Let’s face it, over the last few years event planning has reached a new dimension. From postponing to pausing and pivoting, we've all had to get pretty creative around connecting with our partners, clients and prospects. But now that live events are finally back in full swing, it’s time to rethink your event strategy.
Between logistics, meals, keynotes, breakouts, entertainment, and more, you must make an impact by delivering true value. Here are our suggestions for your next Sales Kickoff or Partner Summit to ensure it’s both educational and motivational.
Offer Value… What’s in it for them?
As we all know, events can be overwhelming. Your audience must decide what, where, and when to attend. And these decisions always boil down to “what’s in it for them.” Whether it’s geared toward your sales teams, your Partners, or both, you must offer relevant content, deliver a compelling experience and provide tools and resources that they can continue to leverage the whole year through.
Folks join events and breakouts to refresh and refuel, and Partners especially expect actionable strategies and tactics that they can realistically activate back at the office. For example, if you tell a room full of small MSPs they need to spend $10,000 a month on ABM, not only will you lose their attention, but you’ll also likely frustrate them and make them feel like you don’t “get” their business.
So, when planning an event strategy, consider topics and sessions that help them rethink and reinvigorate their demand and lead generation programs. Plan for varied levels of understanding and build your curriculum for a variety of audiences so everyone walks away feeling energized and motivated to activate what they’ve learned. Whether you’re sharing social selling tactics, account-based marketing, or content strategies, it’s important to offer pragmatic advice.
Enter… The Demand Generation Rally Station
If you really want your attendees to get the most out of your event, you must provide the resources and tools to help them build their business – as well as yours. And this is precisely where a game changer like our Demand Generation Rally Station (DGRS for short) comes in. Not only is it a huge crowd-pleaser, it will leave your participants inspired and armed with modern marketing strategies, including social marketing, blogging, and online optimization best practices for relationship building and nurturing.
So, how does a DGRS work you ask? Well, first, attendees have their professional headshots taken by our award-winning photographer. Following that, they engage in one-on-one consultations with our expert consultants to evaluate and enhance their online presence, including their personal and corporate digital properties. Regardless of their level of expertise - whether they are new to marketing or seasoned professionals - participants will leave with invaluable social selling insights and content strategies that will help transform their presence from mediocre to remarkable. For those seeking advanced techniques, we provide custom consulting options, that incorporate practical best practices for effortless implementation.
But the DGRS isn’t just for Partners, it’s a huge boost for your channel marketing too! If you’re trying to get your Partners to download content, follow social handles, login to your portal or marketing automation tool, or all the above, a Demand Gen Rally Station is a great way to get in front of them, make an impression and leave them feeling wowed!
Don’t Leave Your Attendees Hanging!
Once your event has come to an end, it’s important to keep your attendees engaged. Don’t let this be the first and last time your guests hear from you! The information and motivational messaging you’re delivering should be part of an ongoing and consistent communications strategy. Be sure to include ongoing live and virtual events to keep the momentum going, such as quarterly refresher webinars or monthly podcasts. And be sure to execute integrated communications on a frequent cadence, including blogs that share helpful tips, or snackable videos on specific topics such as social selling, integrated marketing or digital marketing best practices. This knowledge sharing will continue to strengthen your relationships, as your partners continue to look to you as their go-to resource. And, of course, keep the momentum going by promoting all your great resources via social.
Don’t have the resources to do it all? We’ve got you covered! If you’re ready to make your next event more engaging and memorable, check out Brad’s tips for Effective Event Marketing.
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