THE DOUBLE FUNNEL:
How to reduce your ‘no shows’ to trade shows and free B2B events
– Part 2
In blog 1 of this series (check it out here) I gave insight into some of the most common reasons trade show visitors get cold feet and don’t show up. Now we get to the part where I tell you how to market an event to hold trade show visitors’ interest between registering and the event itself.
The magic formula to this is called the Double Funnel (it’s not as dirty as it sounds). Now, we all know the standard Awareness, Consideration, Decision registration funnel. It is, after all, the common strategy used to market an event. I’m not going to knock this strategy because it’s an incredibly powerful driver of registrations, which is a critical step towards increasing your visitor numbers.
But registrations are only half the story because they don’t guarantee that visitors will walk through the door. So in addition to the registration funnel, our double funnel strategy includes an engagement funnel – which reminds them exactly why they wanted to attend in the first place.
How does the double funnel work exactly?
Unlike the registration funnel, where your clear, singular goal is to get people to register (it’s in the name after all), the engagement funnel is about re-establishing consideration (‘that’s right – that’s why I wanted to go to that event’) and decision (right, I’m booking that day out of the office, that hotel etc. – I’m doing it!).
• Keep registrants updated
With this in mind, your advertising and marketing can be much broader and more varied. You no longer have to drive people to a registration form, but can offer up links to blogs, videos, infographics, polls etc. The key is to keep them excited and informed. If they registered early in the process, you can now update them on newly confirmed speakers, updated floor plans and an event schedule.
• Combat cold feet
Combat cold feIf you read part 1 of this series, you’ll be well versed in the many reasons registrants might not attend your trade show – so now’s your chance to counter their arguments. – Worried about the weather? Here’s a map to undercover parking. – Worried your boss won’t let you attend? Here’s a list of the benefits to help convince them. – Concerned that the cost of getting there is too high? Here are some travel tips and a list of affordable partner hotels.
• Amplify your marketing
Once someone has registered, they become an advocate for your trade show. Since the objective of the engagement funnel is to keep your registrants excited about event event, your marketing can now focus on getting likes, shares and comments. Not only will this show you how excited your registrants are, but every time they engage with your content it will be broadcast to their social media network. There’s nothing more powerful than word-of-mouth marketing. Nothing.
• Market across a range of devices and platforms
Where the majority of trade show registrations come from email and forms completed on a desktop (come on, who wants to fill in an 8-page registration form on a iPhone, I sure don’t), the engagement funnel can be a lot more agile when selecting your channels. You now have free reign to target mobile devices and social media platforms without the fear that you’re wasting your money. During the engagement phase, even a glimpse at your branding while browsing Facebook on the train to work is beneficial. It keeps you top of mind.
Registrations aren’t your objective
– visitors are
When marketing an event, too little time, resources, strategic thought and budget is spent on getting visitors through the door. In trade show marketing terms, a well-designed and well-executed double funnel strategy will get more ROI as far as visitor numbers than any other channel, tactic or strategy.
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Eric Louw
CLIENT SERVICES DIRECTOR
Some people are just destined to market B2B events. Eric is one of those people. It’s not because he’s passionate about B2B events (that’s a given), it’s because he’s passionate about helping B2B event organisers maximise their marketing budget with digital marketing tactics.
Eric Louw
CLIENT SERVICES DIRECTOR
Some people are just destined to market B2B events. Eric is one of those people. It’s not because he’s passionate about B2B events (that’s a given), it’s because he’s passionate about helping B2B event organisers maximise their marketing budget with digital marketing tactics.
