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A virtual event is an ideal way to attract prospects who want to learn more about your product or service.  Get more registrations by providing a valuable experience and engaging content that is tailored to their interests. New leads are the lifeblood of every successful business. They strengthen your portfolio and help the business grow. Knowing which attendees are qualified leads and which are just along for the ride ensures that your time and money is spent efficiently.

Knowing which attendees are qualified leads

Identifying qualified leads lets you tailor your pipeline to those potential clients. Don’t turn someone off by aggressively following up when a lighter touch is needed. And don’t lose out on potential customers by failing to follow up with someone who is on the fence.

So how do you tell if someone is interested? They ask a lot of questions. They opt-in to receive emails or follow up information. They post about your event or company on social media. They participate in the Q&A during the event and explore your virtual platform.  They download supplemental information.  

Usually, the more touch-points a lead interacts with, the warmer that lead becomes. So create multiple opportunities for attendees to engage with you. That can be through presentations, demos, Q&A sessions, social media sharing, opt-ins and more.

Knowledge is power

Getting the most out of your event marketing starts with gathering as much data as possible about your attendees. Go beyond who attended and who didn’t. Keep track of who attended which sessions and who was most engaged throughout the process.

The tools you use to track attendees are built right into the virtual platform.  They can keep track of who attended, which sessions were attended, what was viewed/downloaded and more.

You should always send a follow-up email immediately after the event thanking attendees for coming and include links to view the conference, download materials, etc.  Ask them to register for the next event or to view a case study on your website. All of these actions can be tracked on your website and/or through your virtual platform or landing page.  Knowing what they are interested in will come in handy when you’re ready to follow up.

Start with sign-up

Start gathering information from the very first interaction. When attendees sign up for your event, they should fill out a simple form that includes such information as their name, title, company, and reason for attending. You can also ask what they hope to get out of the event.

This simple information can help you organize your follow-up later. You can sometimes see right off the bat whether that attendee will be a qualified lead.

If you’re selling to businesses, a c-suite executive from a large company is probably a qualified lead from the start. If you’re selling to individual consumers you may need to get more creative with your questions. For example, if you’re a pool company, ask if the person owns their home or is renting.

Use social media

Social media is an effective way to gauge attendee interest. Attendees who are engaged in what you have to offer may post on social media. Make it easy for them by creating a custom hashtag. 

The proof is in the follow up

After the event is over, you’ll be left with a ton of metrics to sift through. Quickly identify your most qualified leads and rank them by level of interest. If you have information of note from an attendee, mention it in the follow up email.  

If you’re not following up with leads post-event, you’re missing the biggest value your event can offer  — warm, qualified leads ready to buy.

Start generating leads

If you’re ready to start planning an event to generate qualified leads for your companycontact us today.