Two ways to get more from lead generation efforts

According to Brent Arslaner, vice president of marketing for Unisfair, lead generation is currently about a six on a scale of one to ten; meaning lead generation efforts are strong, but could definitely be stronger. One trend in the lead generation sector is the virtual event. Because virtual events cut out travel more businesses and even consumers are choosing virtual events over in-person events. However, this area especially is not being used to it's fullest advantage because the eventers aren't following up on the leads generated by the attending parties.

By segmenting the event attendees marketers can get stronger leads and can appeal to those consumers more directly in future correspondence.

"[Marketers] must take the time to be more scientific and weigh the data," said Mr. Arslaner. "At a physical event, people may jot down a line or two about a prospect, but with virtual events you can get much more good data about different attendees so that future communications can be better targeted."

The information gained can be much more than simply gender or company information. Attendees can be tracked throughout a virtual event so that you, as the marketer, know what specifics they are interested in. Further, upon sign up attendees can be asked very specific questions about their plans.

The second thing to look at is the content offered at the event. Just as in a physical event, leads won't stick around if the content offered isn't strong, direct and compelling. So weigh all of the content options before choosing which information should be included.

"Is the content interesting? Is it compelling? Speakers are important in the virtual world, just as in the physical world," said Arslaner. "It's not about hosting one event and then ending it. Marketers need a target market and need to know what kind of information their targets want. The eventers who do great things are the eventers who build trust with the consumer time after time; they have a plan and a goal and execute it."

Tags: lead generation, online events, Unisfair, virtual events