Why Events Are The Best Account-Based Marketing Tactic

Account-based marketing works because it swaps impersonal marketing for more relevant personal interactions. Sales has always known that the only way to close big a deal is to connect with your prospect in a meaningful way that builds a relationship. Marketing is starting to take that more personalized approach and apply to a broader audience though ABM. Events are the perfect combination of meaningful 1:1 sales interaction with the scale and polish of a marketing program.

While there are many good ABM tactics out there including highly targeted versions of direct mail, advertising, and email, events are the perfect way to put your account-based marketing strategy into action.

Here are five reasons events are the best account-based marketing tactic:

1. Events inspire action.

Effective marketing and sales isn’t one-sided. You need your audience to take action as well. It doesn’t usually work well to try to force action from your prospects. You probably wouldn’t take a meeting with sales rep if they demanded that it take place on specific day and time, or not at all. But events can get away with a rigid schedule. Events inherently have a non-negotiable specific day, time, and location.

Events are the ultimate “act now!” marketing touch, because they require anyone interested in attending to register by a specified date and show up to your event on time. That doesn’t mean any event will inspire action. It still needs to be a compelling offer for your invitees. Make sure you are providing value through a combination of high-quality content and experience.

For sales, an event can’t be pushed off like a request for a meeting. Your prospects can’t ask for you to “check back next month” about your event. This helps sales to move deals along more quickly.

2. Events shorten the sales cycle.

If you are practicing account-based marketing, you should know the accounts and prospects you are trying to reach. For those prospects earlier in your sales cycle, events provide multiple touchpoints that help move them along more quickly than the typical digital interactions that eventually lead to a phone call with a sales rep. A well-executed event combines website visits, email, content, sales meeting into a shorter timeframe.

For accounts that have existing open opportunities, an event can be the catalyst to close the deal. Events are ideal for “unsticking” opportunities that stuck in any stage for your sales cycle. Events provide the opportunity for prospects to connect with your other customers as well as your executives to get past any potential objections they have. Not to mention the benefit of the extra face-to-face interaction that wouldn’t have happened without the event.

3. Events are the best way to reach decision makers.

ABM enthusiasts love to quote legendary advertiser David Ogilvy “Don’t count the people that you reach, reach the people who count.” That quality over quantity message sits at the core of ABM.

One of the biggest challenges in both marketing and sales is engaging decision makers at your target accounts. ABM uses highly targeted and personalized outreach to engage all of the key decision makers in the buying process, including executives.

Events rank as the most effective tactic for reaching C-level executives. An account-based marketing strategy that uses events will help you engage those important decision makers. Events enable sales to make connections with executive-level prospects at target accounts to create new opportunities and accelerate pipeline.

4. Events combine marketing and sales touchpoints.

When a prospects hits your website for the first time and downloads some content, that’s traditionally counted as a marketing touchpoint. Then a sales rep emails/calls that contact and that’s sales touchpoint. For the prospect, these touchpoints seem can seem disjointed.

Account-based marketing blurs the lines between marketing and sales touchpoints by combining them through collaboration on the right messaging and content to target specific accounts. Good events strategically combine multiple sales and marketing touchpoints, from invitations through follow-up.

Marketing and sales work together to get the right people from the right accounts to attend. Marketing presents useful content while sales strategically engages with attendees. Sales follows up with a relevant message based on attendee’s interactions at the event. This set of “touches” makes sense to the prospect while providing value and building a relationship.

5. Events build relationships.

Account based marketing works because it targets high-value accounts with a personalized, relevant message. Instead of blasting your database with generic emails that look like they come from a sales rep, ABM tactics make sure your message is relevant to your prospects.

In-person events provide the opportunity for the most personalized, relevant message possible via face-to-face conversations. It isn’t easy to build trust and intimacy over the phone or email. Events provide a way for your prospects and customers to get to know your company and product up close and personal, without the usual distractions of online engagement.

People love to feel like they belong. Hosting great events for like-minded professionals helps you build a community around your product. The combination of education and networking that will help them advance their careers is key to building your brand’s community.

For more on getting started with ABM events, download our free guide: How To Engage Your Target Accounts With Roadshow Events.