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As the needs of the digital healthcare sector become more diverse and the competition more intense, getting your products and services in front of those all-important leads can be difficult.
To help you cut through the noise and reach potential new customers, you should consider event marketing. Whether you hold your own event or attend an industry-recognised exhibition, the benefits of event marketing can transform how you do business.
Keep reading to learn more about the key benefits that event marketing could offer you and your organisation.
1) Increase Brand Awareness and Product Exposure
Hosting or attending events allows you to increase your brand awareness and get your products and services in front of as many potential customers as possible. It will enable the right people to discover your brand, what you offer and whether you could add value to their organisation.
Take this as an opportunity to showcase what you do and sell it to the people who need it. If you are a health-tech brand, display your technology in an interactive way that leads can experience and engage with. If you are a health innovation partner, show healthcare officials how you can improve how they operate and deliver their services.
Make sure you have a strong brand image and presence that resonates with attendees and helps you to stand out from the crowd. That way, you will be memorable to potential leads, resulting in a possible sale.
2) Reach a Target Audience
Ensuring you are reaching the right audience is crucial. If you operate within the healthcare sphere, make sure you host or showcase at an event that serves this industry.
Do your research into your target audience. What events are they likely to attend? What type of event do they prefer? What are they looking for? This should help you identify worthwhile events or the kind of event you could organise for yourself.
If you are setting up your event, inviting a select group of people that make up your target audience is critical. On the other hand, if you plan to have a stand at a wider industry exhibition, establish whether the kind of customers you are looking for are likely to be there.
3) Develop Relationships With New Leads and Existing Customers
One of the key benefits of event marketing is it allows you to reach new prospects — even better if it is face-to-face interaction. If you are looking to target senior healthcare professionals, they may put more value on industry events where they can engage with brands that might be of interest to them.
Not only does it allow you to find new prospects, but it also allows you to develop relationships with existing customers. Inviting customers to your event or engaging with them at an exhibition can increase positive rapport and let you up-sell your current partnership.
4) Build Your Pipeline With New and Engaged Leads
Another benefit of event marketing is that it enables you to build your pipeline with new leads. Find out what they are looking for, get their information, create leads and feed the funnel. The fundamental goal here is to have interactions that ultimately lead to sales.
To help you keep on track, set clear goals you want to achieve before hosting or attending the event. What are you looking to accomplish? This way, you can ensure your event marketing is worth the investment.
Qualifying your leads through in-person interaction can be valuable. It establishes your brand as a potential partner and makes you more memorable. Make sure to get a leads’ contact information so you continue the conversation after the event has taken place.
5) Incorporate an Effective Sales Strategy to Convert Leads and Boost Sales
The overall goal of event marketing is to generate leads and turn them into qualified leads, hoping that they will become a customer.
Engaging with leads at events allows you to turn marketing qualified leads (MQLs) into sales qualified leads (SQLs) through lead nurturing tactics, such as giving them the relevant information, answering any questions and following up with them after the event.
To get the most out of your event, identify clear decisions, actions and goals to turn your leads into customers and create long-lasting partnerships. Some tactics to consider may be offering a free audit or scheduling a complimentary consultation, so you can gather the information you need from attendees and segment them accordingly.
6) Establish Leadership and Credibility
As a healthcare brand, you should be an expert in your field. Events marketing gives you the chance to showcase this authority. Use events to teach others new ideas and win credibility through your thought leadership.
If it is your own event that you are hosting, consider having a speaker that demonstrates how you could add value for health organisations while offering new and thought-provoking information.
It is also worth considering the information you could share with those who did not attend the event. Create content from the day such as recorded Q&As and speeches, reflection blogs and social media posts to gain traction, meaning you can continue to reap the rewards of an event even after it has taken place.
7) Tap Into Pre-event Marketing Comms
When planning your event, think beyond the event itself. By utilising pre-event communication, it gives the target audience a chance to get acquainted with you before the event occurs.
Pinpoint your target audience and begin to outreach, even before the event invites are released. Identify the most used channels by your target audience and use them to your advantage. Be clear with your intention, grab their attention and make your brand memorable so people look out for you when they attend the event.
8) Customer Research and Feedback
Events are not just about you giving information to potential customers, but also an opportunity for you to gain insight from them. Take this as a chance to conduct consumer research. What kind of customers are at the event and what are they looking for? What are their key pain points and concerns that you could address or solve?
In addition to this, you can also gain feedback. Feedback is valuable as it helps you improve and refine the products and services you offer. This should help you make changes or continue what you are doing to get as many valuable leads and customers as possible.
9) Competitor Research
While there are many lead-related benefits of having a stand at an industry exhibition, the competitor research advantages should not be ignored. Not only do they allow you to interact with similar brands and maybe even establish mutually beneficial relationships, but they also offer the opportunity to find new ideas.
Being aware of your competitor landscape is crucial to ensure you are ahead of the game. It could help you fill gaps in your product or service offering and establish the type of customers your competitors are targeting.
Can Event Marketing Work for You?
Hosting and attending events can be incredibly valuable to generate leads and get new customers within the healthcare industry. It lets you network with potential customers and competitors and gauge what is happening in the market.
By having a cohesive strategy, setting clear goals and attending or hosting the right events for you and your potential leads, you will increase your chances of acquiring new customers.
Find Out How We Can Help You
Discover how we can connect your organisation with the UK digital healthcare sector. At HETT, we can help you generate digital health leads and fill your sales pipeline. To find out more, click the link below and save your spot for the 2022 HETT Show.
