Entries Tagged as 'Events & trade shows'
Pros and Cons of Remote Events for B2B Lead Generation
“Remote” events such as webinars offer new options for reaching out to and educating buyers at all stages of the lead generation cycle.
Your choice to go live or remote will hinge on several factors, including the time needed to present the information, the needs of the customers or prospects you’re targeting, and the physical locations of attendees. Keep in mind these pros and cons when deciding how best to reach your audience.
When I say remote events, I’m talking about:
- Webinars / Webcasts
- Videoconferences
- Teleconferences
Pros of Remote Events
- Less time: It’s easier to get on attendees’ calendars if you’re only asking for 30-60 minutes.
- No travel: Your audience and can join in from their desks or home offices. In today’s marketplace, prospects are coming from different time zones and personal schedules. It’s also a big plus for presenters.
- Usually cost less. Webinars can cost less than 25 cents per minute or $15 per hour per participant. If you fly in presenters, renting a meeting space and equipment, and provide refreshments it can add up.
- Viral marketing: To put it simply, attendees can invite others easily and they’re more likely to because it’s easier to attend than an event you have to travel to.
- Record the event. If someone’s registered but doesn’t show up, you have an easy way of giving them a second chance at their convenience. Follow up by auto-responder email. You’ll get extra “bonus” attendance. And don’t forget, you can put it on your website as content to draw in web visitors.
- You can do live, interactive demos over the Web. You can use Web conferencing software or services to demonstrate your software right on participants’ own computers. They can follow along as you click through each step, or you can let them manipulate their own mice and keyboards.
- It’s easier to attract guest speakers. If a speaker can participate from his or her own home or office, they’re much more likely to rather than having to travel to the event. You could even save a few dollars because professional speakers usually charge more when they travel.
Cons of Remote Events
- Participants need the right equipment. Most people, but not all, have the high-speed Internet connection needed to easily view a webinar. And videoconferencing requires that both ends have compatible equipment.
- You may not have participants’ undivided attention. It’s easy for attendees to be interrupted by colleagues or staff, or to get distracted by phones or e-mail while your webinar or teleconference is going on.
- Time is limited. Webinars should last no longer than an hour. If your material requires more time, opt for a longer, live event instead.
The Upshot
Which event format should you choose? Most important is what your attendees prefer. Busy C-level and senior executives will likely prefer the convenience of a quick, one-hour webinar, whereas a user group may prefer the interaction of a live event such as a lunch-and-learn seminar. Give the audience your information in the way your audience wants to receive it. It’s much more likely your message will be heard, retained, and acted on.
Speaking Event: NEDMA ‘06 (June 14-15)
[](http://www.nedma.com/conferenceblog/)
### [NEDMA '06 Confererence Blog](http://www.nedma.com/conferenceblog/)
[New England Direct Marketing Association](http://www.nedma.com/)’s Annual Conference & Exposition
“It’s a Brave New World”
June 14-15, 2006
Bentley College, Waltham, MA
I will be delivering the closing keynote address June 15th, titled: “How to get your CEO, CFO, the folks in sales, your agency and your client to buy into your marketing plan.”
Join the conversation and get the latest news about NEDMA ‘06, It’s a Brave New World, on their [NEDMA '06 Confererence Blog](http://www.nedma.com/conferenceblog/).
Speaking Event 4/20: Get Marketing and Sales Working Together for Results
I’ll be speaking at this conference. I hope you’ll join us there for an informative session.
Direct Marketing to Business Conference
The Conference Focused Exclusively on B-to-B Direct Marketing
April 19 – 21, 2006
Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, FL
Get a $100 Discount on 3-day and 2-day packages! Use Discount Code: SPKVIP and KeyCode: McIntosh.
Register at: www.dmadmb.org
Be sure to attend my session on Thursday 9-10:15 a.m.!
The Truth About Cats and Dogs: Get Marketing and Sales Working Together For Results
Track: Prospecting & Lead Generation
Are you tired of feeling that your company’s salespeople, reps, dealers, or distributors are wasting the sales leads that you and your marketing team worked so hard to generate? And are you frustrated with hearing salespeople complain about your company’s marketing efforts and the poor quality or quantity of your hard-won sales leads? If so, you don’t want to miss this session. By attending, you’ll discover proven strategies and tactics for getting your marketing “cats” and the “big dogs” in sales working together.
You will learn:
- The three primary ways that marketing people can win over the salespeople
- How to get sales to follow up and report back on marketing lead results
- How to create an environment that encourages respect and collaboration between marketing and sales
- How to get the sales team to help you convince management to provide more money and resources for marketing and lead generation
Make the most of your marketing events
The year is already underway. You may have a number of live seminars, workshops, Web seminars (webinars), videoconferences, trade shows and speaking engagements planned for future months. Here is a short summary of how best to use events to drive sales and revenue.
- Leverage other marcomm tactics such as direct mail, email and telemarketing.
- Speak or exhibit at others’ events, saving the time and expense of running it yourself.
- Use events to move known prospects along the sales cycle, rather than focusing on those who are new to your company.
- For mid-stage prospects, use “bite-size” events, such as “lunch and learns,” “executive breakfast briefings,” or Webinars.
- For hot prospects who have already indicated they are close to buying, offer events that will give them details they need to make the final decision.
I go into more detail about this making the most of events in your marketing plan in my article “[What role should events play in your marketing plan?](http://www.sales-lead-experts.com/tips/articles/event-role.cfm)”.
