Event Marketing Archives

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Going Virtual: Best practices for rewriting the playbook on event marketing

February 22, 2021 No Comments

A common misconception by first-time virtual event organizers is that digital is easier to execute than in-person. But the reality is virtual is just a different beast. A digital execution requires a heavy lift and is a rapidly transforming channel that is still heavily experimental. Rather than trying to force the trappings of what happened in person into an online experience, the most successful companies have reinvented their entire program and strategy from start to finish.

As the organizer of the massive Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Consumer Technology Association started from scratch in preparation for the fully virtual January 2021 event. “We had to shift our mindset away from producing a physical show,” said Jean Foster, senior vice president of marketing and communications. “Like any organization, we had a playbook on how to approach CES. We’re ripping up our playbook via marketing, via our content, via our sales, and via sales engagement, because physical is a very different experience and we’re really creating a new playbook for a digital environment.”

Ideally, marketers should throw out the in-person roadmap and devise a virtual event strategy from the ground up. eMarketer identified three key best practices for event marketers rewriting the playbook:

Reassess the goals of a virtual event strategy. With so much transformation underway, now is the time to reconsider the objectives of an event strategy. Those primary goals may be very different from what could have been achieved in person, and that is OK. A virtual event cannot accomplish all of the same things, but it should accomplish what was intended.
Explore what type of event is right to accomplish those goals. There are several varieties of virtual events that B2B companies can execute, whether as a host or as a sponsor. This is a time to experiment and get creative, so it’s important to consider all options and select the appropriate type of event based on the established goals.
Realize that virtual events have the power to reach a larger audience (if desired). In August 2020, Bizzabo asked event marketers in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America about the benefits of virtual events: 80.2% said they saw considerably more reach and were able to attract a wider audience. There are several reasons for these benefits: Virtual events disencumber both organizers and attendees from the limitations of the venue space; physical accessibility is no longer a factor; travel is not necessary; and it’s often less expensive (or free) for attendees to join.

“Marketers must recognize that a virtual event is a marketing activity that takes place based upon the marketing goal,” said Peter Micciche, CEO of enterprise event management software company Certain. “Are you trying to accelerate a sales cycle? Are you trying to educate your community? Are you trying to penetrate a new marketplace? Are you trying to get customers to upsell? Those are all different objectives and they all require a different strategy and a different approach.”

To get a virtual event off the ground, marketers should use the event life cycle to break planning and logistics into three stages: the pre-event, the event experience, and the post-event.

By Jillian Ryan

Sourced from eMarketer

In News

How to evolve your event marketing business without the in-person spectacle

August 6, 2020 No Comments

BY PETER MICCICHE

The face of event marketing is primed for irrevocable change. As our company like many others entered into the events season in the beginning of 2020, there were many indications the landscape would not look the same. However, none of us could have predicted the sheer amount of upheaval the industry has undergone since then.

Events and conferences have traditionally served an incredibly important purpose for businesses. Attendees use them as an opportunity to grow their skill sets and network with customers, client prospects, and partners. Marketers in turn deploy events strategically to help expand their brand’s reach, increase engagement, and drive business results. Despite the monumental changes we have seen, one imperative remains constant, which is marketers must seek out new opportunities to drive the business forward.

Now, as people look to overhaul traditional ways of communication or adopt new forms, digital interactions are becoming the new events. Marketers are using digital events to correct previous limitations. Ultimately, their goal is to foster connections, create personalized experiences, and drive engagement. And cultivating this new sense of community is a complex task. We’ve seen some digital events have spectacular impact, while others have struggled to find success.

Today, marketers who lean into the digital transformation will be the individuals who make the most of a new opportunity. Here are a few tips to get you started on embracing opportunity.

CONTINUE PRIORITIZING IN-PERSON CONNECTIONS

In today’s landscape, successful marketers are those who appeal to executives in senior roles as well as capture the attention of buyers within a competitive space. Now, in the second half of 2020, the pressure has increased to set forth a clear strategy for the future of events.

As a given, agility and innovation are a key part of translating in-person experiences to digital. From a technical standpoint, parties must take on new efficiencies and use new technologies to produce a profitable high-quality event.

But those firms and marketers who keep the primary goal for in-person events in mind and incorporate these into new digital experiences will thrive. The facets of an effective event remain the same: creating a seamless, personalized experience where attendees walk away convinced they made a worthwhile time investment.

Ultimately, building relationships with attendees is what drives business results. So to form an effective digital event strategy, focus on a foundation of human engagement and connection.

MAKE COMPELLING CONTENT

Events, regardless of the format, have always challenged marketers to cut through the noise to gather attendee insights. Today, the new digital space is even noisier. However, despite this shift, it is critical to remember that content is still the foundation on which engagement and experience is built.

In-person events have always relied on compelling content to drive the attendee experience. Now, as many events are taking place virtually, it is easy for attendees to lose interest or simply close a browser window to disengage. Without the registration fees required to attend and access content, attendees feel less invested and obligated to tune in. Therefore, the importance of strong, relevant content is especially great.

That being said, content alone is not enough. It must captivate attendees—drawing them in and setting up tangible interaction. This includes strategies such as leveraging video, utilizing event mobile-engagement apps, and creating bespoke, highly personalized experiences.

We’ve seen examples of the latter via digital breakout rooms, and offering a more tailored experience where attendees can create their own schedules and choose to view content on their own terms, rather than being held to a strict agenda.

Understanding the value and role that data plays in driving engagement is vital. Even leading into 2020, there was an industry-wide charge to provide more personalized experiences, with a recent Gartner survey reporting brands “risk losing 38% of customers because of poor marketing personalization efforts.” Under today’s circumstances, it is critical to recognize both the power of personalization and the fundamental role that engagement data plays in delivering the type of personalized experience that ultimately helps build relationships with attendees.

FOSTER AND MAINTAIN A COMMUNITY

A key measure of a successful events program is returning attendees who you can welcome into your events community.

By shifting the focus to smaller, more personalized events (or perhaps an event series), marketers can make a greater impact. Utilizing data intelligence across the entire spectrum of events is essential to crafting the kind of hyper-personalized experiences that will ultimately offer an advantage in an overcrowded market.

While the current environment is rapidly changing, the demands have only gotten more pronounced. Event stakeholders who are well versed in a variety of formats and tactics will succeed in delivering the kind of event experience that meets heightened expectations. Using real-time data provides the opportunity to remain agile and create or modify attendee experience as marketers carve out and define our new event landscape.

Quick and agile marketing teams embrace turmoil and use it to their competitive advantage. This way, they can create engaging experiences for attendees, regardless of time or place.

Feature Image Credit: chuttersnap/Unsplash

BY PETER MICCICHE

Peter Micciche has served as Certain’s CEO for 10 years. He has extensive executive management and board-level experience within several public and private software companies, including president of Cognos Corp, CEO of NativeMinds, and CEO of Kinecta Corp.

In News

How to Combine Outbound & Inbound Marketing [Examples & Ideas]

June 7, 2019 No Comments

By Mark Schmukler

All marketers do it differently. From in-house departments and big-box firms to HubSpot agencies and boutique operations, all marketers have the freedom to enact their own approach and execute their favorite tactics. New trends are constantly emerging in attempt to keep up with changing customer preferences, and as marketers, we have creative freedom to satisfy those demands in our own way.

In this inbound-obsessed era, it can seem like there’s no room for traditional “outbound” marketing. However, focusing all marketing dollars on inbound causes us to miss opportunities to make meaningful connections through traditional tactics. As a result, more marketers are employing an integrated marketing approach that combines inbound, through platforms like HubSpot, with outbound tactics.

Not sold yet? Let’s look at the advantages these tried-and-true outbound tactics bring to modern marketers, as well as how to execute them. Then, we’ll show you how these tactics integrate with inbound strategies to generate a higher return on marketing investment (ROMI).

1. Event Marketing

When it comes to event marketing, it’s a classic case of “you had to be there.” Special events and tradeshows occupy a specific marketing niche that new technologies and internet content simply can’t touch. The live demonstrations and in-person interactions of a tradeshow allow for a special kind of engagement where prospects can really get to know, and understand, what a company has to offer.

Tradeshows play an even larger role in B2B marketing, where businesses can connect with companies and establish a personal relationship with the decision-maker before a purchase. In fact, 46% of B2B marketers place tradeshows and events in their top sources of sales and marketing leads.

To be successful with event marketing, companies need:

design and marketing help so that their tradeshow materials (banners, business cards, leave-behinds and promotional items) look attractive, on-brand and cohesive
to frequently refresh their materials so they’re in-step with changes to brand appearance and contain up-to-date information
to develop new, engaging ways of obtaining leads, such as by having QR codes on tradeshow materials that allow prospects to use their own phones or tablets to open a lead-capture form
to follow up quickly with leads, ideally within 24 hours, while event momentum is still buzzing

Tradeshows are an outbound tactic that complements inbound marketing because it allows a sort of “in-person version of the inbound methodology” (attract, engage, delight):

prospects are attracted by a company’s booth because the materials are informative, on-brand and well-designed
prospects engage with the company’s representatives and find that they would like to sign up for an email list and learn more about the company
prospects are delighted when the company promptly reaches out and follows up with them using the contact information they exchanged at the tradeshow

2. Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Digital tactics are so thoroughly engrained in the modern marketing mindset that even the most inbound-obsessed marketers lump online display and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising in with their accepted set of tools, thinking of them as part of inbound.

In fact, because they’re paid advertisements meant to catch the attention of prospects, these ads are actually an outbound method, just with the inbound twist of being targeted towards certain prospects based upon keywords.

For success in pay-per-click and display advertising, companies need to:

bid on the right keywords in search engines so their PPC ads appear in relevant searches
use location, age and interests to target audiences
develop clear, concise copy for text ads so that the clicks they pay for come from interested leads who clicked with intention

Thanks to automated retargeting that finds prospects who didn’t convert to sales upon their last visit to the company’s website, targeting is easy with display ads, but display ads have a design component, which means companies need to get creative. These ads need to be compelling with a clear call-to-action and aesthetically pleasing while aligning with brand image and messaging.

PPC ads in particular tie in with inbound content marketing in a very important way. Promoting gated content through PPC search ads extends the reach of your content and brings form fills (lead conversions) that represent new opportunities to engage and delight.

3. Print Advertisements

Though print advertisements don’t generate a huge number of qualified leads, every lead has the potential to turn into a satisfied customer who then passes on the good word about your company. Print advertisements can be a great opportunity to combine important details with eye-catching design.

Print ads tend to share more detail than PPC or display ads that prospects might encounter and speak to what sets your company apart. That’s why companies need to place print advertisements in specialized publications like trade papers and industry journals. The beauty is, you can repurpose copy and creative from display ads for print advertisements and add more to make your print ads informative and detailed.

4. Outbound Emails

Email marketing tends to fall on both sides of the line between inbound and outbound. Inbound emails are those that are sent to prospects who have already indicated their interest in your company by filling out a form or chatting with a representative or chatbot on your website.

Outbound emails are those sent to contacts that didn’t fill out a form or otherwise directly submit their email address to your company; usually these contacts are obtained by purchasing a contact list.

Outbound email is important because email is the most widely-used and frequently-checked communication channel. Email has the most engagement of any communication channel, with almost all customers checking their inbox at least once per day.

So, whether inbound or outbound, companies need to create emails that:

are conversational and relevant
have compelling subject lines and preview text
create relationships with contacts by providing helpful, human content
introduce the company to the contact in a personal way
are as personalized as possible

Here’s an example email sent to a prospect who’s evaluating your product:

As with PPC ads, outbound emails area great way to share inbound content. They’re also a great way to promote tradeshows and events.

Wrapping Up: Take an Integrated Approach

Inbound may be at the forefront in marketing right now, but that doesn’t mean that outbound can’t play an important role. When you complement inbound content with outbound tactics, you’re leveraging the power of integrated marketing (you can find more on this in the Whitepaper: The Case for Integrated Marketing) and taking advantage of every opportunity available to build meaningful relationships, maximize brand exposure and gain marketing return on investment.

By Mark Schmukler

Mark Schmukler, CEO and Co-founder of Sagefrog Marketing Group, LLC, brings more than 30 years of global marketing and consulting experience to the agency, leveraging his B2B background to lead brand strategy and business development.Based in Doylestown, PA and Princeton, NJ, Sagefrog Marketing Group is a full-service B2B marketing agency with specialties in healthcare, technology and business services. Founded by Mark Schmukler and Suzanne Morris in 2002, Sagefrog’s mission is to accelerate client success through integrated marketing including branding, digital, public relations, social media and traditional services. Visit Sagefrog.com

Event Marketing