‘Data’ is a marketing term that many of us use to categorise groups of contacts or statistics collected together for reference or analysis. Despite recognising the importance of data, many marketers are still missing a trick when it comes to successfully converting this content into valuable business leads during events.
So, what can we do to ensure we are optimising the business benefits locked away inside this data? And how can we make sure we move beyond simply bombarding inboxes with generic sales emails, which are quickly relegated to the trash box?
One of the most important stages of this process is data aggregation. If you’re still doing things manually, it’s time to start using event management software that has the capability to store all of your data in one place and identify trends by comparing activity across a series of events, which is far more valuable than analysing single, stand-alone events.
In recent years, event management software has become much more affordable and readily available, allowing smaller organisations to take advantage of new products that can add value to their events.
One example of this is the increased use of RFID (radio frequency identification) solutions at events, which allow organisers to track and measure what people actually do during events, rather than what they indicated they were interested in achieving prior to attending.
The careful structuring of data captured at events using some of the latest event management technology, can help to ensure your sales teams have direct access to far more valuable and timely information, thus allowing them to prioritise leads based on which companies were most engaged at the event. They will then be able to follow up these leads with a far more personalised and targeted approach, rather than a generic pitch, which more-often-than-not fails to convert.
In summary, a deeper insight into data obtained from different sources can improve business performance, by facilitating a more targeted follow-up from both marketing and sales. Ultimately, digging into your data and improving the ways in which you capture information and leads at events can, in turn, facilitate a more personal approach to communications, which in many cases can make the difference between winning or losing a deal.
