I was recently interviewed by Events Uncovered TV, to share my observations on the ever changing shape that B2B event marketing is taking. The premise of my argument is that while some traditional marketing techniques may have worked superbly in their heyday, the industry is undeniably evolving (and some event marketers are struggling to keep up). Enjoy the interview and please comment away if you have views of your own.

If you don’t have a chance to watch the video right now, here are the key takeaways from Old School Event Marketing vs New School Event Marketing  – but be sure to take a look later!

1.       Email blasts vs value adding content

• The focus has to switch from standard feature based event information to addressing prospects' pain points – broadcasting about how great your speakers are, how you’ve snared the coolest of venues, and how many big name sponsors you’ve secured just won’t cut it

• Rather than simply providing event specific content, aim to educate, empathise and connect with your audience

• Link your content elegantly back to your event (if you’re struggling to do this without it sounding contrived, the link just isn’t strong enough)

2.       Direct marketing vs social media

• Printing tons of brochures and sending them out to every address you had was the way to do it – digital has revolutionised this

• Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are the new mediums through with you can promote your event – this approach is far less intrusive, exposes you to contacts you don’t even know and generally increases the chances of relevant prospects finding your event

• Content, blogging and SEO are critical parts of your event marketing strategy and big enablers of this social media engagement

3.       Contra deals vs marketing partnerships

• The old way of doing things revolved around striking any deal possible and tackling prospective media partners with a blanket approach

• Now media and marketing partnerships are all about value. You have to know exactly how you can help to achieve their goals, and equally what you require in return: the only foolproof way of doing this is to do your research, which will make it far more likely that your proposals are approved

4.       Buying lists vs embracing inbound

• Where it used to be perfectly acceptable to buy generic lists, and blast emails to people who may have never even heard of your organisation, increasingly it’s all about being found online – and making it more likely that you will be

• Event marketers know a thing or two about repurposing content, and are facing up to the realisation that they need to think more like publishers, providing content all year round

To all you old schoolers who think adapting to these new techniques seems overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. If anything, digital makes your job a whole lot easier! Build the integrity and authority of your brand and events through quality content and social proof, and the delegates will come to you.

If you liked what you heard here, or you want to know how to go about applying these new methodologies to your business, get in touch for a free assessment of your marketing strategy.

Image Credit: Chris