3 min read

Dos & Don't Of Event Leads

I have been at a lot of events just recently, and when I talk to people on the stands, they always talk about the number of leads created. So I thought I would share a few dos and don’ts of post event lead management. In this post, I will cover:

Don’t Just Scan A Bar Code And Think That Is A Lead: Understand what a lead is
Don’t Think All Leads Are The Same
Don’t Do A One-Off Follow Up Email
Don’t Expect Instant Business
Don’t Just Hand Over A Data List For Sales Follow Up
Don’t Just Add Names To Your Email System
Don’t Go Straight For The Jugular
Don’t Get Lost In The Crowd
Do Build On It

Don’t Just Scan A Bar Code And Think That Is A Lead: Understand what a lead is

A lead it is NOT simply scanning someone’s QR code; that is data collection. I know people like to build the numbers of scans up – but it is all about quality over quantity.

A lead is any person who indicated an interest in your brand’s products or service. Therefore, DO capture the details of those who express such an interest in your brand. If you do want to just capture data, make sure you differentiate between genuine leads and simply details.

Don’t Think All Leads Are The Same

Not all leads are the same, as they will vary on the stage of the “sales funnel” they’re in. So DO understand how much your “lead” knows about you and understand any previous interaction with your brand.

If you use CRM, you may be familiar with the term Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) vs Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs). The former are those “leads” that engaged with you, but not ready for a sales call yet (call too soon and you can lose that lead). Whereas the latter lead type whose actions indicate that they are closer to working with you and a sales call might be required – or even happened.

Don’t Do A One-Off Follow Up Email

After a successful day at an event, don’t just simply do a one-off email follow up with any leads. That will not work.

Instead, interactions with people at such events should form part of your overall lead nurturing process. Use the contact you made at the event as the start of a new conversation; not a one-off message. DO use lead nurturing. You want to build on this interest in your brand, so nurture in a way that you warm them up through regular and relevant content and keep them warm.

Don’t Expect Instant Business

Just because you created a lead ad followed up on that, don’t expect instant business. It will come if you nurture that lead. So do use lead nurturing. That way, when the time is right, they choose to reach out and discuss doing business with you.

For this to happen you need to remain easy to mind and easy to find.

Don’t Just Hand Over A Data List For Sales Follow Up

Don’t send a spreadsheet of names and telephone numbers to your Sales team expecting an effective follow up. That is not how it works. Do send details of any leads who requested a follow up call – but only those. The others, you nurture.

Don’t Just Add Names To Your Email System

Just adding the details of those leads captured to your email system is insufficient. Tag them with the event details so you know where they came from. Do use this information to personalise your follow up messages and subsequent nurturing efforts. And if you lead score, make sure you apply a score to these “leads”.

Don’t Go Straight For The Jugular

Your content you send to these leads has to be relevant, It has to be human and helpful. So don’t just go for the jugular with your product details, send content that is helpful. And do keep this going. It is not a one off. Nurture. Build relationships through your content.

But don’t try and sell. Just send helpful content. And keep doing that to this group to build up trust.

Don’t Get Lost In The Crowd

Remember, you will not be the only brand sending follow up messages to those “leads”. And those leads will have had a lot of other conversations on the day.

So DO find a way to stand out, rather than be seen as “another follow up email from that event.”

DO send your follow ups promptly – in a perfect world this should be in real time.

DO connect the email to the conversation. Find a way for the lead to remember your brand from the event (as they would have spoke to many stands).

DO give context to your follow up.

Do Build On It

Build on these leads. Nurture. Nurture. Nurture.