Optimize your post-conference ROI in 7 steps
Tradeshows and conferences are great networking opportunities and I have really enjoyed attending as a way to stay connected with a broader community. We also see these industry events as a tool for business growth by building brand visibility and industry trust. Whether you’re a seasoned attendee or a newcomer to the conference scene, understanding how to use the post-conference momentum is important for making the most of the connections, insights and investment.
We outlined 7 actionable steps for ensuring you get the most from conferences, translating into tangible results and a more significant ROI for your business.
- 1. Hold a Comprehensive Post-Conference Debrief
- 2. Organize and Segment Contacts for Follow-up
- 3. Craft a Thoughtful Email Sequence
- 4. Keep Audiences Engaged Using Marketing Automation
- 5. Analyze Your Pipeline for Opportunities
- 6. Leverage Conference Content for Marketing
- 7. Planning and Strategy Adjustment
1. Hold a Comprehensive Post-Conference Debrief
After a wide range of learning sessions, networking events, and meetings, it’s vital to take the time to gather your team for a comprehensive conference debrief. Creating a template to guide discussions can be extremely helpful to ensure that the debrief is effective and that as much information is reviewed as possible. Consider including topics such as:
- Key insights
- Standout presentations
- Emerging market trends
- Notable leads
Creating a debrief outline fosters idea-sharing between team members during the meeting and makes it easy to share information with different departments in a business after the fact. The end result is well-informed teams that are aligned on conference outcomes, allowing your teams to integrate insights into future strategies and initiatives.
Ultimately, a well-executed debrief sets the stage for effective follow-up actions, ensuring that the momentum generated from the conference translates into tangible results for your organization.
2. Organize and Segment Contacts for Follow-up
The contacts your team gathered at the conference are invaluable conversion opportunities, but only if you follow up with them correctly. By leveraging customer relationship management (CRM) tools, like those offered with HubSpot, businesses can categorize their conference contacts based on potential value, interest level, and engagement demonstrated during the conference interactions. This segmentation approach lays the groundwork for tailored follow-up strategies that resonate with each audience segment, whether it’s a high-potential lead seeking immediate attention or a prospect requiring nurturing over time. By understanding each contact group’s unique needs and preferences, businesses can personalize their outreach efforts, ultimately increasing the likelihood of forging meaningful connections and conversions.
When you organize and group your contacts from conferences effectively, it makes following up easier and helps you build stronger, long-lasting relationships. By sorting contacts based on their pain points and where they are in their buyer’s journey, you can create personal communication plans and encourage trust over time. Taking the time to segment new contacts in this way can develop targeted communication strategies that foster engagement and drive conversions.
3. Craft a Thoughtful Email Sequence
Effective follow-up begins with a thoughtful email sequence tailored to each segment of your contact list. While having a streamlined email design is important when creating your messaging, ensuring that your subject lines and email content are value-driven and speak to your audience’s pain points will help keep your messages out of their trash cans. For example, use conference insights to spark engagement and drive meaningful conversations with your audience.
Additionally, pay attention to the timing and frequency of your email sends. Finding the right balance between staying top-of-mind and avoiding overwhelming your audience plays a large part in maintaining interest rather than becoming an annoyance. After all, the goal is to send emails and deliver meaningful interactions that nurture relationships and drive business growth.
4. Keep Audiences Engaged Using Marketing Automation
Using a CRM and marketing automation tools lets you consistently deliver value through automated campaigns. These tools enable your teams to share relevant content with the appropriate audience segment, helping keep them engaged and well-informed as they progress along the customer journey.
Incorporating lead scoring into your strategy helps your team concentrate follow-up efforts on prospects who are most likely to convert. Continually refining your engagement tactics based on lead-scoring insights allows you to tailor your interactions to each prospect’s specific needs and behaviors, fostering deeper connections and driving tangible results in your sales pipeline.
5. Analyze Your Pipeline for Opportunities
Identifying high-potential opportunities at the conference can help streamline your team’s sales efforts. By focusing your attention on the most promising prospects, you’ll likely see an increase in successful conversions, boosting your conference ROI.
Integrating your new leads into your pipeline gives your team a chance to leverage insights gained from the conference. Whether you launch a dedicated post-conference email campaign or a new set of PPC ads, tailoring follow-up efforts to address the specific needs identified during the event can enhance engagement and build stronger relationships with prospects. Ultimately, pairing lead identification with pipeline integration helps your team get the most out of the momentum generated from the conference.
6. Leverage Conference Content for Marketing
The content and insights gathered during a conference are valuable assets that can fuel your marketing efforts long after the event concludes. Make the most of the information by sharing key learnings, experiences, and takeaways through blog posts, social media content, and other channels. Showcasing your expertise and thought leadership on conference-specific topics reinforces your brand’s credibility.
Sharing conference content using an omnichannel approach helps you engage with a wider audience and capture the attention of potential customers who may not have attended the event. Consistently delivering high-quality content that resonates with your audience helps build trust and loyalty over time, driving sustained growth and success for your business.
7. Planning and Strategy Adjustment
Finally, use the insights from the conference to inform and adjust your company’s marketing and sales strategies. Consider how market trends discussed at the meeting may impact your business as well as the overall market landscape. Where does your business fit in as a solution to these changes?
Based on the latest market trends, adjust your approach to stay ahead of the curve and show that your brand is responsive to industry needs. Change is good! You just need to identify where your products or services fit into emerging market demands and tailor your marketing and sales strategies accordingly. Use the insights from the conference to refine your messaging and ensure it resonates with your target audience’s pain points.
Tradeshows, conferences, and expos offer tangible opportunities for businesses to expand their networks, gather insights, and drive growth. From comprehensive post-conference debriefs to leveraging conference content for marketing and adjusting strategies based on market trends, organizations can maximize the impact of these events on their bottom line.
