You've probably heard of B2B event marketing when you were putting together your marketing strategy. But what does it mean exactly? In this text we explain what is meant by this term, how it works and why it is important for your business.
What is B2B Event Marketing?
Simply put Event Marketing an event held for the purpose of promoting a product, service or company. This can take the form of a conference, virtual event, sponsorship or even a simple breakfast presentation.
Which event you choose depends on your business objectives. Some of the most common types are:
- Persönliche Veranstaltungen wie Messen, Konferenzen, Seminare, Networking-Events oder Produkteinführungen. A report by the Content Marketing Institute found that 75% of content marketers considered face-to-face events to be the most effective way of Content marketing strategy
- Online-Veranstaltungen wie Webinare und Live-Streaming-Veranstaltungen. Dies kann eine kostengünstigere Option sein, die häufig von Marken mit knapperen Budgets bevorzugt wird.
Auf die einzelnen Typen gehen wir später gründlicher ein.
How does B2B event marketing work?
Event marketing can work in different ways. The organisation of an event by a company is the most obvious way. This can help you build stronger relationships with clients and prospects, find new partners, gain leads and much more.
Another strategy is to attend events as a guest. In this case, company representatives can promote products or services or enhance brand reputation by demonstrating their expertise in the field. In the process, you can sponsor events and increase your brand awareness.
Regardless of which strategy a brand adheres to, consider 95 % of marketers:inside consider event marketing as the most important way to achieve business goals. Let's find out why this opinion prevails.
Why is B2B event marketing important?
B2B event marketing aims to increase your credibility as a company. Partners and customers get the opportunity to interact personally with your brand and perceive you as a trustworthy partner. This makes events a golden networking opportunity. 75 % of business owners say that the opportunity to make useful contacts is their main reason for attending events.
Here are four arguments why you should include B2B event marketing in your marketing plans:
#1: Markenbewusstsein schaffen
Events, virtual or live, are a great way to get customers and prospects to discover you. In fact, one study showed that 93 % of consumers think live events have a greater impact on them than TV advertising.
Events give businesses the opportunity to engage potential customers with their products and services. Once you have won over an audience, events can help you make sure they know who you are, what you sell and why you sell it. Then you want people to fall in love with your brand and your products/services.
Social media is a great way to build brand awareness: Invite influential speakers to give the event visibility on their own platforms, or create a hashtag and encourage participants to tag and mention the company.
#2: Markenbotschafter:innen stärken
84 % der Veranstaltungsteilnehmer:innen geben an, dass sie eine Marke, ein Produkt oder eine Dienstleistung nach dem Besuch einer Veranstaltung positiver sehen. Events erschaffen Markenbotschafter:innen, indem sie ihre Erwartungen übertreffen.
If your event offers participants a memorable and enjoyable experience, they will have only positive associations with your brand. An event can show a more human side to a company and help customers build a lasting affinity with your brand - giving you a competitive advantage.
#3: Leads generieren
Wenn Sie mit einem Stand auf einer virtuellen Messe vertreten sind, haben Sie die perfekte Gelegenheit zur Leadgenerierung. Sammeln Sie E-Mail-Adressen von Personen, die Ihren Stand besuchen, indem Sie ihnen einen Anreiz wie eine Verlosung oder ein Gewinnspiel geben.
If you are organising a conference, you should also make sure that all participants register with their email address. This is the best chance to reach several members of your target group in one place. Research has shown that 64% of trade fair and event visitors use events for new prospects and business opportunities, while 3 % see them as an opportunity for lead acquisition..
#4: Beziehungen auf- und ausbauen
As Seth Godin, author, marketer and entrepreneur, once said, "People don't buy goods and services. They buy relationships, stories and magic." Building valuable relationships is therefore important for any organisation.
Events provide an interpersonal connection that can help build relationships with past and potential customers. To build and develop relationships, host special events that focus on clients and prospects and let them know that you recognise and value their business.
B2B event marketing offers companies the opportunity to raise awareness, turnover and positioning through appealing Virtual, live or hybrid events increase. They can also play a big role in promotion, so think about event marketing when planning your next event. Consider your goals carefully and the decision regarding a specific type of event will be much easier!
What types of events are there?
Es gibt eine Vielzahl von Veranstaltungsformaten, die sowohl offline als auch online durchgeführt werden können. Es ist an der Zeit, die beliebtesten Veranstaltungstypen laut Harvard Business Review zu beleuchten:
Conferences
Conferences are large-scale events that focus on educational speeches from industry leaders and experts. They often include workshops and networking sessions to double the benefit for participants. 40 % of companies believe that conferences are the most effective type of event for their business objectives.
Seminars
Das Hauptziel dieser Art von Veranstaltung ist die Aufklärung der Besucher:innen. Daher finden Seminare oft in kleineren Räumen statt und setzen eine begrenzte Teilnehmer:innenzahl voraus. 8 % der Unternehmen halten Seminare für entscheidend, um ihre Geschäftsziele zu erreichen. Gleichzeitig trägt dieses Format am meisten zur Steigerung des Fachwissens der Teilnehmer:innen bei.
VIP events
These events aim to accelerate sales and increase the loyalty of key customers. VIP events can achieve these goals by gathering a room full of influential shareholders, key customers and other honoured guests. 7 % of company representatives indicated that VIP events have the greatest impact on their company's KPIs.
Thought leadership events
The ultimate goal of these events is networking: a bunch of professionals with the same interests meet to exchange ideas face-to-face. Thought leadership events enable organisers to strengthen their authority in a specific area and achieve amazing business results - 14 % of business leaders believe that this event format is most beneficial for their company's results.
Product launches
Companies use this type of event to present their upcoming products to potential or existing customers. The aim is to get prospects and buyers excited about the features and benefits of a new product.
Fazit: B2B-Event-Marketing ist unverzichtbar
B2B event marketing is a potentially powerful tool. It allows you to build and maintain strong relationships, attract new customers, build stable partnerships and nail down business KPIs. If you want to get all the benefits from this channel, you should take care of your event promotion.
Als Werbeagentur im B2B unterstützen wir Sie gerne auch bei Ihren Events! Fragen Sie unverbindlich an – wir beraten Sie.
