Event Lead Nurturing Checklist: Before, During, After

Whew, the big event you’ve been working on for months is finally over. People registered, some of them attended, and you emailed them a “thank you.” But did you integrate lead nurturing into your event? Did you take advantage of your opportunity to build trust with individuals and convert prospects?

At Mambo, we approach events with a before/during/after strategy, and this framework is especially suitable for lead nurturing. Consider using this checklist for your next event:

BEFORE

Build personal relationships over time

• Begin to contact individuals 2-3 months before the event 
• Establish your thought leadership by recommending articles and videos that specifically relate to the potential attendee’s job title
• Share specific videos or presentation decks from last year’s event, based on each potential attendee’s job title

Show that you care about each potential attendee individually in the invite email

• Include the person’s name in the email subject line:
  • “Joe – reserved you a ticket for the XY Conference”
• Specify the person’s job title when listing who would be interested in the conference
  • “Join us at the conference for social media strategists”
• “I have reserved a ticket for you”
• “I hope to see you at the conference next week”
• Sign the invite email with your name, title and phone number. This shows that you’re a real person who cares about individuals and their questions about the event.

Build relationships on multiple channels

• Don’t rely on email as your only event invitation channel. Take the time to find and reach out to people on your contact list individually in other channels such as LinkedIn and Twitter.
• As the White House did for the Twitter Town Hall, ask individuals if they have any questions that they would like to have answered. You may not be able to answer all of their questions at the event, but this provides an entrée to other conversations with the individual.  

DURING

• Reply personally to tweets that use your conference hashtag, especially if they ask a question, offer a compliment, or make a negative comment.
• If the Twitter conversation continues, offer to move it to email or phone.
• Consider asking customers who tweet to write a guest blog post!

AFTER

• Make a plan for how you will contact individuals after the event, and follow up quickly. Continue to add a personal touch, especially if you were able to meet them in person!
• Connect on LinkedIn and Twitter – keep the information flowing and strengthen relationships
• In Twitter, thank each individual who tweeted about your event. Think about how you could continue the relationship with each tweeter – would he/she be a good candidate to write a guest blog post?
• Tailor video and presentation deck offers to each attendee’s job title
• Monthly email newsletters: Continue to share tailored thought leadership pieces (articles and videos) over time, possibly with separate newsletters sent to different topic email lists (based on job titles or what you know about the person’s interests)

All of this lead nurturing effort will only improve the ROI of your event. Track the status of each potential event attendee over time, so that you will be able to prove the ROI of your event lead nurturing!

How have your event lead nurturing efforts paid off? Share your story with us in the comments!