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For a successful event, get the word out!

Event marketing can be a great way to generate publicity, nurture existing customers, raise brand awareness and generate new leads.  Getting to know people in a social (and fun) setting adds the human elements to business relationships, which is good because, well, people prefer to buy from people instead of faceless corporations.

But if you don’t have enough people in attendance, even a well-done event could end up a miserable failure.

The biggest key to event success is promotion. Treat your event promotion as an integrated marketing campaign. Use different media in a defined sequence to effectively get the word out to achieve your attendance goals.

I always like to start with the end in mind, or my attendance goal. Let’s say my attendance goal is 250 people. Of those 250, I’d prefer an even mix of folks from my list (existing customers and prospects) and new people. That means I need to design some direct response campaigns for my list, and cast a wider net for people not on my list.

As I’m considering different campaign options, I think about probable response rates for my list. “If I need to have 125 attendees from my 2,000 person list, I need pretty strong response rates.” The higher the response rate required, the more personalized the campaign needs to be.

While projecting your response rates, make sure to factor in the type of event, the existing relationship with your list, the event location and timing, and the event’s value (and fun factor!) for attendees.

(A quick note on timing: Great events can fail when they compete with other valuable events. Check around so you don’t lose attendance because your target audience is already attending the XYZ trade show that weekend.)

Back to brainstorming. Think about your audience target and ask yourself:

  1. How many invitees will be interested?
  2. How many will plan to attend based on their interest?
  3. How many of those planning to attend will actually show up?

This gives you your true target. If only half of the people that express interest in my event will RSVP, and ¼ won’t show up, then my initial response target is 333 people from my list.

Medium (s) for the existing list

  • Email campaigns – This is particularly effective if you routinely email your list and know your emails are well-received. (You know emails are well-received if you track click-through rates, ask for and receive feedback, or include a call to action that is routinely acted upon.)
  • Personalized letters – In the age of technology and mass communication, a letter addressed to an individual speaks volumes. Send personalized letters that speak to the individual’s interests or needs.
  • Custom mail piece – If your customers respond well to regular mailings, send a custom mailing or an invitation to your special event.
  • Telephone – This is highly effective, though time consuming.

Mediums to cast a wider net

  • Your own email/print newsletter – Past customers may still receive your email or print newsletters. Extend an invitation via your publications.
  • Ads on other industry newsletters – Purchase ad space in an industry newsletter with readership that matches your existing customers’ profile or demographics.
  • Partnerships/affinity campaigns – Co-brand your event with another company or organization. Utilize their email or mailing list as a spring board to reach prospective customers.
  • Social media – Get the word out from your blog or social media sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or MySpace. 
  • Special notice on your website – Include an event promo on your homepage, and link to a page with specific details about the event. Include an RSVP option and a “contact us” option for the prospective customer who is interested but unable to attend.
  • Listings on event calendars – Utilize industry websites with calendars of events. Your local chamber of commerce or another community organization may list events on their websites and newsletters as well.

Once your RSVP list begins to grow, make sure to send reminders to those planning to attend. It’s a lot of work and advanced planning to promote an event, but it’s critical to your event’s success.

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Trade show marketing: How to improve your results

Let’s face it — for many companies, trade show marketing can be a nightmare.

Here’s the scenario:  You’re investing in an important industry trade show.  Along with booth rental fees, you’re also investing in travel, food & lodging, insurance, event setup, sales materials, and booth production.  Primed with freshly-printed marketing materials, your reps attend the show and come back with stacks of business cards and plenty of enthusiasm.

Yet in the busy weeks that follow, you know that leads are falling through the cracks.  Months afterward, you’re not exactly sure what the show has produced.  Was it worth all the time and effort?

Believe it or not, this scenario is very common.  And yet B to B magazine reports that trade show revenues grew 8.9% in 2005 to more than $9.8 billion.  So they must work for a lot of companies.  But they could work a lot more effectively.

With a solid strategy and plan, trade shows can produce a large percentage of your annual leads.  And you don’t have to scratch your head and wonder whether you’re wasting your money.  Before anyone packs a bag, make sure you have a tracking and measurement program in place.

Here’s a process to get you started:

1.  Know your purpose. Are you looking to generate new customers, connect with potential partners, raise your profile, launch a new product or service?  This simple question can dramatically change who attends the show, the budget, and your activities when you’re there.

2.  Define your goals. For example, how many new customers should you generate?  How many qualified leads will you need to reach that goal?  And do you have any qualitative goals for the event?  When you start with very specific goals, your team can execute and track against them.

3.  Make sure the event is a good match for your goals. For example, if you need to generate a certain number of leads, make sure the pool of attendees is large enough to hit that number.  Carefully look at demographics as well – are there enough attendees that match your criteria to make it worth your while?

Once you’ve defined your goals and chosen your event, develop a process for tracking and evaluating your success.

4.  Develop a ranking system for your leads. One of the easiest ways to make sure you follow up with all legitimate leads is to categorize and prioritize them.

  • Group A:  Top priority / hot
  • Group B:  Second priority / warm
  • Group C:  Third priority / cool

For each lead group, decide on these variables:

  • What are the criteria for the leads that will be categorized in the group?
  • What sales tools & literature will you need to deliver to these leads at the show?


5.  Document how you’ll follow up with leads in each group. Will everyone handle every lead group or will a particular rep be responsible for group A while another rep handles group C?

There are 6 key questions to keep in mind as you develop this process:

  • How quickly you’ll follow up
  • What fulfillment materials you’ll need
  • How leads will be distributed
  • How you’ll report on your results
  • Who will monitor and manage the process to make sure it’s working
  • Who is ultimately responsible for the success of the process

Here’s a great way to figure out these details:  Create a hypothetical scenario for each lead group.  Walk through each interaction you’ll have with the lead and document every step.

6.  Discuss the ranking system, event goals, evaluation metrics, and lead criteria with everyone attending and supervising the event. This is the time to discuss roles, tasks, and followup responsibilities.  Make sure everyone understands and contributes to the process.

Now you can focus on execution!  But don’t forget …

7.  Measure your results. Follow your tracking procedure and let the numbers do the talking.  Did you accomplish your goals?  Why or why not?  What was your ROI from the event and should you attend next year?  You may also want to put together a questionnaire for the reps who attended — then you can capture their perceptions and rate the event internally.

Do you have other recommendations for our readers?  Let me know or post a comment below.  In addition, here are a few related posts that can help:

  • How to use metrics to improve your performance
  • How to document your sales process
  • Why documenting your sales process can improve your revenue

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Focus on the details of marketing execution to get great results.

Download a plan for it ... in our marketing management app.