Two weeks ago, London’s Design Centre played host to the B2B Marketing Summit, bringing over 1000 buyers, suppliers and a plethora of speakers together. Cards were exchanged, networks were expanded and, at end of the day, champagne was extremely welcome. The Summit offered much to both marketers wishing to build upon their knowledge, and suppliers seeking to make an impression on the attendees. We’ve put together a few bite-size tips we took away from the Summit for you to consider.
STAND OUT!
Just as this capitalised headline grabbed your attention, you must seek to grab your audience. From sleepy boys to cheeky girls, the Summit had all manner of eye-catching prospects to attract the attention of prospective clients. In an age where our information bubble is over-saturated to the point of bursting, you can no longer play it safe, and seeking to please everyone will ultimately get you nowhere. Be bold, make a statement, and go far.
The Glisser team achieved this by giving every Summit attendee a key in their bags, which advertised a box on our stand with some rather attractive prizes. 1000 branded key packs were made (don’t ask how long it took…), but in the end it was worth it as nearly one-third of attendees visited our stand. Our stand managed to achieve a queue throughout the expo; the cost of the claimed FitBit prize was £99, but garnering a 34% response rate from the Summit’s attendees was priceless.
Maximising Social Media’s Potential
Speaking on the keynote stage, content marketer Joe Pulizzi drew the Summit’s attention to the value of social media, describing social activity as ‘always an opportunity to learn about your customers or brand’. The constant dialogue between your brand and customers allows for you to build uniquely connected relationships with them, and gain valuable insights into their priorities and needs. This is an increasingly important trait as consumers expect ever-more personal experiences with the brands they do business with.
Moreover, Pulizzi highlighted the common mistake marketers make of spreading their social resources too thinly, attempting to generate conversations across an array of social channels, often leading to disappointing engagement. Instead, he advises marketers to focus all their efforts on one social channel, with the others serving to compliment their other activity. For event profs, it’ll come as no surprise that Twitter is the recommended channel – at Glisser we see considerably more activity in the Twittersphere, and seek to deliver quality content from the events technology industry to our followers. Find which social channel works best for you, pour all your efforts into it, and don’t look back!
Consistency Is Key
It sounds simple: Keep your content’s tone in line with your brand’s image and message; Bloomberg wouldn’t be seen dead with an emoji. In reality, keeping your brand voice consistent with your company values is a lot easier said than done. As we learned from the Summit, great marketers will identify their audience’s needs alongside their company’s key values, and communicate their messages at a point where the two intersect. If you’re stuck for inspiration have a look at the many companies who have nailed their brand’s ideology in their message. Paddy Power’s Twitter is a first-rate example of a brand knowing their target audience, as they seamlessly integrate light-hearted banter with betting offers to provide users with an enjoyable yet informative social browse.
Once you’ve highlighted the consistency of your brand’s message, your company values must be laid aside when dealing with customers. No one likes being branded a lead, and the Summit’s underlying message was the inherent value of your customer. Communications are all about the customer, not the sales products, so put yourself in their shoes and try to understand your customer’s needs.
So there you have it folks, a few nuggets of marketing wisdom we learnt from the Summit. Thanks for reading, don’t forget we select the cream of the crop articles from the event industry in a weekly digest for your convenience. You can find the latest one here.
Finally, Buzzmaster’s own Roy Shepphard has kindly written a very perceptive piece for you all on how to brief your facilitator to bring your event to life.
