When was the last time you accurately measured the success of an event, let alone proven positive ROI? We’d venture to guess it’s been a challenge at your organization, and yet you continue to invest in events, year after year. It's okay, you’re not alone.
According to a SiriusDecisions study, nearly 30% of demand creation budgets for B2B organizations are allocated to various events.
“Measurement is 100% dependent on your ability to plan and to execute,”
— Erin Bohlin, Sirius Decisions Research Director, in Bringing Intelligence to Events webinar.
Accurate measurement of event ROI, however, continues to be a hurdle that many organizations struggle to overcome. The reason ROI is often hard to prove can be narrowed down to three common pitfalls.
Not Linking Event Goals to Outcomes
At the root of the problem is a failure to tie event planning, management, and execution strategies directly to the success criteria. If your goal is to accelerate existing leads through the pipeline, what systems have you set up to enable this? Tying the goals of your event to your measurement criteria is critical to event success.
Outdated Lead Capture Techniques
Even if an organization has keyed in on its event goals, they often use outdated methods of capturing lead information. Sales teams spend hours taking notes and manually inputting information into their marketing automation systems. This leads to lack of appropriate follow-up and lead leakage, taking a toll on ROI. Automating the lead capture process allows the sales team to do what they do best: focus on their relationships.
Lack of Event Insight and Intelligence
How do you know what went well at an event, and what could go better next time? The best tools allow you to review trending topics and follow-up actions, cost per lead, covered account activity, and company user productivity—so you can make better decisions at the next event to optimize your ROI.
In our webinar, Bringing Intelligence to Events, atEvent CEO Uzair Dada teamed with Erin Bohlin to discuss further why proving event ROI is such a challenge—and how, with the right tools and knowledge, events can be a successful part of any marketing strategy.
While the live webinar has passed, it’s not too late to learn how you, too, can turn your next event around. Just click below to access a recording of the webinar.
