Of the 81% of marketers who reported to using in-person events in the 2016 B2B Content Marketing Benchmark Study, 75% found it to be an effective tactic. In fact, in-person events have ranked in as the most effective content marketing tactic for the last six years. With so much push on content marketing and digital tactics, it’s interesting to see this offline tactic come in as number one for so many years. For the remaining 20-ish% of B2B digital marketing pros who haven’t figured out how to integrate these two landscapes, we’re sharing a few powerful ways below.
Live Stream Videos
Video has become an increasingly popular format to consume content. From thought leadership, tutorials, to webinars, videos are a great way to educate your audience on your company and how your services can help your audience. Take your video marketing one step further by leveraging live streaming at your in-person events. Not only does live streaming drive massive engagement, but it also allows your brand to receive instant feedback from your audience members who aren’t in attendance. Depending on where your audience is most active, there are plenty of platforms to begin your live streaming, including:
- Facebook Live
- Perioscope/Meerkat
- Blab
- Snapchat
Leverage #hashtags
While some internet users take advantage of the power of hashtags by over-doing it, this is still a relevant tactic, especially when attending in-person events. Whether you are hosting your own and creating a branded hashtag or attending a popular conference and looking for people to network with and create relationships, hashtags are a great way to start. Use or follow hashtags for:
- Brand awareness
- Event tracking
- Feedback
Host a Contest
If you’re looking to drive more traffic to your B2B website or social media platforms, you can host a fun contest for event attendees and provide them with a small offer for their efforts. If you’re hosting an event, encourage guests to head online and provide a specific action such as follow your Twitter page or share your latest blog post using the event hashtag and a winner will be chosen at random. The winner’s prize can be branded swag or a simple piece of candy or gift card. Try to entice your guests by:
- Check ins
- Post photo
- Follows
- Sign up for a newsletter
Increase Email Subscribers
Similar to video, email is a popular preference for internet users to consume content. If you’re sponsoring an event, add a sign up sheet to your booth and encourage attendees to sign up to receive unique, educating and entertaining information. You can also use this as a contest and tell users that they will be emailed their prize – a special offer! This could be a special pricing for a service you offer, a free trial, etc.
When using in-person events to boost your B2B digital marketing efforts it’s important to remember the basic rules of the online world. You wouldn’t ask someone to subscribe to your email list if you aren’t providing an offer in return, even if the offer is simply answering a non-attendees question during your live stream!
