Account-Based Marketing (ABM) has been trending in B2B marketing for the past few years. Outperforming all other marketing efforts, it’s more than just a buzzword, with 80% of marketer’s stating that ABM provides the best ROI.
But marketers aren’t maximising events to their true potential. Whilst lead generation is the obvious logic behind investment in experiential marketing, businesses would see a higher return if efforts were concentrated on account-based events. In particular, they must engage and target key accounts while providing high-value content to educate and attract attendees.
So what exactly is ABM? Account-based marketing, also known as key account marketing and connected marketing, is a strategic approach to business marketing. It is based on account awareness in which businesses consider and communicate with individual prospects or customer accounts as markets of one.
According to DemandBase, those who apply an ABM strategy see a higher return in investment in the long term. Such results illustrate why it’s imperative to tap into the potential of events as part of their ABM strategy, investing both time and budget into face-to-face meetings with key accounts.
ABM events bridge the gap between the physical and digital, delivering tailored content and providing a platform to physically engage with prospective clients and stakeholders. These events ignite topical discussions, and offer an opportunity for peer-to-peer networking that can lead to building long-lasting business relationships.
Events are a key ingredient to an effective ABM strategy. Uzair Dada, CEO of atEvent concurs, stating, “if you’re not thinking about events as an opportunity to build relationships with targeted accounts and planning for that as you do with your digital marketing efforts, you are missing out in a big way.”
We’re breaking down how to apply ABM in person and engage at events, creating real business opportunities before, during and following an event.
Pre-Event
Where is your target audience, what platforms are they engaging on and what content are they reading? Who is the most attainable, and has the most potential valuable?
By reviewing and researching accounts that engage with your account, you are building rapport, as your company has piqued their interest before. An awareness of your brand already exists; therefore, you have established intent to buy prior to attendance, with the likelihood that it will convert to a sale.
A consolidation of the right amount of accounts should be completed. Event marketers need to be inviting the right accounts, with individuals who hold decision-making power and with topics and speakers that are of interest and resonate.
“We attract potential attendees via, social media and our exclusive VIP account list. Targeting key accounts that we know our clients would like to build a relationship with.”
During
A curated audience of high-level decision-makers at your disposal hanging at your every word; isn’t that what every business wants? But it’s important to remember why they are there, as well as why you are there too. Speakers are integral to why people have attended the event, but a good event will always ensure you have enough time to network, enabling access and opportunities to engage in relevant conversations with key stakeholders. Whilst doing so, remember no one wants a pitchy poacher; genuinely listen to your guests to get the most out of your event.
“At an event, it is essential to have as many genuine, one-on-one conversations with target accounts as possible. We get them there; the rest is up to you.”
Post-Event
What happens after an event is just as crucial, if not more so than what happens prior to and during an event. Take the time to nurture relationships and to follow-up on conversations you had at the event. By identifying key stakeholders within top-tier accounts, you will become better positioned to schedule nurture meetings and create business relationships post-event.
“When the fun is over, it’s all about tangible results, how many leads qualify etc. The after-event process is what really matters, ensuring you solidify the connections you made to see real ROI.”
Focusing on targeting technology leaders from some of the EU’s companies, Rackspace wanted to come face-to-face with potential clients. Following an eight-week lead time, Chief Nation and our exclusive Chief Wine Officer Experience, worked with them to organise 10 exclusive events across the EU. We brought decision-makers from across industries under one roof for unencumbered discussion around cloud computing services and challenges facing their organisations. The Chief Wine Officer Experience meant that alongside the high-value content, C-level delegates had the opportunity to network with peers whilst enjoying some fine dining and light entertainment.
We proudly delivered, achieving a networking experience for Rackspace with prospects from the likes of Vodafone, Deutsche Bank, Ericsson and Microsoft. Learn more about what our clients thought about us.
Want to experience this exclusive networking opportunity and connect with your C-level peers?
Chief Wine Officer (CWO) is an ongoing series of B2B networking events. We bring our diverse portfolio of clients together for C-Level insight, trending business discussions, thought-leadership content and networking opportunities.
Striking the right balance between business and pleasure, our CWO format is unrivalled. It is based on connecting prospects in-person, over several glasses of the finest wines and bubbles. To top it off, at each event guests enjoy some light competition, and they are quizzed over the night by a wine aficionado on what wines are tantalising their taste buds. The venue is often the cherry on top – always luxurious, exclusive, and personal. Guests have the opportunity to relax and experience a superb dining experience in the most intimate of settings. Toward the end of the evening, a lucky guest is crowned with the coveted title of “Chief Wine Officer”.
Want us to do the same for you? Get in touch and see what experiences you can create with Chief Wine Officer.
We deliver more with our connected marketing approach, going above and beyond to ensure you generate new business by getting you in front of potential buyers.
You can learn more about the advantages of our ABM strategy and connected marketing approach in our 2020 report.
