go from meh to yah! 10 success secrets for more effective events
TRANSCRIPT
Heidi BullockSenior Director of Marketing, [email protected]
PRESENTED BY:
Go from Meh to Yah! 10 Success Secrets for More Effective Events
Hi, I’m Heidi Bullockmore on: blog.marketo.com
@heidibullock
1. Traveled to Montana every summer – I can fish, pitch a tent, and carve neat things from wood.
2. Am a molecular biologist by training – yes, I can clone.
3. Am a proud owner of twins, therefore I have real sense of humor.
About Marketo1. Advanced customer engagement
platform2. Modern relationship marketing3. >3,000 customers in the Marketing
Nation4. For marketers, by marketers!
Why Events
The Consumer has Changed…
In-person engagement matters!
1. Brand and awareness
2. Generating leads
3. Engaging with your
customers
95% of business professionals confirm that face-to-face meetings are essential for the development and retention of long-term business relationships. Additionally, they note that 28% of their current business would be lost without face-to-face meetings.
--- Harvard Business Review
4. Education – most people attend events for networking or education
Image Credit: 2014 B2B Content Marketing Trends–North America: Content Marketing Institute / MarketingProfs
Challenges
CEO
Event Plan Discussion
You
Keeping your events isolated from other channels
retargeting
Don’t we just show up and good stuff happens?
Follow through – it matters.
You think the event was a success, but it’s challenging to show the ROI
10 Success Secrets
Success Secret 1: Set Goals Upfront
The best event programs incorporate
intentional measurement strategies
in advance.
Pre-Event: Engagement# downloads on your asset
Jan Feb Feb Apr May Jun
During Event:# booth visits,
# demos, # attended talk
Post-Event:# downloads on slides - on
follow up email
Leads -> Opportunities
15
3 closed deals
Success Secret 2: Design Programs to be Measureable
AttendedVisited boothWatched demoAttended multiple
tradeshowsAttended speaking
session
Easy Results – Progression Status
New to our database
Total successes (engaged + visited booth)
Where people are at in your program
Success Secret 3: Have a Plan
Don’t go into an event blind…
1. Create a schedule
2. Staff for success
3. Mitigate risk – Have plan B, C, and D!
Event Strategy Worksheet
Heidi’s Book End Plan
Pre - Event During - Event Post - Event
Pre-Event Promotion
webinar infographic contest
Ongoing Promotion
Post-Event
• All sessions posted to website
• Slides made available • Videos made available• eBook created from
Keynote session• Blog post• Follow ups – of
course!
Email follow-up with slides
Blog post
Success Secret 4: Integrate the Event Experience
1. Mobile
2. Website
3. Social Referral
• 280 participants shared (15%)
• 15 qualified for sweepstakes
• 144 incremental registrations
• 7.4% increase in registrations
Example: JumpStart Tour Referral Results
Success Secret 5: Stand Out
People are busy - why are you interesting?
Success Secret 6: Multi-Touch PromotionPromotion:
Series Invite + Press Release + ongoing socialT-2 weeks inviteT-1 weeks invite v2T-2 days invite
Confirmation:Confirmation EmailReminder 2 days prior – Email and BoxpilotReminder 1 hour prior + push notifications (if mobile)
Follow-up:Send slides/recording same dayPhone call (Leads)
3rd email drives the most registrations – ramp cadence
closer to event
Success Secret 7: Strong Follow-Up
1. Personalize your emails
2. Follow up in a timely manner
3. Include a compelling offer
4. Use pre-show intelligence to determine your post-show follow-ups.
5. A/B test
Success Secret 8: Make it scalable
Clone Complete Programs
Track Costs and Tags for
Measurement
Use “Tokens” To
Parameterize
JUNEDATE:
Success Secret 9: Innovation
Success Secret 10: Be a Brand Ambassador
A good attitude goes a long way.
Event ROI – Quick Tips
PPC
Sponsored Webinars
Paid Social
Strategic PR
Events
Organic Social
Inbound
SEO
Paid Unpaid
Great Content
We invest in a broad mix of programs
Page 50 © 2014 Marketo, Inc. #mktgnation14
Know what works and what doesn’t
Should I increase the events budget? Prove it to me.
Agree on definitions
1. How do you define event success?
2. What do you need to see -- versus C-level?
3. What is the agreed upon time period to measure?
Example
Names from a tradeshow? Attended demo, right demographics?
Pipeline
Key questions to ask
1.What is the goal of your event?
2.What is your investment/lead for an event?
3.What type of event is the best for your business?
4.Are there events would you cut?
Program Analysis
Evaluate programs against metrics that matter – Amount of pipeline generated compared to program spend – Number of first touch and multi-touch opportunities created– Investment per qualified new lead
Look at programs at different time points– Immediately – did it have the response I expected?
• New names? % New names? • If it didn’t do what you expect, correct
– 2-4 months later – did it generate opportunities? – Periodic reassessment – how does the program do over
time?
Example: Measure to Prove ROIG
ood
Best
Pipeline Measurements
Event ROI
Establish Goals and ROI Estimates
Up-FrontDesign Programs to Be Measurable
Focus on the Decisions that Improve ROI
Tweetable Takeaways
1. Set goals upfront and make sure stakeholders are on the same page!
2. Design your events to be measureable and scalable.
3. Use Heidi’s ‘book end approach’ and think about pre and post event campaigns.
4. Integrate your event with other channels like mobile and social.
5. Have a strong follow-up plan and do it fast.
6. Base measurement around proving your event ROI.
7. Innovate real-time and stay positive – you’ll stand out!
@heidibullock
Thanks!
bit.ly/Z6PSba