THE ESSENTIAL EVENT AUTOMATION PRIMER. A Big Picture Look at Event Automation Software for Data-Driven Marketers and Event Professionals

Transcription

1 THE ESSENTIAL EVENT AUTOMATION PRIMER A Big Picture Look at Event Automation Software for Data-Driven Marketers and Event Professionals

2 28 % of marketing budgets are allocated to events INTRODUCTION Even in an increasingly digital world, in-person events play a key role in marketing today s B2B companies. According to a recent industry report, an average of 28% of marketing budgets are allocated to events 1. And for six years running, the annual B2B Content Marketing Trends study has found that in-person events are the most effective tactic according to marketers feedback. 2 It s not just marketers who value events. Almost one-third of marketers reported that their senior management viewed event marketing as critical and essential. 3 In-person events are thriving. The question is, are they holding their own in an era where CEOs demand credible ROI and customers expect highly customized and personal experiences? WHAT IS EVENT AUTOMATION? Event Automation is a category of technology that has evolved from traditional event management software. It allows companies to automate, personalize, and measure event management and marketing activities, so they can increase marketing leads, sales pipeline, and revenue generated from events while also improving operational efficiency. Event Automation is the culmination of a multi-decade evolution of event management software. Logistics Budgeting Logistics Budgeting Event Registration Sourcing Marketing Logistics Mobile Budgeting Event Registration Sourcing Logistics Budgeting Event Registration Sourcing Marketing Mobile Marketing Automation Advanced Lead Scoring Nurture Campaigns Credible ROI Event Automation Early 90s Mid 90s Early 2000s 2010 TODAY

3 Event Automation technology provides functionality to help marketers optimize the impact of their event spend. A best-in-class solution will automate critical event management tasks, offer functionality to boost attendee engagement, capture rich attendee data, and provide insights to drive sales and marketing activities. But the real difference maker is found in event ROI proving it and improving it. As events become more engaging to attendees and more efficiently-managed through Event Automation, companies can quickly see a rise in their return on investment. WHO USES EVENT AUTOMATION? Users of Event Automation technology include individuals and teams responsible for marketing and planning of events. We break down these users into three main categories: The events team, the marketing team, and outside meeting management companies. Here s a breakdown of how each uses Event Automation to benefit the organization: THE MARKETING TEAM THE EVENTS TEAM CORPORATE EVENT MANAGEMENT COMPANIES To increase revenue and leads from events To bring events into the digital marketing ecosystem, supporting across channel campaigns and lead scoring To strengthen the enterprise brand To engage attendees and personalize their experience around the event To personalize the event experience for attendees To capture deep attendee insights in order to help sales and marketing drive revenue To facilitate event logistics To deliver unique, branded event experiences To engage attendees and personalize their experience around the event To increase event ROI To facilitate event logistics To deliver unique, branded event experiences To engage attendees and personalize their experience around the event To increase event ROI To capture deep attendee insights in order to help organizations drive revenue

4 EVENT MANAGEMENT VS EVENT AUTOMATION: WHAT S THE DIFFERENCE? The emphasis of event management software tends to be directed to the activities required to plan, coordinate, and promote events. Event Automation does all of that but then goes a step beyond, putting events on the same playing field as other marketing activities by bringing data and insights to bear on marketing, sales, and ROI. Event Automation is different because it: Captures and digitizes information about how prospects and customers interact with events, every step of the way. Connects data to marketing automation systems in the same way as digital marketing. Enables marketers to measure and understand the relative impact of events on revenue. KEY BENEFITS OF EVENT AUTOMATION Benefit #1: Increase Revenue While marketers instinctively know how to deliver broad measures of success, such as net new leads generated and registrations, actually tying revenue back to events is far more difficult. According to the State of B2B Event Marketing study, only 48% of marketers say they have any sort of ROI measurement in place for their events. And Aberdeen reports in a recent survey that 69% of respondents said tracking ROI for events is their primary challenge.

5 Through Event Automation, marketers can maintain sight of their prospects as attendees navigate through the event before, during, and after. This insight can be used to better understand attendees and where they are in their buying process. Data captured throughout the event can be used in lead scoring to drive targeted follow up campaigns. And attendee insights can be integrated into omni-channel marketing campaigns to enrich the entire marketing program. Finally, the right Event Automation technology will integrate with marketing automation and CRM systems to simplify the measurement of ROI. Expected results: Capture buying signals to increase conversions Inform future sales and marketing decisions Grow sales pipeline and accelerate the sales cycle Improve overall marketing performance Get event leads to get to the right salesperson 95% faster for a higher success rate. Benefit #2: Engage Customers and Prospects Customers and prospects want experiences that are tailored to their specific goals, needs, and place in the buying cycle. With Event Automation, organizations can more easily design and deliver personalized attendee experiences to increase brand loyalty and customer retention. Real-time data can be put to use to effectively guide attendees through the event lifecycle. And event experiences can be brought into the palm of the hand with built-in event mobile apps. Expected results: Attendees are more engaged with the event Brand awareness increase The attendee experience is more satisfying Brand loyalty and customer retention increase

6 Benefit #3: Scale Your Events Event Automation helps event professionals and marketers reduce redundant work, data entry, spreadsheets, and manual lead follow up. Available features help make flawless events a reality and frustrating manual tasks a thing of the past. With the right technology, users can clone past events to make subsequent events that much easier to organize. And users can more easily view and analyze event spend. Expected results: Increase operational efficiencies Save time, costs, and labor Scale and grow the event program across the enterprise Eliminate frustrating manual processes FEATURES IN EVENT AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY Event Intelligence Marketing automation integration Engagement scoring Nurture campaigns Customized dashboards Effortless reporting Event ROI measurement Buyer Engagement marketing Event websites Event mobile apps Social engagement Session polling and Q&A Call for papers Personalized agendas Branding control Scheduled appointments Enterprise Scalability Templates and cloning Online registration Payment processing Onsite check-in Attendee profiles Hotel and venue sourcing Session management Travel and accommodation Budgeting tools

7 HOW TO SUCCEED WITH EVENT AUTOMATION BEFORE EVENT Define Your Event Segmentation: Use what you know to segment your event invitees. Deliver Your Message Marketing: Invite your attendees with engaging personalized content. Existing Customers Prospects Leads Marketing Automation Partners Service Providers VIPs Employees Event Automation Personalize event invitations, promotional codes and ongoing marketing based on segmentation and responses. BEFORE EVENT DURING EVENT Customize Registration Registration: Capture attendee insights and interests. Automatically prepopulate registration forms with information you have. Provide personalized registration pages for each segment. Then, use this opportunity to learn more about their interests. Start to make recommendations to enhance their experience at the event. New or updated information is pushed back and updated in your MA or CRM system. Collect Attendee Buying Signals Attendee Data Capture: Capture attendee behavioral data and buying signals during the event. Check-in 1-to-1 appts. Surveys Booth visits Sessions And more! Collect up to 300 data point types, including session attendance, badge scans, etc. Interaction points are pushed to your MA system in real-time so you can take action.

8 DURING EVENT Incorporate Event Data Data integration: Push enhanced profile, behavioral, and buying signal data into marketing automation. Reach Out to Your Attendee Lead Nurturing: Suggest next steps to your buyer during and after the event. Event Automation Data captured from the entire lifecycle of the event produces an engagement score and informs lead scoring. Engagement Score = 150 Marketing Automation Sales CRM Lead Sales Acceptance Sales reps can see exactly what happened with each lead so follow up can be more targeted. Add to List Activities Custom Mapping Custom Data Objects SQL The lead is converted to a contact and an opportunity. Profile and interaction data and scoring is passed to your marketing automation system. Bonus: You now have rich information to improve your next event or marketing campaign. AFTER EVENT Sell Your Stuff & Close That Deal Opportunity: Move your prospect through the sales cycle and acquire new customers. Analyze & Attribute Event Spend Credible ROI: Analyze the revenue cycle & attribute. Wine n dine Demos Proposals Follow-ups Contract Purchase Order Event spend can be included in your attribution model with other marketing activities. You can demonstrate sales and deliver credible ROI across ALL marketing channels.

9 CERTAIN EVENT AUTOMATION Beyond event management software for data-driven marketers and event professionals. Certain is the leading provider of enterprise Event Automation software to the Fortune Our software helps data-driven marketers and event professionals capture and integrate rich buying signals and attendee insights into omni-channel marketing campaigns to improve sales and marketing results and deliver credible event ROI. Organizations that are looking to benefit from a vendor s ability to capture and leverage data and event intelligence should place Certain on their short list of vendors. SiriusDecisions Inc. SiriusView: Event Management Solutions 2015 CLIENTS

10 CERTAIN FEATURE COMPARISON Far below industry standards Industry standards Far above industry standards Certain Event Automation Feature List Rating Against Industry Standard EVENT MARKETING & ROI Marketing Automation Integrations Advanced Lead Scoring Nurture Campaigns Customized Reporting Event ROI BUYER ENGAGEMENT Mobile Experience Branding Control Personalized Agendas Call for Papers Session Recommendations Scheduled Appointments Session Polling and Q&A EVENT PLANNING & REGISTRATION Online Registration Integrated Check-In Session Management Travel and Accommodation Sourcing Budgeting Tools

11 Certain delivers the leading enterprise Event Automation platform to personalize event experiences and provide meaningful connections that accelerate business. Certain integrates with marketing automation and CRM systems to help move prospects through the buying cycle faster; and the Certain Event Success Hub includes industry partners that extend event management capabilities. Our Lead Intelligence adds event-level interactions to not only track what attendees are doing, but also understand their actual interests in order to drive more personalized lead nurturing and effective sales follow-up. The Certain platform enables attendee management, utilizes a mobile app to simplify and speedup event registration and management, provides event branding as well as social and mobile participation, and facilitates 1-to-1 meetings that engage audiences and maximize event value for all participants. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in North America, Europe and the Pacific Rim, Certain is a strategic event partner to over 600 enterprise and event management companies Certain, Inc. All Rights Reserved 1 IPSOS OTX (Commissioned by Google), PCMA, PricewaterhouseCoopers (Economic Significance of Meetings to the US Economy, Feb 2011) B2B Content Marketing Trends, Content Marketing Institute/Marketing Profs 3 State of Event B2B Marketing, Regalix Research