Bridging the gap between your online and offline marketing and operations is more important than ever. The event stack can become a critical bridge in this effort, if there is an effort made to optimize it.
Some companies come from a culture of hosting great offline events. Others have a mastery of the newer digital marketing strategies. Getting the most out of the event stack means combining these two disciplines. Optimal use of the stack ensures that your company builds the best relationships and influences the industry most effectively.
Quantifying the Face-to-Face Event
Customer facing offline events are second to none when it comes to personal connection. However, many companies falter when it comes to quantifying the success of these events. Incorporating data driven intelligence that is usually meant for digital marketing is a great first step. Connect your events into your digital channels from the beginning of the process. Find out who will be attending and target your best prospects before you go.
Events Across the Entire Buying Cycle
The traditional disconnect that occurs between offline and online hubs tends to fade if a company organizes them over the entire buying cycle. This coincides with the natural flow of the relationship with a prospect – part of it is offline while other aspects of the relationship are online. Your offline events should integrate into your digital cadence.
Use Digital Marketing Techniques for Offline Events
Bringing back information from offline events also becomes easier with digital technology. Livestreaming events will allow for an in depth analysis of individual interactions. You can also more easily remember smaller interactions for follow up. The modern event stack will include an event site CMS, an app, RFID attendance scanners, registration and networking software and even polling systems. This suite of tools can be used to analyze data from all angles of the event.
Optimizing Your Stack
Take note of the tools that event producers have on hand. Before attending any event, determine how those tools may be leveraged based on the access that you will have to them. Is there any way to pay for more access? Many industry events will include a basic statistical analysis for all attendees and will, at a minimum, give each company contact information for analysis.
If you are hosting an event, make sure that you choose your tools based on the information that you would want yourself as an attendee. Not only will the right perspective connect you to other players within your industry, but you will also gain deeper insights into potential partners and competitors.
Do Not Isolate Your Insights
There are usually trends that come out of analysis – you may not be able to see them if your ability to connect offline and online data is limited. If you are coming up time and again with isolated data that does not seem to apply outside of that individual event, you may want to look into updating your stack.
Modern tools that take the wider marketing narrative into account are better at helping to you identify trends. You may have to experiment in terms of connecting your tools to bring out insights that may be hidden.
Analytics from a connected marketing platform is becoming more important than ever, according to event professionals from many continents. As the world becomes more connected, so should your online and offline marketing strategy. Take note of optimization strategies with new tools as they come for best results.
