In-person interactions still play a pivotal role in every marketer’s playbook.
Over time, a vast majority of studies have probed the invaluable promises—and the limits—of computer-mediated communication. An online meetup spans geographical boundaries and helps to forge or maintain closer customer relationships. Hosting a webinar, for example, is a great way to educate the target audience on your company’s newest products and establish your thought leadership in the industry.
Yet sometimes, face-to-face interaction is the missing link that seals the deal.
Industry experts generally agree that facial expressions, body language, and the tempo of interaction may empower individuals to better shape their message. A handshake is a seemingly common greeting but in reality, this ritual gesture could potentially encourage a higher level of trust, cooperation, and information exchange between two parties.
Putting together a themed event facilitates marketer-buyer interactions and gives you an exclusive chance to build in-person engagement. But don’t jump straight to execution; add intent data to the mix and you will instantly weave sense into buyer behavior to better understand—and ultimately, serve!—your prospects, build rapport during the event, and usher in greater deals.
In this article, you will discover how to capitalize on intent data to craft memorable experiences that positively influence your event attendance rate and strengthen your bond with existing and potential customers.
Depicting Intent Data
As they embark on their Internet journey, prospects leave a trail of breadcrumbs behind that signals their interests, preferences, and other specific behavioral characteristics.
Through intent-based information, you will gain access to a novel set of precision-guided targeting capabilities that unearth the exact tracks taken by your potential buyers.
In other words, intent data is comprised of all the information that has been collected about a prospect’s online activities. This data can be classified into two different categories:
- Topic Data.
Suppose a prospect just visited a landing page on your site that aims to get people to register for an upcoming live event. In this case, that visitor is expressing an active interest in the event—and possibly its key topics—and may fill out the registration form with his contact information.
- Context Data.
Armed with behavior-based information about your prospects, you’ll likely be able to predict future intent.
But here’s a slightly troubling fact: what if the person who filled out a contact form on your website is not the decision-maker you’re looking for? Knowing this person’s role within his organization is absolutely crucial—and thankfully, this is where contextual data comes to your rescue. This type of data provides a unique perspective around each visitor, including his geographical location and professional background.
Analyzing the prospect’s behavior will allow marketers to wisely ‘read the room’ and start a relevant conversation with the right-fit individuals only—those with the highest propensity to attend your event and ultimately make a purchase.
Soar to Event Marketing Success
Now that the events market is an increasingly globalized space, each region has its particular demands, pressures, and innovations.
Should you host your event in a first-tier city or a rural area? And if you select a densely populated region, will your highest-value prospects actually turn up at the event?
Without a data-driven approach to event marketing, many questions hang in the balance. Keeping an eye on the intent signals exhibited by your prospects will help you discover which geographic region is currently expressing the greatest interest in…
… trending industry-related topics.
… similar products to those promoted by your organization.
… your actual business.
Tapping into these insights to truly understand who your highest-potential customer is and where is he located ultimately pays off. Once you identify your in-market prospects and find out what makes them tick, you will be able to craft a high-impact agenda for your event—one that touches on your prospect’s current topics of interest. In addition, you will be able to select a venue in close proximity to those individuals and possibly increase the attendance rate.
Driving attendance is not a trivial pursuit, but intent data can transform this practice into an effortless and very profitable marketing technique. It all depends on the marketer’s ability to put intent-based information to work in a timely manner.
A word of advice? Do not leave intent data at the front door; draw useful insights from it and personalize every conversation you’re having during the event with the attendees. As you provide concrete value to your prospect, a genuine connection is slowly building between you and that particular attendee.
Similarly, you can use this data to customize your post-event outreach plan and keep the conversation going. In next to no time, you will do more than just enrich the event ROI—you will also strengthen customer relationships and increase revenue.
Double the Power of Your Event Marketing Plan
In-person meetings that are tailored to individual audience segments are valued experiences; they show—not just tell!—that you’re genuinely interested in your prospects’ business or potential pain points and want to connect with them on a deeper level.
Personalization is a standard expectation among customers and consequently, a powerful technique used by marketers to attract event registrants.
The intent-based signals of your in-market audience facilitate event personalization. Be sure to use intent data to engage your prospects more efficiently—before, during, and after the in-person meetup—and develop immersive experiences that forge lasting marketer-buyer relationships.
