The art of business is all about building positive connections and relationships with industry professionals. If your business is directed towards fellow businesses, the more you need to include organizing events in your marketing efforts. This article will serve as a beginner’s guide to everything you need to know about business-to-business or B2B event marketing.
What is B2B events
A B2B event is any organized meeting where businesses interact, network, and conduct transactions, specifically designed for industry professionals rather than the general public.” Unlike consumer-focused events, which target the general public, B2B events cater exclusively to professionals, decision-makers, and stakeholders operating within specific industries or sectors.
Just like in any event, the objective of a B2B event may vary depending on the context of the business. A B2B event can be organized for lead generation, brand awareness, customer acquisition, customer retention, loyalty, market expansion, thought leadership, and more.
Whether in person, virtual, or hybrid event, we’ve seen the potential of B2B events to generate a significant amount of revenue and profit for businesses and it has been a tried and tested form of marketing for decades.
In this article, we will be giving you all the details you can implement to your event strategy for a successful event.
Examples of B2B events
Before we go into the details of how to do B2B events, let’s take a look at the different types of B2B events.
Trade Shows
Trade shows are one of the most expensive types of B2B events. Depending on your industry, different brands participate in an expo where there is an in-person gathering of different businesses presenting their products or services to potential clients. Participating brands aim to build brand awareness or brand recognition by participating in this expensive event. Because it is a gathering of thousands of people, you can expect tight competition in your industry too.
Conferences
Conferences are a gathering of professionals for a discussion of relevant industry topics and issues. Speakers with different expertise take the stage to share their latest research and insights on trends. Professionals can enjoy networking with one another through this educational B2B event.
Webinars
B2B events can be costly. Some event organizers will spend up to millions to participate in an expo or trade show. However, the challenge is to see its return on investment (ROI) towards their business. Webinars, on the other hand, are one of the most cost-efficient ways to do B2B events.
When you offer value to your participants through a webinar, it can also be a great way to increase brand awareness, get leads, and boost customer engagement. Since it is a virtual event, reaching more people can be more affordable and convenient. With webinars, you can also easily track and measure event KPIs online.
Networking events
Business-to-business events can benefit from networking events. Making connections goes a long way in the world of business. Moments in events where they meet new people are usually what make an event memorable for them.
Workshops
Professionals are always evolving and interested in upskilling and learning new things. Workshops are a great way to offer a hands-on experience on something relevant to their work. You can organize different types of workshops that can increase attendee engagement.
Product launches
Launching a new product or service is an important event for a business especially when presenting it to potential customers and stakeholders.
Supplier events
Businesses involve a lot of transactions and stakeholders like suppliers. It is a good practice to maintain the relationship with people you do business with through supplier events. By organizing supplier events, businesses demonstrate their commitment to partnership and collaboration, which can lead to enhanced communication, improved efficiency, and better outcomes for both parties. Supplier events also offer valuable networking opportunities, allowing businesses to connect with key stakeholders, exchange ideas, and build trust and mutual understanding.
Executive retreats
Corporate retreats for your employees are a time of bond and team building. Retreats can be a profitable and effective way to gain employee engagement and boost employee morale. Planners can organize leadership activities and helpful workshops in the retreat for maximum engagement.
Hackathons
Ideas are very valuable in the corporate world. A hackathon is an event where entrepreneurs present their business ideas to secure funding or support from investors. They offer opportunities for participants to showcase their technical skills, creativity, and teamwork while gaining valuable feedback from mentors and industry experts. Ultimately, hackathons serve as catalysts for innovation, driving progress and pushing boundaries in technology and business.
The Pillars of B2B Marketing
Before we go to the specific steps on how to do B2B event marketing, let’s talk about the foundation first according to Dan Moscovich’s book B2B Startup Marketing: A Practical Guide: How to Build Your B2B Marketing Operation from the Ground Up. He listed seven pillars that event marketers should be familiar with to successfully execute a successful campaign.
Messaging and Branding
Understanding how you want to present your brand or business is one of the most important parts of your event marketing strategy. Your messaging will help differentiate you from your competitors and give your target audience a reason to choose and remember you.
Marketing Stack
Marketing Stack refers to the tools and platforms your team uses to execute, optimize, set up, and analyze your marketing campaigns. For example, the department has a customer relationship management tool like HubSpot, an email marketing platform like MailChimp, an event registration form embedded on your website like Event Smart, an analytics tool like Google Analytics, and many more.
Data, Reporting, KPIs
Measuring your event success will be dependent on your source of truth which is your event data and analytics. These numbers will determine if you have met your event goals and will also be the content of your post-event report.
Having a proper structure for your data analytics is important because it also allows you to segment your target audience.
Team and Resource Management
The next pillar is the people behind your team and the management of resources. Questions whether you will choose to hire in-house or outsource is an example of a question you need to answer.
Demand Generation
How will you plan your lead generation strategy? What will be your qualification process for your leads? This is the main question to answer for demand generation. Content creation and social media tactics are some strategies that can help achieve this.
Product Marketing Strategy
The next pillar is planning for the type of content that you will put out to gather interest and eventually convert your target audience into a purchase. Depending on where your customer is in the funnel, you will outline the type of content that is appropriate for your sales cycle.
Some examples of the type of content are blog posts, social media posts, infographics, podcasts, website homepages, market research reports, demo pages, webinars, etc.
Sales Enablement
Sales enablement is the structure of how equipped your sales team is. The marketing department can provide materials or sales content like brochures, product demos, sales decks, and case studies that your sales team can use.
The Steps on How to Do B2B Event Marketing
Setting event objectives
Before any event marketing strategy and planning, setting clear and measurable objectives helps align the whole team. You have to be clear from the start what your expectations from your event are. Your initial goals and KPIs will be your reference as you review your data and measure your success.
By defining key performance indicators (KPIs) and benchmarks, B2B marketers can effectively track progress, optimize strategies, and demonstrate the value of their initiatives to stakeholders. Moreover, well-defined objectives provide clarity and direction, empowering marketing teams to prioritize activities, allocate resources efficiently, and adapt to evolving market dynamics with agility and purpose.
Understanding target audience
Develop detailed buyer personas to gain a deep understanding of your audience’s needs and preferences, ensuring your marketing resonates effectively. Every person has a problem or pain point that they want to solve. Identify it and use that as a selling point in your marketing communications.
Since B2B marketing is targeted to businesses, you have to identify the decision makers for the solution you are proposing. Unlike a B2C model, where you are targeting emotional triggers or lifestyle operations, in B2B you are most likely solving a business efficiency or growth problem.
Choosing the event format
Assess your budget to determine the most cost-effective event format that aligns with your business goals and audience expectations.
Event planning and execution
After deciding on the event details, it’s time to start planning for your event. Here’s a checklist to give you an idea of how to start
- Create an event timeline
- Allocate your event budget for your expenses
- Secure permits and licenses if necessary
- Negotiate with vendors
- Reach out for potential sponsorships
- Create your event program
- Craft your event marketing plan
- Engage with your attendees
- Set up networking opportunities
- Conduct postevent activities
- Write your post-event report
Using Event Technology Tools
As mentioned earlier as the pillars of B2B marketing, event organizers use event technology tools to make their jobs easier and offer a better experience for attendees. For example, when creating B2B events, you need to have an event website where your attendees can register. Most ticket-selling platforms will charge a commission fee, but not Event Smart.
Utilize event planning tools like Event Smart to customize registration forms and securely process payments instantly, among other functionalities.
Additionally, emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality in events are transforming B2B experiences. AI can be used to brainstorm ideas for your event themes, personalize social media communications, and analyze post-event success.
Virtual Reality can also be used to elevate the experience of your event attendees. Some examples are a virtual venue tour, realistic product demonstrations, virtual networking, and realistic gamification elements.
Best Tactics for B2B Event Marketing
Pre-event Marketing Tactics
Hype your event by not neglecting your pre-event marketing tactics. From compelling email campaigns and targeted social media outreach to personalized invitations and teaser content, the goal is to pique curiosity, communicate value, and drive registration. By leveraging digital channels, tapping into existing networks, and offering exclusive incentives, businesses can maximize visibility, expand reach, and lay the groundwork for a memorable event experience.
Leverage Thought Leadership
Build credibility and nurture long-term relationships by inviting experts to share valuable knowledge and insights about their particular industry. When your brand positions itself as a trusted authority in a specific industry, it will be easier for potential customers to choose you because of the established trust.
Relationship Building
One of the main differences between B2B to B2C is that the sales cycle might be longer with B2B. Author Emmanuel Egaga shared that B2C is focused more on capturing attention, encouraging repeat purchases, and limited-time offers. On the other hand, “B2B marketing is centered more on building business relationships and positioning the brand as a reliable partner or solution provider.”
Content is King
When you understand your buyer persona and their pain points, you can make targeted content that can address their pain points and objections.
The book The B2B Content Marketing Handbook cited these types of content that work best for B2B businesses:
- Educational Guides and Whitepapers
- Case Studies and Success Stories
- Webinars and Virtual Events
- Industry reports and research studies
- Interactive Tools and Assessments
- Thought Leadership Content
Invest in Educational Depth for Content
Businesses are looking for solutions so it is best if your content offers educational depth and not just surface-level content. Use data-driven research and compelling storytelling to communicate your content effectively.
Engagement During the Event
Deploy your team to actively interact with attendees throughout the event, using tailored strategies to enhance engagement. Know your audience and their preferences by customizing your event registration forms so you know how you can best serve your attendees. Set up workshops, roundtable discussions, Q&A panels, coffee bars, gamification elements, and more to keep your attendees engaged throughout the event.
Post-event followup
Maintain long-term business relationships by engaging in thoughtful post-event follow-ups with attendees, ensuring continued connection and engagement. Whether it be a thoughtful thank you email, sending a simple gift, sending an event highlight compilation, and more. Demonstrating thoughtfulness, no matter how small the gesture, can leave a lasting impression. When you establish meaningful connections with tour attendees, it will be easier to invite them again for your future events.
Case Study of a Successful B2B Event Marketing
An example of B2B Event Marketing is Ignite USA’s B2B Marketing Event where marketers are invited to attend the usual 2-day event. They invite esteemed thought leaders to do talks and organize roundtable discussions, Q&A sessions, and interactive workshops.
To expand their reach, they have made the content available on-demand and online for interested participants all over the world. Their marketing strategy is also through content marketing and collaboration with industry leaders. They started a podcast as their main source of content and crossposted this on their LinkedIn and X platforms. Additionally, they also share snippets of the talks from their speakers as content.
The Best Event Registration for B2B Events
Build your credibility and start planning for a B2B event in your industry now. From in-person events, and virtual to hybrid events, you can make a good first impression with your event registration process. With Event Smart, you can scale and reach a wide audience without worrying about high commission fees. Unlike other ticketing platforms, Event Smart charges zero commission fees on an unlimited number of tickets sold.
Enjoy all the features of an event management platform like accepting online registrations, secure payment collections, customizable registration forms, easy event site setups, and more. Try our 14-day free trial now. No credit card is required.
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