The buyer’s journey is a crucial aspect of every customer’s path to discovery, decision-making, and loyalty towards brands and products. And since the buyer’s journey is becoming more and more complex by the day, continuous engagement is key to boost revenue by nurturing customer loyalty and improving brand experience.
But where do events fit in? The answer is everywhere! According to research by Forrester, 74% of marketers find events to be an integral demand generation tactic, providing quick access to new customers and helping deepen relationships with existing clientele. So it makes sense to use events to amplify your presence during every stage of the buyer’s journey providing the opportunity to develop deeper relationships with your target audiences. By incorporating events at every stage and utilising them throughout other marketing channels, you can create a loyal community around your brand.
Let’s look at each stage more closely:
Awareness Stage
Events are an excellent way to create awareness about your brand or product. By hosting an event centred around a specific topic or industry, you can attract individuals who are seeking information and solutions related to that particular area. Through engaging presentations, informative workshops, or insightful panel discussions, you can capture the attention of potential customers and showcase your expertise. This initial level of exposure helps to position your brand as a credible and knowledgeable resource.
Consideration Stage
During the consideration stage, customers evaluate their various options and weigh up the pros and cons of different products or services. Events can play a vital role in influencing this decision-making process. By providing opportunities for attendees to interact with your brand, ask questions, and gather insights, events help customers gain a deeper understanding of how your offering can meet their specific needs and provide value. Live demonstrations, hands-on experiences, or personalised consultations can significantly impact their perception and preference towards your brand.
Decision Stage
At the decision stage, potential buyers are ready to make a purchase or take the next step in their customer journey. Events can be a powerful catalyst for driving this decision. By leveraging the excitement and engagement created during the event, you can offer special promotions or exclusive discounts that encourage attendees to take action. Incorporating persuasive calls-to-action and providing seamless pathways to convert, events create a sense of urgency and provide a tangible incentive for potential buyers to move forward and become customers.
Post-Purchase Stage
Even after the purchase, events continue to play a crucial role in nurturing customer relationships. Repurposing event content through avenues such as webinars, virtual events, and on-demand video will keep your audience engaged, long after the initial event has ended, resulting in a satisfied customer base and an extended sales cycle. And by organising post-event activities such as follow-up webinars, networking events, or exclusive customer appreciation gatherings, you can maintain engagement and deepen the connection with your customers. This ongoing interaction helps to build loyalty and advocacy, creating a positive customer experience that encourages repeat purchases and promotes positive word-of-mouth referrals.
In conclusion, events are an integral component at every stage of the buyer’s journey. From generating awareness and influencing consideration to driving decision-making and fostering post-purchase relationships, events have the power to guide potential customers through the journey from beginning to end. By strategically integrating events into your marketing strategy, you can enhance customer engagement, increase conversions, and ultimately drive business growth.
At Hub, we offer many different services in connection with live events which you can find on our Events page. Or why not contact us to talk about how we can help you achieve extraordinary audience engagement with your event.
