Most of my clients asked me this question before, “What differentiates a good event management platform from an average one?”. Then I told them about data management. If you have an one-off event and decide that you will never have another similar event in the future, then you need not read further. However, if you are keen on event marketing and want to leverage events for generating business, you must not miss this article. An event management platform with integrated CRM will be key to your success.
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. A CRM software, therefore, helps you manage relationships and interactions with your current and future customers. In most cases, your event attendees are your potential customers. Hence, it’s vital to integrate a CRM with the event software so that the sales team can take control and take action in time.
Here are a few suggestions on how you can leverage an event CRM software to drive sales revenue.
#1 Engage with your attendees as a pre-sales activity
Pre-sales is very important as it’s about prospecting, qualifying and nurturing leads. Every time you spark a conversation, be it an email, a message, a Facebook comment, etc., you will want to record it and evaluate the sales-readiness of the attendee.
#2 Easy access to information for Sales
The marketing team’s effort in attendee nurturing shouldn’t be in conflict with the sales team’s lead nurturing. Your sales people need to know what events their clients or their leads have attended. Events could be about informing customers of a new product or keeping customers updated of the latest technological happening. Keeping a list of all the events that each of your client has attended will help Sales engage in an intelligent conversation with their client. That’s why there should be a data center that sales people and marketing people can access. With cloud-based CRM platforms, information is always available.
#3 Store data for future use
It doesn’t make sense to me if I use a separate platform for managing my event data. The data don’t only hold value to the event per se but also to customer analytics and remarketing. An integrated CRM allows you to look at a list of potential invitees and then select them as targets for event registration forms, so they are always aware of upcoming events and feel valued to be contacted. This may make them more likely to feel loyal to your brand and register. At the same time, your Sales team would have a better view of the customer and predict their behaviors.
#4 Everyone is on the same page
Not only marketing or sales need to nurture the relationships with customers. Customer success definitely needs to know what events their clients are attending. Human resources sometimes want to check if a candidate’s ever been to a company event. You want to make sure the people that need information to drive productivity and business get it easily.
In Conclusion…
You as an event marketing professional must look for an event management software with integrated CRM now. Keep in mind that it must be a single platform that allows both your sales and marketing teams work effectively together. Email campaign reports or attendance reports are not CRM. If you want to find out more about this, send your questions to us by clicking the “Ask us a question” button below!
kabir joshi on 22 Feb 12Through this article we can understand how the trends in event management industry taking shape. By having the knowledge of such trends in the event industry ,hotels can modify their strategies accordingly. Increasingly tech-savvy and eco-conscious clients will drive continued change in meetings and events management in the year ahead, according to meetings management, logistics and event company, Publicis Meetings USA (PMUSA). Technological advances are expected to be at the core of several trends in the meeting industry in 2011. Customizable mobile apps One trend is the use of mobile devices and customized applications to promote audience engagement, interactivity and networking. Mobile apps are now being developed for individual events and programs, allowing organizers to communicate with attendees before and during the meeting, especially regarding time-sensitive subjects like changes of itinerary, maps and other announcements. Hybrid meetings In today's cost-conscious business environment, PMUSA forecasts that new technologies will also drive continued growth in hybrid meetings. By incorporating hybrid components into their meetings, clients are saving money, achieving higher attendance rates and promoting sustainability. Incorporating technology, such as live broadcasts and video streaming, allows clients to conduct and attend meetings from a remote location. PMUSA believes that the cost savings is a major factor in this trend, along with the importance of a meeting's environmental responsibility." Comprehensive "green" meetings Meeting clients have increasingly been requesting "green" events, but it's the comprehensive nature of these requests that PMUSA sees as the most important trend for the coming year. Increasingly, clients are expecting every aspect of a meeting to include an environmental component, from biodiesel vehicles and biodegradable materials to the use of locally sourced food and reusable plants for centre pieces in lieu of cut flo
Yu Zhai on 23 Feb 12Yes, what you mention is the trend of technology using in event planning. I used to search information about the green concept of meeting. Now more and more planners consider this trend when plan meeting. It's a comprehensive one when implement.
