isattending for educational purposes,the information being presented is key.

No matter what type of event you arehosting, its critical to impart knowledgethat the audience will value and that sets

your company apart. By securing quality,high-prole speakers, you can drawa crowd. And by sharing unique insightsthat are relevant to the audience,you can advance your reputation asa thought leader in the industry andestablish a critical connection betweenyour brand and prospective buyers.


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RolesatanEvent

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Roles at an Event

Whether you are a large company that is lookingto host your own event, or a smaller companythat is looking to start out by sponsoring an event,there are many diverse ways for you to participateand benet from events.


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Roles at an Event

Hosting

When you host an event, you gain fullcontrol over the events branding andcontent and the audience you wantto draw in. Being in this position givesyou extraordinary power to dene howyou want your company to beportrayed and the audience you wantto attract. If you are diligent abouttargeting your attendees, the payoffwill be in the self-selected audience

already interested in you and yourmessage buyers who are primed tobe your customers. Youll have accessto a captive audience that is exposedto your brand and message at everyturn. Moreover, these attendees areactively seeking to participate in theprograms and activities you provideduring the course of the event.

While online events pale in comparisonto live events, the cost to host a liveevent can be prohibitive. That said,the value of hosting an event cannotbe understated. When you consider theunprecedented opportunity to engageand inuence your target market, itseasy to see why you should considerworking at least one live, hosted eventinto your marketing budget.

Be aware that when you host an eventyou will be responsible for drivingattendance versus when you sponsorand attendees are brought to you.Because of this, hosted events are bestfor companies that maintain a largedatabase they can leverage, or a largeteam and budget to devote to a robustpromotional plan.

A great way to offset the cost of hostingyour own events is to offer sponsorship

opportunities to partners. If you areinterested in doing this, you shouldcreate a sponsor prospectus. We dothis at Marketo when we embark on ourMarketing Rockstar Tour, using thetemplate to the right to showcase oursponsorship packages to our partners.

Event PartnerSponsorship Template

Your Event Name:

An explanation of yourevent and target audience:

Location(s):

Actual Agenda or Sample Agenda:

9am:

10am:

11am:

12pm: Break for Lunch/Keynote

1pm:

2pm:

3pm:4pm:

5pm:

$X,XXX (Sponsorship Package 1) 6-foot table Logo on event landing page 1-page collateral piece as a chair

drop and/or premium location onpromotional table

$X,XXX (Sponsorship Package 2) 6-foot table Logo on event landing page Signage at the event 1-page collateral piece or swag

item as chair drop and/or premiumlocation on promotional table

1 sponsored email blast

$X,XXX (Sponsorship Package 3)

6-foot table Logo on event landing page Signage at the event 1-page collateral piece or swag

item as chair drop and/or premiumlocation on promotional table

1 sponsored email blast 1 session speaking opportunity

Sponsor Agreement

Company Name:

Contact Name:

Title:

Mailing Address:

Email:

Phone:

Signature:

Date:

Terms & Conditions (add your own)


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Roles at an Event

Sponsoring

Sponsoring an event usually meansyou pay the host organizer to participatein the event. The event producer mayset aside a booth, kiosk, or otherlocation for your organization. Theproducer may also reserve a speakingslot for your company, and offeradditional ways for your companyto gain exposure. Most importantly,sponsoring can provide access and

exposure to an audience that isbasically delivered to you.

A popular reason for sponsoring an event,rather than hosting, is for the turnkeyopportunity it provides. When hosting anevent, you are responsible for everythingfrom nding the venue, schedulingspeakers, recruiting exhibitors, to drivingattendance, managing logistics, andmore. When you sponsor an event, yourcompany reaps the benets without all thelegwork and typically at much lower costthan if you were producing the event onyour own.


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Roles at an Event

Speaking

When you speak at an event, you arein front of an audience of potentialcustomers who will leave the eventwith a much stronger awareness ofyour company. Gaining this knowledgersthand can be much more powerfulthan reading about your company andits offerings. The audience also hasthe opportunity for immediateinteraction with the speaker before,

during and/or after the presentation.As any salesperson will tell you, thereis nothing more effective in building astrong relationship than face-to-faceinteraction.

In addition to reaping the brand benets ofhaving your companys name published inthe agenda and other marketing materialsseen by event participants, speaking isan especially effective way to convey yourcompanys thought leadership. Speakingat an event does more than any blog orwhitepaper your company might publish;it provides you with the opportunity tospeak in front of an attentive, interestedaudience. Assuming your perspectiveis fresh, distinctive, and relevant, it shouldhave immediate appeal to attendees andmay even spur them to take action.

Tips for SecuringSpeakingOpportunities atTradeshows

Plan early Research the event to identify

relevant topics Craft a concise, compelling pitch Dontjusttalkaboutyour

company Presentadistinctpointofview Connectwithleadersinthespace Assemble a press kit that includes

multiple media forms Make sure your sessions

or interactive Be persistent!


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Snapshot

Eileen FridkinPresident, Tradeshow Creatives

Eileen has beena talent agent,scriptwriter andproducer oftradeshowmarketing ideasfor over 30 years.Among her clients(many of whom

have been clients for over 20 years)are multiple divisions of Sony, ToshibaMedical, Pioneer USA, Marketo, Kraft,Fox, and Ford. Her specialties aretechnical presentations and high-quality tradeshow talent. She haswon national awards for both exhibitconcepts and video production forher tradeshow clients.

What are some dontsthat you have seen on theexhibit oor?

1. Dont feature too many gimmickythings.Gimmicksmightdrawattention,but they more likely distract from youractualmessage.Peopletendtorememberthegimmickvs.whatyourcompanydoes.(Irecallacompanyhiring the Dallas cheerleaders for theirexhibit,andnobodyhadanycluewhothecompanywasorwhattheysoldtheyjustcalledthemtheDallascheerleadersbooth.)

2. Make sure your booth and staff areorganized. Everyone should be clearon their position and purpose, and beawarethattheyshouldgooutthereasateam.Ifanattendeeneedshelpanditsnotaparticularsalespersons

territory, the sales rep should still helpthatpersonasifitwereherownterritory.Remember, attendees see you as onecompany,notasabunchofindividuals.

3. Never use poor-quality visuals orrent cheap sound systems for a livepresentation. This really leaves a badimpression.Samegoesforyourexhibit.Ifneedbe,gowithsmallerexhibitsthatare of higher quality rather than largeexhibitsthatarepoorlydone.Remembertheoldadage:qualityoverquantity.

4. If you are on the oor, do not act likeyou are on break.Itsextremelycommontoseestaffwithwaterbottlesin hand, munching on snacks andchattingaway.Ifattendeesseeyourboothstaffchattingwitheachotherand eating lunch, they might not feelcomfortableapproachingyoutospeak.

5. Dont staff your booth with an overtlysexy team of booth assistants. It is adistraction from your main messageand it tends to make it look like youdonthavesomethingviabletosell.Attractive,warmandfriendlypeopleareagoodidea,however,abunchofhotbabesfromavideogamearenot.(Theexception:youreinthevideogameorautosoundbusiness,twoindustrieswhereitmaymakesensetofeaturehotboothbabes.)

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Event Technology

Event technology can help you host successfulevents and ensure that your events go smoothly.Whether you are deciding on a webinar platformor guring out what technology can help youstreamline event registration, you can choosefrom many applications. This is by no meansan exhaustive list, but it will help you begin the

process of vetting vendors.


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Event Technology

Webinar Platforms

You can choose from numerouswebinar platforms, and each offersunique value. Consider what you arelooking for in a webinar provider (thereis more about choosing a webinarvendor in a later section on onlineevents)whether it is price, easeof use, or customer service, doyour research.

CitrixOffers both GoToWebinar andGoToMeeting. GoToWebinar is forconducting online events with up to1,000 attendees. You can use thisweb-based service to conduct webinars,trainings or any number of other onlineevents delivered to participants anywherearound the globe, and tap into unlimitedusage for a at monthly fee. GoToMeeting

is Citrixs web conferencing softwareintegrating web, audio, and HD videoconferencing for meetings andcollaborations of up to 25 people.

ReadyTalkThis audio and web conferencing tool canhelp you plan, implement and execute asmoothly run webinar. With exible pricingoptions and features, you can choose afull-service package with operatorassistance or a cost-effective self-service

plan with unlimited web conferencing andbroadcast audio. ReadyTalk is focused onkeeping technology easy to use so youcan focus on your event.

Adobe ConnectYou can use this all-in-one platform andweb conferencing software to developand deliver any number of differentinteractive online events like webinars,events and virtual meetings. And youcan host up to 1,500 participants.By collecting registration informationand looking at behavior during thewebinar itself, Adobe Connect helps

you get a full picture of your attendees.

WebexWebex allows you to collaborate withyour colleagues through easy to useproductivity tools. Webex offers a platformfor online events, webinars, meetings,and you can also use it to deliver onlinetraining. Webex solutions can help youincrease productivity and also providesa top rated mobile app for iPhone,Android, iPad, and Blackberry.


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Event Technology

Live Event and EventRegistration PlatformsBecause the time and energy that gointo planning an in-person event arebig, you want your platform in place soset-up, registration, and reminders aresimple. The last thing you want is toget derailed by the up-front logisticsaround promoting your event andregistering attendees. Fortunately,you can tap into an event registrationplatform to ease the pain.

EventbriteSupplies everything you need to organizea successful event, sell tickets andmanage registration. With Eventbrite, youcreate a webpage for the event and thencan use simple, free tools to promote yourevent through personalized emails to yourcontact list or through sharing in socialmedia. It even offers an app that let s yourattendees pay at the door.

CventThis event management software allowsyou to automate much of the eventplanning process, freeing you from therepetitive, time-consuming tasks that arethe bane of in-person event planning.You can use Cvent to select a meetingsite, build a custom website, registeryour attendees, process payments online,manage your budget (either for singleor multiple events) and maintain

communication with personalized emailsand reminders to your registration list.

CertainWhile Certain offers SaaS-basedsolutions for a range of event needs, itsRegistration and Attendee Managementsystem helps collect attendee details andregistrations online. You can buildregistration forms to suit your needs, andcan even take advantage of Certainsconnections to common e-commercesystems to streamline registration

payment. With the built-in tools, you canprint badges, and check-in registrantson-site or before the event.

MarketoWe offer event marketing software andevent-specic apps designed to help youmanage anything from a simple webinarall the way to a large-scale conference.For example, Marketo Event Check-in applets you check people into your event frommultiple iPads and syncs the informationinstantly and directly to your Marketoaccount. Our event marketing software also

integrates seamlessly with online webinarproviders including Adobe Connect,Cisco WebEx, Citrix GoToWebinar, ON24,BrightTALK, and ReadyTalk. That meansyou dont need to manually import datafrom these platforms, for higherproductivity and fewer costly errors.


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Event Technology

Highlight: Creating anEvent Program with MarketoOur customers run dozens and evenhundreds of events each quarter.If you are not using a marketingautomation system to help run events,you likely experience scalabilityproblems. For each event, you needto send multiple emails, create andpost landing pages, and it becomesa nightmare to keep track of whereeveryone is in the campaign.Numerous functionalities within amarketing automation solution helpyou keep track of all these detailsand programs.

5 Ways to Drive EventSuccess with MarketingAutomation

Marketing automation not only simpliesyour event marketing, it also makes yourevent highly effective. By using a marketingautomation tool, you can drive attendeesto the event, develop relationships withregistrants and attendees, and reporton your successes to prove your eventmarketing ROI.

Here are ve ways that integrating withmarketing automation can help driveevent success:

1. Make your target segments yourattendees. In a robust marketingautomation solution, you can easilydeneyourtargetsegmentbasedonthe abundance of demographic and

behavioralinformationthatyoucollect.Hosting a small dinner in San Francisco?Simply segment your database byhigh-propensity buyers and make surethatyourprospectsarewithinafty-mileradius!

2. Run campaigns to whomever youwant, whenever you want. With yourlist of prospects, send out an e-mailinvitewithjustafewclicks.Youcantrackwhoopened,clicked,andregisteredfortheevent.Youcanalsosendconrmationemailsinstantlyorscheduleremindersafewdaysbeforetheevent,andletyoursalesteamknowwhohasregisteredsotheycanfollowupwithaphonecall.

3. Get registrant and attendeeinformation, pronto! List importsmake it easy to store information in yourdatabase and sync i t to your CRMsystemsoyoursalesteamcanfollowupinatimelymanner.

4. Align your marketing and salesteam. Prioritizing your prospects toincrease sales team productivity iseasierthaneverwithleadscoringandaseamlessintegrationwithCRM.TheresnoneedtobogdowntheCRMsystemwithinformationyoursalesteamhastoweedthroughinstead,identify the hot leads in your marketingautomation solution so they canefcientlysell.

5. Prove your value. Events are indeedfuntoplanandexecute,butyouregoingto need to prove the value of your eventin order to secure budget for futureones! With marketing automation, youcan spend more time planning and lesstimecreatingreportswitharobusttoolthatwillcalculateyoursuccessesinstantly.Yourmanagersandexecutiveswillseethateventsarentufftheydriveopportunities,pipeline,andsales.

Theyllrespectyoureffortsfordrivinga targeted audience to your event andyoullshowyourcontributiontothebottom line in no time!

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Overview: Creating anEvent Program in Marketo

There are many easy-to-usefunctionalities in Marketo that help yourevent programs be a success. Below isan overview of how an events programcan be created in Marketo.

Progression StatusEvery event goes through a similar set ofprogressions as people move throughyour program. Typical progressions forevents are: invited, registered, no show,downloaded slides, attended on demand.A marketing automation solution gives youa view of where everyone is in yourprogram at any given time.

Assets ViewWhen your event is backed by multiplelanding pages and emails, you want tosee everything in one place. Through theAssets View in Marketo, you can see keycampaigns within your program like invite,registrations, follow-ups, etc. (You mayhave many more if your program is basedon complex processes.) Additionally, youcan see all of your assets for each campaign.

Marketo Progression Status Marketo Asset View

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CloningIf you are running multiple events, you willwant an easy way to re-create your eventow. By using the cloning functionality ina marketing automation solution, you canclone your event programs without havingto re-do work. With a single button, youcan re-name and clone an entire campaign;including emails, landing pages, and forms.This saves hours of work.

Although you can clone the ow of yourcampaign, you will want to update yourassets so they reect your new event.Marketo has made this easy by introducingtokens into the event campaign ow.

Tokens allow you to capture and changeall key information about the event, suchas speaker, title, description, date, etc.And you can do all this without creatinga completely new email from scratch.

Tokens in Marketo

Tokens in email

Tokens populated in email

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Promoting

YourEvent

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When putting so much time and energy into planning your event, youwant to make sure that you do the promotion right. To generate the highestamount of registrants, you need a mix of email, social, public relations,and other types of paid promotions to get the biggest bang for your buck.

By communicating with your audience early and often leading up to the event,you will have a better turnout as your event will be top of mind for your attendees.

Just like lead nurturing, successful event promotion will consist of a series oftouches that may include press releases, emails, direct mail, and call downs.Remember to take into consideration what sort of event you are hosting whendetermining the promotional tactics that will draw in prospects or customers.Promotions for webinars and online events will often rely on emails, while thosefor ofine events may take a multi-touch approach.


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Segmentation

No matter what sort of promotion youare using, segmentation is vital togetting the right attendees registeredfor your event. Make sure you spendtime on data quality and ensure thatthe lists can be reused in the future.

You want to focus on demographics likejob title, industry, location, etc to targettop prospects (especially for direct mailor call downs), and remember thatlocation matters.

Take into consideration company locationvs. personal location vs. inferred location,like IP address, to make sure that you aresending your communications to the rightperson. You certainly dont want to sendsomeone who lives and works in Bostonan invite to an event in Wisconsin, unlessyour data shows that they have attendedevents in that area before. But keep inmind that youll never get it exactly right,so message appropriately.

Marketo segmentation for

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Email

Finding the right number and timesfor email promotions for an event hasa great deal to do with the type of eventyou are promoting. For a larger tradeshow, you should send a series ofpromotional emails starting roughlya month before the actual event, andspaced a week or a little more apart.This allows people to plan accordingly.

The same principles apply to onlineevents (e.g., webinars and virtualconferences), but on a smaller, lessintense scale. When people dontphysically have to attend an event,they are more likely to forget about it.For online events, its best to beginpromotions 2-3 weeks beforehandso your event is fresh in the mindsof your attendees.

Many marketers worry of under-promotion. Does this sound familiar?Our reg numbers are too low! Wewont hit our numbers! Send a blasttoday, and the day after tomorrow,and Saturday, the day before, andthe morning of... This sort of behaviorleads to deadly over-promotion. Oncesomeone receives an email a few timeswith the exact same offer and theresno click, any more promotions willonly frustrate your audience lead

to un-subscribes.

Marketo Multi-Touch EventPromotional Plan Template

Event: Revenue Rockstar TourEvent Description:Marketo hosted roadshow tour

Promotional Timeline:

Announcement: Multi-city emailinvite + big-bang press release

2 weeks prior: Individual city invite 1 week prior: Individual city invite v2 2 days prior: Limited space invite 2 days prior: Automated voicemail

conrmation (prospects only) 1 day prior: Reminder email

Event: CMO BreakfastEvent Description:High-touch event to build relationshipswith customer executives

Promotional Timeline:

4 weeks prior: Email invitation 4 weeks prior: Automated voicemail

conrmation from a Marketoexecutive

3 weeks prior: Direct mail invitation 2 weeks prior: Forward from lead

owner to personalize communication 1 week prior: Customer call downs 1 week prior: Email from Marketo

executive for prospects 3 days prior: Conrmation email

from Marketo executive 2 days prior: Automated voicemail

conrmation


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Telesales outreach are another greatway to create additional touches foryour event. Live sales call downsshould be to a targeted list, as youdont want your inside sales teamswasting their time calling unqualiedprospects. Use the segmentationrules discussed to come up with yourtargeted list. You can either reach outusing your inside sales reps, or youcan do an automated voicemailcampaign. At Marketo, we use bothtactics depending on the event we aretrying to promote.

Remember to target your list by regionif it is an in-person event, and by audience(e.g., marketing executives), to ensure youare driving the right people to the event.Is your team too small or shor t on time?Dedicate time in the morning when thewhole team is present to sit down andperform the call down. Blocking this time

off on the teams calendar ahead of timeensures this a task that wont slip fromtheir work day. Bringing in free breakfastnever hurts either.

Secure Meetings or Demoswith Prospects at the EventGetting key prospects to register for theevent is half the battle. Getting them toactually attend is the other. Provide yoursales and sales development team witha report of registrants for the event so thatthey can use this to secure meetings ordemos at the event. Great content andawesome prizes can get prospects

registered but securing their time tomeet is not only a denite indicator theywill show up, but it also affords a chanceto create opportunities.

Guided Voicemail ServiceA guided voicemail campaign througha vendor such as Boxpilot enables youto add a personal touch to your call downs,while not tying up your inside sales teamsfor days on end. Guided voicemail letsyou send pre-recorded voicemails to yourtarget list. You can have your voicemailrecorded by anyone in your company,from a sales lead all of the way up to your

CEO. The upside of using a service likethis is that it is cost effective and fast.A great way to incorporate this strategyis to use guided voicemail for the majorityof your segmented list, and save your livecall downs for a highly targeted segmentof hot prospects or customers.


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Direct Mail

Online marketing efforts arent theonly way to drive event engagement.In fact, using multiple marketingtactics can drive huge results. Directmail is one tactic often overlooked bymarketers for events. While conversionrates can be low if not done right, withplanning, timely follow-up, andcreative packaging, a direct mail piececan bridge the gap between online andofine engagement, and drive high

response rates.

You can use many different tools foryour direct mail efforts, with differentfeatures that could be of use to yourteam. For example, by adding direct mailapplications to your marketing softwareand CRM system, you can send out adirect mail piece and track it from themoment the vendor creates the packageall the way to the moment it hits theprospects desk. Are you on a budget?

Opt for applications or vendors that cansend the direct mail pieces without anytracking. This keeps the cost low, but youcan still be track the pieces if you includea Personalized URL (Purl).

Fun and Creative Direct Mail Ideasto Promote Events

Calendars Have an upcomingroadshow or webinar series? Send outa magnetic or sticker calendar that canbe posted on a desk or cubicle.

Unique Gifts Sponsoring a big showin cities like Austin or Las Vegas? Sendkey prospects a gift unique to the area,

like a cowboy hat or poker chips, witha note from their sales rep who will beattending the event as well.

Reminder Postcards Do you want toalways be top of mind? Send a seriesof postcards, one each week beforethe event starts, with fun and creativereasons why they should attendthe event.

Keep it Simple Low on budgetand time? Sending a simple postcardpromoting the event to thousands

of people keeps your direct mailcampaign cost effective and easyto implement.


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Paid promotions are an effective wayto drive attendance, particularly toevents that you host, large conferences,and large virtual events or webinars.Through paid promotions you canexpand your attendee list and get newnames into your database.

Here are some techniques that we havefound successful when using paid adsto promote events:

Banner and display These types ofads appear on a website and can beeffective at driving new names to registerfor and attend your event. You can eitherplace your ads on sites that you thinkyour target audiences frequent, or youcan sign up for a retargeting campaignwhere your ads are targeted based onyour audiences internet preferences.

Search engine marketing Peoplesearch for the events that they want to

attend. Make sure you put ads onGoogle, Yahoo, and Bing to maximizeyour exposure. When someonesearches for an event or a webinarhaving to do with your expertise, catchtheir attention with search ads.

Sponsored newsletter and emails By using sponsored emails, you haveaccess to a target audience that mightnot otherwise be reached.

Guerilla marketing This is a form ofmarketing that tries to generate brandawareness at a low cost by usingatypical methods like grafti, ashmobs, and poster campaigning.

TV & radio advertising You can useradio or TV to deliver a scripted

message to attract new clients. Justkeep in mind that this form ofadvertising is less targeted.

Outdoor advertising This isadvertising that appears whensomeone is in transit, or at an activityoutside of their home or ofce, in orderto drive awareness or encouragea specic call-to-action. Billboardsare a prime example of this, as areads targeted to commuters on busesor in subways. These ads are also lesstargeted so they are best for brandawareness.

Print advertising From yers tonewspapers and magazine ads, printadvertising includes all advertisingfound in printed media. Put an ad foryour event in an industry-specicmagazine or print iers to give out atsmaller networking events.

Banner ad for Marketos Good to Great Virtual Event


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Partner Promotions

Leveraging your partners is alsoa great way to promote an event.Whether it is a virtual event,webinar, or live event, your partnersare probably participating in someway. Work together and encouragethem to promote the event as well.

They can send emails to their databaseand promote through their social mediachannels. You can also do list swaps,

which adds more value than just doingjoint promotion alone. After the webinaror event, share your lead list to get evenmore value and add new names to yourdatabase. Provide them with guidelinesso they are familiar with your eventmessaging and can work from cleardirectives.

At Marketo, we provide partners witha partner kit so that outlines clearguidelines on how and where to

promote the event.

Sample Partner Kit

Event Name:

Event Date and Time:

Event Overview:

Promotional Materials: The followingmaterials are available for each (insertevent name) partner to use in supportof marketing the event to your audience.

Please feel free to personalize as needed.

General Registration Link:

Event Details:

Event Name:

Event Time:

Landing Page URL:

Contextual Ad Copy(Google Adwords Friendly):

Option 1:

Option 2:

Social Media Copy and Links:

LinkedIn:

Twitter:Facebook:

Email and eNewsletter Copy:

Partner Specic URL:

Available Artwork for Use:


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Public Relations for Events

Great PR can help your company break throughthe noise that can sometimes dominate a busyevent. Remember, you are often competing withmany different companies for share of voice, anda great PR strategy helps you get heard byprospects, customers, as well as important mediaoutlets. You should base your PR strategy on

whether you are hosting or sponsoring an event,but for both you need to formulate a solid plan.


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Event Goals and MetricsBefore any event, it is crucial to determineyour event goals for PR. What are youplanning on getting out of the event? Alsoconsider your tangible goals and metricsfor the event. How many press releaseswill you write? How many briengs willyou pursue?

Situation AnalysisBefore you decide on your PR tactics, youneed to understand the context of theshow, including both internal and externalfactors.

Noise LevelWhen sponsoring an event, one of yourkey challenges may be breaking throughthe noise. Very large shows with manysponsors are typically very noisy. Takethis into consideration and know that youwill need to come up with a special hook

to get yourself noticed. If you are hostingyour own event, you dont need toyell through the noise; instead you willhave the perfect platform to let yourcompany shine.

Here are some tactics you can useto rise above the noise:

Focus on inuencer relations Themedia at noisy shows will be oodedwith inquiries. Instead of focusing ongetting media spots, invest time ininuencer relationship building.

Ask, dont tell, your analysts Analystsare booked solid with companieslooking to tell them about the next latest

and greatest. Instead of telling analystsyour pitch, ask them questions aboutyour space and the industry. Show thatyou care about what they think. Ananalyst at

marketo definitive guide to event marketing

Documents