Although the modern marketing landscape is increasingly focused on digital, event marketing is a top trend even in the virtual realm. Events offer marketers an important opportunity to build relationships and trust with potential customers by providing the personal touch. For consumers, it’s an opportunity to engage directly with companies and get a feel for their individual brand personality. It varies from person to person. You may like a super sweet chocolate cake, while your best friend prefers a lemon cake. What you want from your dessert and your event may vary. But whatever you want, the result should be worth it!
Of the many potential benefits the right events for your business offer, here are seven main reasons why marketers love events as part of their marketing strategy:
To increase Brand awareness
Events are a great way to attract customers and prospects to you. By hosting an activity [whether it’s educational or simply entertaining], you give people the opportunity to interact with your brand. You have a captive audience. Make sure they know who you are, what you are selling, and why you are selling it. You want people to fall in love with your brand and your products/services.
If you are hosting an event, you should promote the event properly. Make sure you have a strong brand image and presence that resonates with attendees and helps you stand out from the crowd. This way, potential customers will remember you, leading to a possible sale.
To Promote Product Knowledge
Regardless of the type of event your company hosts or participates in, there is most likely an educational component. That’s what makes event marketing so successful – it does not just focus on one brand or product. Instead, they focus on informing and entertaining a specific audience or industry and promote products and services along the way. In fact, this is a great way to increase sales engagement as well.
To Drive Sales
Events offer the opportunity to increase the number of sales, as customers can ask their questions right on the spot. According to EventTrack 2018, 85% of consumers are more likely to buy a brand’s product after attending its events, and 91% of them have more positive feelings about brands. One of the ultimate goals of marketing is to increase sales and a digital marketing course can be a valuable tool for achieving that objective.. And events can definitely help with that. Be sure that you take notes of your event sales to measure the ROI of your marketing efforts.
To Generate Lead
Qualifying your leads through personal interaction can be very valuable. It establishes your brand as a potential partner and makes you more memorable. Be sure to get the prospect’s contact information so you can continue the conversation after the event.
One of the main benefits of event marketing is that you can reach new prospects – even better if it’s face-to-face. Marketers believe that events have a significant impact on achieving the company’s business goals. In addition, 31% of marketers believe that event marketing is the most effective marketing channel of all. Events give results as if you outsourced lead generation – they are huge in volume as well as qualified.
To Strengthen the Relationship with Existing Customers
Events are a great way to build and strengthen relationships with your customers. You have many customers, but you do not know what their opinion of you is. At events, you can get input and ask questions about existing processes and products that you may not have thought of. This feedback from your valuable customers can give your brand a much-needed boost.
To Socialize the Brand
Exhibiting or participating in events gives you the opportunity to connect with a variety of people who may be interested in your business. Many fintech event organizers offer exhibitors the opportunity to sponsor elements of the event. Having a representative from your brand speak or having your name on a giveaway can help attendees discover and engage with your brand.
This creates a memorable impression and builds a relationship that you can not achieve with any other form of marketing.Your event should be more than just an opportunity to learn about your product or service. It should be an experience they will remember and talk about long after the event is over. These efforts that you put towards event marketing will eventually result in business growth.
To introduce new products and services to customers
Personal interaction builds trust and rapport, and people choose to do business with people they like and trust. These personal, face-to-face interactions build brand loyalty and help customers humanize your brand. Events also provide a break from the distractions of the workday – meaning you can capture a customer’s attention better than you could on a phone call or during a presentation at the office. With that attention, you have a chance to sell – or market – your products and services.
Start organizing events right away!
Event marketing done well can significantly improve the ROI of your event budget. While event marketing can be a powerful tool for startups, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. First, events can be expensive. So make sure you have a clear plan for how you will use them to achieve your business goals. Second, not all events are created equal. Make sure you choose events that are relevant to your target audience and that give you the opportunity to connect with potential customers and partners. Do not forget to follow up after the event!
Its main advantages are obvious. It provides you with valuable exposure and makes your brand known to a wide audience. Consider sponsorship packages to maximize this. Generating customer leads and sales can be greatly accelerated when you introduce your product or service to your target market during a concentrated period of time. Event marketing is a great advantage because many of your potential customers and key decision makers are in the same place at the same time.
Use this opportunity to improve contact with existing and potential customers.You may be able to make an authentic connection at the event that would otherwise take you months via traditional marketing and communications. Do not forget that a great thought leadership conversation at a great B2B event can land you at the front of the queue for speaking opportunities and give your brand invaluable media exposure.