Chances are, even if you’re not 'doing' inbound marketing, you’re likely using several pieces of it. Do you blog? Post on social media? Send emails, have a website, design brand-related information, provide downloadable content, or ask contacts and customers for their information? Inbound, inbound, inbound.
But doing inbound marketing the right way is sort of like a game of dominos; only when all the pieces are in place and lined up just right do you get this great outcome – an epic series of results that all work together. That only work together. If you think about inbound marketing in this way, it makes sense that inbound marketing is perfect for events, right?
Using Inbound for Event Marketing
If you’re implementing inbound marketing into your campaigns and marketing efforts on a daily basis, it can become your ‘standard.’ It becomes your methodology, as well as how you practice effective marketing. But don’t think of inbound marketing as a separate piece – it can (and should) be integrated into everything you do. And this includes events.
Just as inbound marketing can help you reach goals and beef up your marketing – it can take your event to the next level. Below are three simple but effective ideas and examples to get the ball rolling.
1. Social Media
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Social media has taken the world by storm. It’s rare (or should be) to attend an event where social media isn’t incorporated in some way.
70% of top companies and brands ranked social marketing related to event programs as “extremely” or “very important”. (Freeman XP & EMI, 2014) Think #hashtags, LinkedIn groups, live Twitter Feeds, Facebook Event info., and more. Social media should be part of your event at all stages: pre-, during, and post-event.
Social media is a great way to find and connect with target attendees, start conversations among speakers and invitees, get a feel for your audience, gather feedback, and continue the conversation after the event is done. With a variety of social channels at our fingertips, you can add both fun and professional elements to your event. In fact, a lot of these can be both fun and professional. Here are some examples:
“Fun”: Twitter contests and giveaways, Snapchat filters, Instagram live videos or highlights, social media giveaways, Facebook live videos, sharing engaging memories from the event
“Professional”: LinkedIn groups, surveys, polls, Facebook event pages, Twitter lists, live chats, ‘Ask me Anything’ sessions
Although the possibilities are endless, don’t think you have to do everything. Be smart about your social media plan for event marketing. And, social media isn’t just powerful for the host of the event. As an event sponsor, speaker, booth participant, or attendee, social media can be a big deal for you, too.
How will you invite people to come and talk with you, or spread your message? Social media gives people a platform to explain why they attended and let their network know what value they bring. Social media. It’s quick, it’s easy, and with a little digging to find the proper hashtag or group, you can start reaching out.
Think big, try new things, and work to connect social media with other elements to create a domino effect.
2. Email Marketing
One of the most valuable tools when bringing inbound into event marketing strategies is your approach to email. Email marketing can be effective both leading up to and following events. Compiling a list of target invitees, reaching out to registered attendees, and following up with contacts can all make an impact on how successful your event is.
The key to great email marketing for your event is getting the right information to the right individuals at the right time. You don’t want to bombard them or give them so much information they no longer need your event. But rather, use email marketing to craft messages to stay engaged with your contacts and continually give them little bits of information — including links to blogs, offers, and more — to help them further their buyer’s journey. Balance is key.
A major part of effective email marketing is knowing your persona. If you don’t know who you’re talking to, how they like to be communicated with, or what types of information they’re most likely to engage with, you’ll likely have little success with this avenue. Again, email marketing is just one piece of inbound marketing that you can (and should) fit into your overall event strategy and plan.
3. Your Website
I know what you might be thinking, “What the heck does my website have to do with my IN PERSON event?”
My answer: everything. Like social media, your website will likely do some of the heavy lifting for you to provide pre-event information, registration information, etc. But it can do more than house FAQs, event schedules, and attendee details — although these are all great pieces of content and helpful for your event.
Your website can be a major player in two other ways.
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Collecting Information
Stay with me. When you host or participate in an event, gathering information from your leads, attendees, and potential customers is huge. This will help you fine-tune your personas, which is a crucial part of the inbound methodology. After all, that’s likely part of why you planned your event.
So, let landing pages do some of the work for you. You can use landing pages in sessions or at booths and exhibits to get basic information from those who might be interested in connecting – and maybe doing business with you. In the past, some of our clients have used landing pages to track entries in contests at their booth. In exchange for, say, a contact’s name, email, and company name or size, that individual might be entered to win a gift card or some sort of service.
Others ask more extensive questions, depending on the prize or what the individual entering will get out of it (coupons, discounts, large-ticket items, etc.)
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Nurturing + Converting Leads
Leading up to and following your event, your website will act as home base. This is where attendees are going to learn more about your event (or you, if you are an exhibitor, participant, sponsor, etc.) and you’ll want to be sure you’re speaking to them and providing information to nurture them along their buyer’s journey in hopes of converting them. This includes placing the right CTA in the right place so when they’re ready, you’re easy to reach.
Connecting the Dots
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There are number of ways inbound marketing can play a role in your event. When integrating the right inbound marketing practices into your event planning strategy, you will likely get some pretty impressive results.
Not only will you be able to successfully utilize various channels for connecting with and growing your network, you can maintain and strengthen the contacts you gain – all to get you closer to your goal. And just like that, it all comes together.