Although this entry's title might conjure up images of entrepreneurs beating the daylights out of somebody, there's certainly no violence intended or encouraged in this post. Instead, we'll take a look at the benefits that small startups can derive from marketing through tradeshows enhanced with event telemarketing as this combination has the potential to really be effective at knocking down the challenges that most B2B companies face, especially at the early stages of their development.
Live events combined with cold calling for tradeshows are top lead generation destinations for a significant number of B2B marketers. According to a survey of 350 marketers this year, more than 40% of the respondents ranked tradeshows and teleprospecting as their primary sources of qualified leads. For B2B startups still in the process of announcing their existence to the world, event marketing with teleprospecting is a great way to make their presence felt because it:
1. Adds another touch point. In today's buyer-centric marketing environment, marketers need to be where there customers and prospects are. While online marketing is a given among startups, the offline world is also quite promising. Tradeshows and other live events add a whole new dimension to your marketing efforts by providing another platform for interacting with your marketing audience. Accordingly, event-related teleprospecting tools help you invite attendees and follow up with leads more effectively.
2. Improves customer engagement. Participating in live events lets you close any gaps between you and your target customers by actually being in the same physical space or the same situation (in the case of online events) as they are. This allows your audience to experience your business first-hand and get acquainted with your brand and values. In the same way, live events allow you to get to know more about your customers and their needs.
3. Gain much-needed publicity. As you may know, tradeshows and conferences typically get press coverage. If you participate in an industry event as an exhibitor and manage to stand out from the rest, then you might just be able to place your company right in the spotlight. Good publicity, no matter how small or trivial, is a gigantic plus for any fledgling business that has yet to establish a reputation.
4. Boosts revenue potential. As mentioned earlier, research has shown that B2B marketers are quite reliant on both event marketing and teleprospecting for generating qualified b2b leads. A qualified lead is one that's most likely going to make a purchase from you sooner or later and, if tradeshows are great sources for such prospects, then you're looking at a potential gold mine. Event-based marketing optimizes the live event lead generation process through pre-qualification, post-event follow-up, and appointment setting.
5. Supports brand & culture. Live events are great opportunities to break away from your marketing routine once in a while and carry out your brand awareness drive or product promotion campaign in a different environment. This is certainly beneficial to both your brand and staff as both get to experience a new atmosphere of marketing and engagement.
Live events aren't only limited to tradeshows and industry expos alone. There are other ways you can reach out to your target customers and promote your brand. Hosting a webinar, for example, is an excellent way to engage with your prospects, giving you the chance to establish your reputation as an information source and build your company's image. The main takeaway here is that startups should also be relying on live events as part of their marketing toolkit.
This article is an original contribution by Max Stinson.
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