If you were to ask most companies how they marketed their products or services, a majority would probably say they used a mix of traditional channels (print, TV, radio) with digital channels (email, mobile, social media). While all of these marketing channels should have a place in your overall strategy, you’re leaving money on the proverbial table if you aren’t allocating any of your resources to event marketing.

Event marketing is a trend that has been on the rise. In fact, according to Forrester Research, the average B2B CMO spends 24% of their budget on events. These marketers understand that live events offer a unique opportunity for brands to connect with prospects and customers in an intimate way.

Here are some ways that events can help you market your brand and why you may want to consider allocating some of your resources to live events this year.

Table of Contents

Event Marketing Benefits That Are Worth Your Time

They Allow You to Target Specific Customers

All marketers know in order to get their ad dollars to stretch as far as possible, they’ve got to drill down and only target those prospects who are most likely to convert. An event can help you gather up hundreds if not thousands of these people and put them in one location, so you can showcase your products and services.

True Engagement

Emails, banner ads, text messaging… you can only engage your followers so much through these channels. And besides, most consumers are so completely bombarded with advertising messages, they simply tune the majority of ads out.

Consumers don’t want to be marketed to, they want an EXPERIENCE, and an event, whether live or virtual, gives them that experience and gives you an opportunity to truly engage them. Instead of being relegated to a print ad or a few snippets of social media blurb, an event brings your brand to life right in front of the prospects’ eyes.

Quality Lead Generation

Generating leads is not all that difficult. Generating quality leads that actually have a high chance of converting is an entirely different story! Think about how leads typically come in for your company. Someone sees an add online somewhere. You’ve caught them in a good moment and they decide, “Okay, sure, I’ll give you my email address and phone number.” But when you try and contact them, you have about as much luck getting their business as you do getting milk out of an orange.

The great thing about events is, customers have really gotten to know and trust your brand. In a short amount of time your brand has made a great impression. This makes these leads far warmer and more likely to convert when someone from your sales team contacts them.

Customer Feedback

Your current customers are your lifeblood, so it’s important to know what opinions they have of your brand. Events allow your marketing team to easily connect with customers to get important feedback about existing products and services. This feedback is invaluable and will help your company implement necessary changes.

Tons of Networking Opportunities

One of the absolute biggest benefits of event marketing is that it gives you the chance to network. In one afternoon, you can make a ton of new connections that can help your organization reach its goals. Mingle with customers, find future sponsors and form new partnerships.

The Wrap

Events are a great way to build brand awareness and keep your organization top of mind throughout the year. If you haven’t been allocating any of your marketing budget to events, make 2021 the year you start.

Need assistance planning your event schedule? Let us help – Click here to get the conversation started.