How To Get the Most from Event Marketing

How To Get the Most from Event Marketing

Promoting your brand at a business-to-business event can be an extremely efficient way to reach your ideal target audience – in fact, 85% of B2B marketers believe engagement at events is an important way to accelerate the buying journey. While setting up meetings with high-level executives is often difficult and time-consuming, sponsoring a conference or roundtable dinner is an effective way to gain face-to-face time with multiple prospective customers and quickly generate new leads.

As event sponsorship is an investment, it’s important to make each one a success. Follow our key tips to ensure your business gets the most from event marketing.

1. Choose the right event and package

Selecting the right event and sponsorship package for your business will greatly improve your chances of a positive return on investment. Consider your ideal customer and choose an event that immediately puts your business in front of the right people. One-to-one meetings, delivering a masterclass session, hosting a roundtable dinner or setting up an expo stand can all promote your brand in different ways, so it is important to select the options that best support your business goals and make the best use of your budget.

2. Research and prepare

Researching the companies you want to work with and preparing for your one-to-one meetings can significantly increase the chances of a successful conversation on the day of the event. Delegates want to know how a product or service can address their specific challenges, and a personalised meeting that shows you understand their business can yield much better results than a generic sales pitch.

3. Listen to the customer

The most valuable one-to-one meetings are focused on the prospective customers – by listening to their pain points, you can provide tailored advice and immediately address their concerns. Gaining a better understanding of the needs of your target customer can help you to anticipate questions and provide personalised solutions to their challenges, building stronger long-term relationships and credibility.

4.Demonstrate thought leadership

Delivering a keynote presentation, taking a seat on an opening panel discussion, hosting a masterclass or leading a topic at a roundtable dinner are all ways to position your business as a thought leader and increase brand awareness among your target audience. An entertaining speaking session that focuses on educating the attendees will help to build your reputation as a trusted advisor and expert within the field – while also increasing the visibility of your brand beyond the event itself, as talks and key points are often shared via videos, blogs and social media.

5. Be memorable and follow up

Being engaging, proactive and delivering a positive experience to every potential customer you meet at an event will ensure your business is remembered and increase the probability of a sale – always follow up with your new connections quickly while your brand is still fresh in their memory.

Check out our latest Conferences and Roundtables here.