7 PRO TIPS FOR EXHIBITORS ON HOW TO KEEP TRACK ON SALES LEADS DURING AN EVENT

More and more companies start to understand and appreciate the value of event marketing. Participating in an event can bring many benefits. Each role – an organizer, attendee, partner, keynote speaker, and so on – has different goals to meet. When it comes to realizing sales goals, the most desirable profit are new contacts and prospects. To know the value of a given event, one must know how to keep track of the leads it generated. There are many ways to do it. Check our 10 pro tips on how to keep track of sales leads during an event.

Why and how to track leads during an event?

No matter how great organizers see their event, you can’t call it successful without the visible outcome. For many exhibitors, the main purpose of an event is to gather new sales leads. Measurement is a key to success. All marketing and sales activities should have a transparent KPI system. The person responsible for the performance can track whether the target is met. Also, it allows them to answer the question if the event was worth its price. As you can see, it is data that matters.

But how to track sales leads during an event? It is simple, you might say. Count exchanged business cards and you’re good to go. If you say so, you are right, but it’s only a part of the truth. With the use of the hi-tech devices and advanced methods of calculations you can get much more. Beacons, QR codes and MarTech software are not another buzzwords overused by the marketers. These are powerful and valuable tools. They will enable you to monitor your business contacts with incredible accuracy. Check the top 10 pro tips on how to keep track of sales leads during an event.

Tip #1 Use the social media

Social media are very often used to track pre- and post-event activities. During the event itself they are also a space where a lot is happening. There are live streams, tweets, photos and many, many comments. Follow your event hashtag (if you have one). Measure the number of posts, comments and mentions to identify the most active attendees. Those, who are engaged in social media can be interested in your content. They can become your future customers.

Tip #2 Make the most of gamification

Using games, quests and challenges is a great way to engage and activate attendees. Make an event game and use it as your lead generation source. You can combine contests with new technology, such as beacons or QR codes. Apart from being fun, the quizzes and contests are also a vast source of information about the contestants. Check how many attendees join the game. Measure the attendees’ engagement level using an event platform to get a big picture. The more engaged the player the bigger the chance they will become leads. Set a reasonable benchmark and track game’s efficiency in the real time.

Tip #3 Make use of the mobile app

A mobile app dedicated to the event is nothing new. It is a valuable register of the attendees’ activity and a source of data-packed insights. But a mobile app can also help you to identify other participants through features such as tagging system. Try all-in-one event platform, such as Eventory to get access to a smart tagging system. Use it to learn more about the other guests. It will help you precisely target your clients.

If you want to get a better grip and keep track of sales leads generated during an event, organizing new and potential contacts is paramount. Segment attendees according to their interests, position in the company, industry. Pick the filter that suits your sales funnel. Divide people into potential clients, partners, influencers and so on. Simply put, know who is coming and what interests them the most.

Tip #4 Don’t be afraid of technology such as beacons or floor sensors

Another idea on how to track leads is to use Beacons. These small devices based on Bluetooth Low Energy are very useful when it comes to the attendees’ navigation and engagement. This Bluetooth smart technology can also detect the attendees’ devices and measure the time and duration of their visits at your stall. Beacons, when paired with the mobile app, are able to identify the individual attendees. Equipped with this data, you can estimate which of the attendees can potentially become your leads. Always check if organizer provides this technology. Floor sensors are pressure-sensitive mats that measure the actual foot traffic. They give you the information about the attendees’ paths. It measures the duration of their visits. They might not give you the exact information about prospects identity, but will surely give you an insight of the popularity of your booth.

Tip #5 Familiarize yourself with QR Marketing

QR codes or Quick Response codes have been used in marketing over the recent few years. QR code can serve as a unique „business card”. They make it simple to calculate the number of business conversations, that happened during the event. By scanning the code with a smartphone people can be provided with a link to a dedicated landing page, a survey or a quiz. They can be even used as a virtual business card. Encourage people to scan them with the app.

TIP #6 Give something for free

People like giveaways and special offers. Prepare a special discount code or a link with a dedicated UTM for people to use to get something special from your company. It might be an e-book, a discount, a free consultation, etc. Check how many event participants used this code within a few weeks after the event. This will give you a clear image on how many sales leads you have from this particular event.

TIP #7 Keep in touch with the customer success team

Some of the attendees can already be your clients. If you use a solution like Eventory Planning you can easily check which of your business contacts will attend the same events. For a proper sales leads track you have to exclude them from the lead pool. However, if you don’t have such tool, your customer success team is the best source of information in this matter. Always check with them the leads, that you are not so sure about, if they are clients or not. Use email, messaging app, or a company CRM to exchange the information.

Wrap up

Promoting your company during an event is not an easy job these days. A successful event marketing will help you to generate high-quality leads and make the event worth every penny. With the cutting-edge technology, you can measure every aspect of the event. An event itself is a perfect lead generation source. What’s more, it is a ground for future improvements. Thanks to the advanced event platforms such as Eventory, you can have all the necessary data in one place. It results in an even more efficient way to use every event you attend to generate more sales leads.