By Clare Parisi
Although it may still seem like months away, the busy life science industry trade show and event season is almost upon us — and now is the time to prepare your strategy for generating and capturing qualified leads from these events to help drive your company’s consistent growth.
Industry events, trade shows, annual meetings, and other gatherings of like-minded life sciences professionals provide a more personal, face-to-face platform to engage and connect with existing and potential customers to generate leads and increase brand awareness. It might be the perfect opportunity to showcase a new or existing product or solution, or perhaps you’d like to focus on relationship-building by arranging your exhibit space to accommodate side conversations with your sales representatives and subject matter experts. Regardless of the approach, if your goal is to generate leads and collect contact information from potential customers, we present the following four tips to maximize the return on your event investment:
1. Have a clear strategy
Before signing the vendor agreement and ordering swag to give out at the booth, work with your sales teams to develop a clear lead generation strategy for the event. This strategy should include overall goals and measurable metrics, the event’s budget, the target audience you want to attract, as well as key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you measure and assess your success. The strategic event plan should also include specific tactics and activities that will be used to generate leads at the event. Everything from messaging to traffic flow in the booth to specific marketing collateral that will be given away should be listed in the plan, with the appropriate people responsible for each activity clearly identified.
2. Promote your attendance
It’s always much better to be sought out as opposed to simply being found, and promoting your event to your target customers well ahead of the event is a good way to drive potential customers to your booth. You’ll want to create a promotion strategy that includes a mix of social media, email marketing, and other digital channels to promote your attendance at the event and to encourage potential customers to seek you out. Don’t forget to utilize marketing collateral such as white papers and case studies as part of your outreach to educate potential customers of your product or services and invite further conversation at the event itself.
3. Use technology to your advantage
We’ve seen some amazing uses of technology at industry events over the years, but you don’t need holograms, virtual reality, or floating disco balls to make a lasting impression on potential customers. You’re there to showcase your products or services and to generate leads, and those factors should be the basis when choosing in-booth technology to have at your event. Lead capture technology such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) badges or QR codes can be synced with your CRM system to collect and manage contact information from attendees. Similarly, many events now offer mobile apps for attendees to use to navigate the event, access session information, and interact with exhibitors. Work with the conference organizers to learn how you can potentially use these apps to promote your company and generate leads.
4. Follow-up effectively
Lastly, the most critical piece for generating leads at an industry event is to follow up with these new connections timely and efficiently. You should have a plan in place with your sales team to nurture these leads after the event, preferably reaching out to new prospects within two days so you can capitalize on momentum and strike while the iron is hot.
For new and established life science companies, exhibiting at industry events and tradeshows can be a great way to connect with current customers and generate new leads. It is also a time-consuming investment that must be planned, manned, and budgeted appropriately. By having a clear event strategy, promoting your attendance, and leveraging technology to follow up with potential leads quickly and efficiently, you can increase the chances of converting leads into customers and seeing a solid return on your investment.
Think you may need some additional help with industry event execution? Or even deciding which events are worth your time and money? Rebound has experienced planners who understand the unique demands of the life sciences industry. Schedule some time with us to talk about your goals.