Part 3: Keep the Momentum Going
“Keeping momentum after the event: This is really all about connecting the event to other experiences and not letting a great experience kind of get lost,” Forrester Senior Analyst, B2B Marketing, Allison Snow.
In part one and two of this three-part series, we explored the tactics that marketers can take before and during an event to maximize ROI. This third installment discusses some of the tactics that can be taken after an event and help you really connect with prospects and influencers in a relevant, natural and digital way.
Once an event is over, it’s easy to let a sigh of relief out. It’s OK to revel in your hard work for a moment, but now the fun can really start. After an event is when ROI is top of mind: How many leads did we get? How many deals did we close? Keeping momentum after the event can be tough, but I’ve listed a few tactics to get you started.
Make the Post-Event Touchpoint Interesting
In our webinar, Allison used the example of Red Hat, which found that by simply adjusting its post-event communication, with the help of an event automation solution such as EventStream, to focus more on qualifying leads and identifying buyers’ concerns over typical questions, it was more successful in post-event connection. It’s very tempting to ask something like, “How was the food?” Or, “How was your registration experience?”
And that type of information can be helpful for future planning, but it’s not particularly interesting to the attendee, whose time and attention is precious. It’s more important to use that respondents’ limited attention span for things like, “What did you learn today? What did you learn at the event? What was relevant for you?’ Or even probe on product interest and buying cycle stage. It’s essentially asking questions that will help you keep in touch in ways that are interesting for both parties.
Follow Up Quicker:
- In a recent survey from Certain, we asked 150 B2B enterprise marketers questions on lead follow-up and lead data. Over 80 percent said they wish they had more data, which is huge. Over 70% percent said in the same lead follow-up survey that it takes over four days to follow-up with leads after an event. We all know that leads are going cold the longer that you wait, so it really makes an impact if you’re able to follow-up in real time – the same day following an event or one day following an event – with a personalized message.
Document Insights:
- You’ve captured some great insights on your end from hosting an event; don’t let it go to waste now that the event is over. Insights are important, but it’s an often overlooked piece of event strategies. Documenting insights can either be system-based (updating your marketing automation and your CRM with data that you’ve collected), or it’s going to require some storytelling where you sit down with an account team and say, “These are the kinds of things I’ve learned. I’ve learned that they’re in a buying cycle.” And frankly, buying cycle information expires so it’s important to jot this down in the moment and act on it immediately.
Follow Up with a Thank You:
- Say a meaningful and relevant thank you. Really try to draw upon what experiences you had with that particular person or other members of their account during that event to say, “Thank you for attending. Thank you for speaking with us when you did,” and really trying to insert some personalized piece of that dialogue into that thank you so you can keep that conversation going over time.
Successful events don’t just happen; there’s pre-, during- and post-event planning strategies that will help you really understand where and how to close deals and show ROI for your event spend. Hope this was helpful and please reach out with further insights or feedback at kalexander@certain.com.