Jay Schwedelson’s Post

🚀 Ready to boost your #LinkedInEvent attendance with targeted invitations? This strategy helps you network, grow your business, and build relationships without the time-consuming process of manual invitations. 🙅♂️ Manual invites aren't efficient: you can't send in bulk, LinkedIn doesn't provide detailed info about your 1st-degree connections, and you can't filter them when sending invites. A tool like PhantomBuster can help. ⚙️ With PhantomBuster, you can automate the process of inviting your 1st-degree connections to your event. Here's how to get started. 1- Create a targeted list of connections on LinkedIn. Use filters related to your event, like location or job title, and make a list with names and profile URLs of the connections to invite. 2- Use PhantomBuster to scrape your LinkedIn connection list. Create an account or log in, find the "LinkedIn Search Exporter," and set it up with your LinkedIn session cookie and your connection list. 3- After scraping the data, set up your invite bot on PhantomBuster. Find the "LinkedIn Event Inviter," and configure it with your LinkedIn session cookie, event URL, and the CSV file you just created. 4- Schedule and launch your bot on PhantomBuster. Set a schedule for daily or weekly runs, save the settings, and start the bot to send out invitations to your targeted 1st-degree connections. 5-After your event, connect with all attendees to grow your network. Visit the event page and connect with attendees who aren't 1st-degree connections. Automate this process if you wish. Your event's title, description, and visuals impact acceptance rates. Make the event's value clear with engaging titles, descriptions, and striking graphics. Remember to make your profile stand out too. Your LinkedIn bio can be optimized to increase event attendance and can be perfected with the help of tools like ChatGPT. Following this guide, you can effectively invite targeted connections to your LinkedIn event and boost success. Thanks to automation, you can focus on crafting a great experience for attendees. For a deeper dive into this process and more details, check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dYcPdWtM. Boost your LinkedIn event attendance now! #LinkedInEvents #MarketingAutomation

Get asses in the seats; getting the right people to your booth, engagements, meetings, off site dinners, etc. It's is hard to do but has to happen. It's a question we have gotten on our live show multiple times this year, asked in various ways by corporate event marketers. So how do you get the right asses, in the right seats? Here is the reality and some guidance on how to... 1️⃣ Data is a struggle. If you think the association or show is going to relinquish all their data for you to exploit, they are not. 2️⃣ You need to do a good job of collecting and organizing your own data every year you exhibit/sponsor at a conference. This should be a priority and utilized every year. 3️⃣ Utilize the conference app. Typically 1-2 weeks prior the conference, the app is available. Often you can see who's attending and communicate on the app. Don't spam everyone but send personalized messages and personalized invites. 4️⃣ If you get the physical mailing address from the show and are going to mail something. Keep the list you mail to, small and specific, also, mail something really cool. Don't send a lot of crap to a lot of people. Its wasted motion. Mail something that will get someone's attention, something different, something that if someone else receives it, they will pass it along. 5️⃣ Work with sales and marketing to build a list. Who are the target customers, and what companies? Who is in pipeline already? Who do you want in the pipeline? Sales and marketing should already have a lot of these names and contacts. Work with them, supply them the info for invites. I would suggest having sales send the invites and tasking them to make it happen. 6️⃣ The tech and tools available to find contact info are awesome these days. LinkedIn, Seamless ai, Zoominfo are examples. You should have enough info from working with sales and marketing to know what companies, which people, what titles and whom you are trying to get to the booth, engagement, dinner etc. Do the work, build a list. 7️⃣ When emailing invites or reminders, be mindful and thoughtful about who you are emailing. What are you offering them? When are you sending it? Keep it brief. 8️⃣ If you feel good about your data and contacts, I would work with marketing and run a targeted social campaign 1-2 months in advance of the show. Choose your social channel based on reach and audience. Get creative with it but be targeted with contacts. And lets not forget... Your booth, sponsorships, engagements, dinners, meetings, activities, should all be catered around your customer. Step 1 is designing a strategy, approach and experience for the week of the event that your audience will be interested in, intrigued by, and want to engage with. #eventmarketing #tradeshowmarketing #tradeshows

Physical events are dead. Well not exactly but the old way of approaching them is. Here is how to make them more profitable: Step 1 Picking the right event - make sure the event organizers can share audience insights into who is attending. You only want to go after ones that match your ICP as closely as possible. It’s better to go after ones with 200 attendees that are a 90% match vs 2000 where it’s a 10% match. Step 2 Find the Linkedin event page and grab the attendee page. Scrape those contacts with something like PhantomBuster for their LinkedIn profiles. You can also find the list of exhibitors on the event website and reach out to members As well as message people who fit the ICP of the event in the region, who will also probably be attending. Step 3 Segment folks by your ICP and add everyone to Linkedin, then message them there: Message those folks with something like: Day 1 Hi {{name}}, saw you are attending {{event_name}} in {{city}}. I will be there as well, open to meeting up at the event? OR Hi {{name}}, saw you are in {{city}} will you also be attending {{event_name}}? Let me know if you are open to meeting up there. Day 2-3 Thoughts :)? Day 3-5 [funny gif] Bonus: You can add some AI personalization in the PS section of Day 1 using some of 🦾Eric Nowoslawski's Clay tables. Step 4 Book a time with them for one-on-ones. On the one on ones I want you to forget that you are selling anything. Let them talk and you ask questions about their product or service. Don't sell/ talk about your product or service, unless they ask. Offer them value: targeting Sales titles at enterprises - we worked with xyz they did ABC to shorten their sales cycle. Going after marketing titles - try using memes and humor in your outbound outreach, we saw it improves reply rates In the best case, you can also line up a referral or two for them post-conference. Step 5 Post-event Ideally, you have another meeting scheduled after the event. If not, would follow up with materials. I might send them a cold email deliverability guide or a contact list of 1000 of their prospects fitting their ICP. A lot of times at this point they are open to hearing more about your solution on their own if there is a need. If not keep nurturing with referrals and materials. Try it, this works well regardless of whether you have a booth or not.

I have a few customers ramping up on client-facing events. Based on those conversations, I'm excited to share insights on how savvy customer marketers can supercharge their advocate onboarding game through strategic event engagement. Think user groups, beta programs, and conferences. P.S. To appease the LinkedIn algorithm (all hail the algorithm) there are lots of emojis. Not my style, but we roll with the times. 🎯 Unleashing the Power of Stakeholder Collaboration: Successful advocate onboarding begins with strong collaboration across various customer-facing stakeholders. Event marketers, account executives, and customer advocates in your program already are goldmines of intel. Leverage their insights to identify potential advocates at user groups, beta user sessions, and conferences. It's all about team synergy! 🤝🚀 🔍 Data-Driven Decisions with Technology Platforms: In the dynamic landscape of customer marketing, technology is your trusty sidekick. Platforms like Marketo and Salesforce Campaigns offer robust tools for tracking attendee engagement and identifying potential advocates. Understand who owns these systems and democratize the data in your program. If you don't know, reach out to marketing operations. Unleash the power of data to tailor your outreach and ensure a personalized approach. 📊💡 📱 Maximizing Venue-Specific Technology: Dive into the nitty-gritty of event tech! Leverage venue-specific badge tracking software for vendor booths to identify engaged prospects. Capture valuable data from booth interactions to pinpoint potential advocates. It's all about turning those event insights into actionable strategies. 🌐💼 🚀 Crafting Compelling Advocacy Onboarding: Once you've identified your potential advocates, it's time to roll out the red carpet! Craft personalized onboarding experiences that highlight the value of advocacy. Showcase success stories, offer exclusive perks, and create a sense of community. Remember, advocates are your brand champions, and a stellar onboarding experience sets the tone for a lasting partnership. Understand who is your advocate's champion/contact and leverage them to get the invite out. You don't have to do everything. 🌟💼 👥 Community-Building Magic: Events are not just about transactions; they're about building a community. Foster connections among your advocates and empower them to be vocal advocates within their networks. Create exclusive gatherings for like-minded people. Get your face time where you can, as often as you can! A strong advocate community is a game-changer for organic growth and brand loyalty. 🌐🗣️ Let's keep the conversation going! Share your thoughts and strategies for event advocacy in the comments below. 🚀🔥 #CustomerMarketing #Advocacy #EventMarketing #TechInnovation

Is it hard to attract contacts from high-quality accounts? Here are 11 ways for you! 1. Strategic Social Media Engagement: Seamlessly navigate platforms to join relevant groups, contribute to discussions, and share valuable content tailored to your target accounts' interests. By becoming an active participant in their digital ecosystem, you position yourself as a thought leader and gain visibility within their circles. 2. Elevate with Podcasts and Video Series: Craft an irresistible invitation by launching a podcast or video series and featuring influential leaders from your target accounts. Check my FREE mini-book for a step-by-step guide. 3. Seize Conference Sponsorship Opportunities: Stand out from the crowd by sponsoring a booth at your target account's conference or event. This strategic move not only enhances your brand's visibility but also creates an ideal setting for fostering valuable face-to-face interactions. 4. Personalized Direct Communication: Engage in thoughtful and tailored direct communication through social media messages and direct mail via email or post. These personalized touchpoints exhibit your genuine interest in the account's needs and open avenues for fruitful dialogues. 5. Leverage LinkedIn InMail Outreach: Leverage the power of LinkedIn InMail within HubSpot to seamlessly extend your outreach. Forge connections with a simplified process while maintaining professionalism and efficiency. 6. Craft Custom Landing Pages: Tailor your approach with precision by building custom landing pages that address the unique questions and concerns of your target accounts. A personalized experience resonates and sparks deeper interest. 7. Incentivize Engagement: Foster interaction by offering incentives such as prizes, swag, or exclusive discount codes. These gestures not only encourage engagement but also establish a positive rapport with your high-quality contacts. 8. Strategic Content Dissemination: Distribute insightful content like blog articles across channels that resonate with each account, including websites, social media, and industry magazines. By showcasing expertise, you become a go-to resource within their sphere. 9. Craft Targeted Ad Campaigns: Precision is key. Develop ad campaigns and social ads targeting specific factors such as location, skills, and job titles. This focused approach maximizes impact and ensures your message reaches the right audience. 10. Tap into Referrals: Leverage the power of your existing network by seeking referrals from current contacts, accounts, and satisfied customers. These trusted recommendations hold immense value and open doors for meaningful connections. 11. Event Engagement: Extend a warm invitation to contacts, whether for physical or digital events and encourage attendees to bring their colleagues. This ripple effect creates a community of engaged participants. How many of them do you use to unlock the potential of high-quality account attraction?

Trade shows and conferences can be powerful lead-generation tools for companies to build brand awareness, nurture prospects, and advance client relationships.  However, with a sea of options for various events, navigating which specific events to invest scarce marketing dollars in is often a difficult and sometimes blind decision.  Vendelux is an AI-powered events intelligence platform that allows companies and their marketing teams to take a data-driven approach to determine which events are most suited for investment, whether to organize, sponsor, or attend.  The company has built a dataset of 65M data points from 160K+ B2B events with attendee profiles that drive an increase in booked meetings at events with qualified leads.  With deep integrations with popular CRM systems, attribution for marketing at events and determining ROI for the sales funnel developed at events is now seamless with Vendelux. AlleyWatch caught up with Vendelux Cofounder and CEO Alex Reynolds and  Cofounder and COO Stefan Deeran to learn more about the business, the company's strategic plans, latest round of funding, which brings the company's total funding raised to $17.1M, and much, much more...

The top 9 strategies I use to fill my VIRTUAL events! Note: I generally rely on Facebook and LinkedIn because that’s where I’ve found the most clients → LinkedIn events: One of my favorite (and not so known) promo strategies. So important to remember though, you need to reach out to everyone who ‘clicks’ attending to physically register for the event via the link. → Text: We recently started gathering phone numbers and boy, are the results paying off. So far this month, we are actually seeing more sign-ups come from text over email! → Email: Despite the fact that people are spending more time on social media than ever, 72% of consumers still prefer email as their main channel of communication. A huge chunk of our sign-ups come from email! → Lead Magnet: We promote free events on the lead magnet funnel and the results are insane! Over 55% of those who download our freebie, sign up for our free events. → Content: Content marketing is a must to promote your event! We create excitement and FOMO using client success stories, reasons to attend, value posts, behind-scenes posts, blogs, and more. → Brand Ambassadors: For our events, we always get 2-5 ambassadors on board to boost event sign-ups. By offering a referral fee, ambassadors can move tickets via content marketing or reach outs to their audience! → Direct invite hot leads: Pop a personal email or private message to your hot leads! We always personalize this message as much as possible - personalisation is key! → Our Facebook group: Between events we are always nurturing our FB community with value - then when it comes to event promo, event sign ups soar 💅 → Facebook Ads: Now, I don’t rely on Facebook ads to promote our event but it’s definitely a nice little top up and it always helps big time with growing our audience. Nailing down our FB advertising strategy has been YEARS in the making. Now, there ya go! There are 9 of my fav event marketing strategies 🤗 Join me on March 27 - 29, 2024  for 3 days packed with strategies to fill your events! https://lnkd.in/eB4ScF4c

The importance of warming up your audience when organizing an event👇 Struggling to grab people's attention and generate interest for your corporate events? As an event enthousiast and ‘strategist’, I often see the same mistakes being made: Companies lack a clear and effective pre-event strategy. Sometimes they don't even have one. In this post I would like to discuss the power of ‘warming up your audience’ and share my views on how you can sell your event without actually selling. Sounds fun right? Let me start by sharing a conversation I had with a business coach who frequently organizes workshops and networking events. He expressed how stressful hosting an event actually was for him. The reason? It always came down to the last week prior to the event whether he had to cancel or not due to a possible lack of participants. I tried to dig a little deeper and asked him about his marketing and social media strategy. He mentioned the usual tactics like putting out some social media posts, sharing photo’s and video’s of previous events, sending out emails, doing some calls, … He was basically spreading a lot of content without much strategy. This however wasn’t the problem. The problem was the content and tone of his posts, e-mails and calls. Why? He was solely focused on selling tickets. The e-mails he sent out to his audience can be summarized in the following way: “ Hey X, We’re organizing an event on the topic of employer branding. Here you have the time, date, details. These are the speakers and their background information.   Grab your ticket now.”   He sent out the e-mail, hoped for the best and waited to see how many people purchased a ticket which was always far less than expected. And that's where the problem lies. Selling ≠ Grabbing people’s attention Providing added value = Grabbing people’s attention The main part of your communications shouldn’t revolve about selling your event. The aim should be to grab people’s attention by providing actual value and let them gain interest step by step. Sounds obvious. I know. Yet, only a small part of organizations execute this perfectly. In the following weeks I will drop a 5 min. video exploring this idea even further providing some examples and tips to put this into actual practice. Only a small part will be shared on LinkedIn. If you’re interested in the full video, send me a DM and I'll provide you with the link. In conclusion for now, don't underestimate the power of warming up your audience when organizing an event. Focus on delivering value, building trust, and sparking excitement. By adopting this approach, you'll create a buzz around your event, attract more attendees, and set the stage for an unforgettable experience. #EventStrategy #AudienceEngagement #WarmingUpYourAudience #Marketing #EventPlanning #BusinessEvents #CorporateEvents