If you are interested in leveraging events in your demand generation plan to increase your business success, it is important to know that the process should begin long before the event does. There are many steps that can be taken to move your business in the right direction at the event if you start your planning and engagement ahead of time. These tips can show you how to leverage an event from the moment it is planned.
Announce the Event Across Your Social Channels
Do not sit back and wait for the event to be announced by others. Whether you are running the event or someone else is, you can become a type of authority on the matter. Announce it across your social media channels and give out important information about it. Some viewers will come to you for other information on the event, or check back on your page for updates, leading to more engagement with these potential attendees. You may also have people sign up for your email list for updates on the event.
Provide a Mix of Content for Interested Parties to Engage With
During your content development stage, be sure to provide a mix of content types, as a large mix of people will see them. You want to engage with potential attendees, so create different types of content that will likely pique different interests.
Set Up Marketing Automation to Capture Leads
You likely know that it takes most people more than one time to be engaged by a company before they choose to purchase or sign up. Set up a marketing and email automation flow that is separate from your normal automation. The people interested in your event need to be in a separate segment, at least for now. After the event, if they are still signed up with you, you may choose to move them to another list. In the meantime, keep the content they see relevant to the event that they are interested in.
Provide Interactive Content for Those Who Sign Up
Getting to know your attendees before the event can be a major step in building a network or expanding a customer base. One way to engage with them, entertain them, and capture insights is to provide interactive content. You may consider some quizzes or surveys that will answer questions about the attendees. Or give them a fun quiz that also educates them about what you offer. For instance, if you are a travel agent, you might provide a quiz that is titled something like, “Which Tropical Island Should You Visit?” This quiz would be entertaining for them, gain insights for you, and help them put you together with travel.
Use Insights to Create an Outstanding and Relatable Presentation
Insights are no good if you do not use them. Take the data gained from the interactive content and use it for your content development strategy for the event. Providing relevant data to the event attendees can help you stand out among any competition.
Leveraging events for business success can be a great strategy for demand generation marketers. Most likely, those attending an event are more serious about the topic or theme the event is centered around than most others you may market to. Use this deeper interest to build a larger customer base and wider network by beginning your demand generation before the event.