Over eighty per cent of businesses rank in-person events as their most impactful marketing channel. In fact, 48 per cent of teams say events are more important today than pre-pandemic.
When done right, events can become their own marketing platform for a mindset shift. However, their effectiveness depends on having the right strategy in place to optimise the investment.
We have talked to some of our healthcare clients to dive deeper into where events can provide most value and where are the opportunities for enhancing brand equity.
Building your profile through ‘owned events’
The first consideration is whether to create your own platform or attend an existing conference or event.
Alison Tyrrell, VP Marketing within the Healthtech industry says: “Where I have seen great return is within owned niche network events, roundtables and webinars as part of focal point of a B2B marketing campaign.
“They have allowed us to really accelerate the category and hone our presence to the intent of the attendees.
“While in return we unlock true added value for our customers and prospects, offering them respected perspectives, and an open space for discussion.”
Retaining control over the agenda is one of the principle advantages of an ‘owned event’ Alison says.
“It allowed us to design the themes and by doing so, the narrative. We were able to curate what we know our customers respond to and what they want to hear about.”
She continues: “We used our physical event to both delight and reward existing clients, with a keynote speaker and a variety of guest speakers. The event provided attendees with networking and learning opportunities while simultaneously providing key prospects with live-stream access to the stage.”
Online, or in person is another consideration. Despite the surge of online events during the pandemic there remains a strong preference towards in person, with 77 per cent of attendees saying in-person B2B conferences are best for networking.
“The digitisation of events has greatly benefitted audiences who would otherwise be simply unable to attend, whether due to travel restrictions, being geographically remote or simply time poor,” Alison observes.
“However, we still find that clinicians highly value connecting with their network face to face so that they can experience the brand in person, which helps a company stay top-of-mind.”
Events form a natural focus point within a marketing calendar and by doing so ramp up the volume of noise through supporting channels and activities both in the run up to the event, during the event and by providing follow up content too.
For businesses looking to build their profile to M&A suitors, events can also be a strategic way to build presence and showcase market relevance and growth potential.
Alison says: “By aligning marketing with business goals and focusing on areas that directly impact market valuation, you can make your company more visible and attractive to potential buyers, increasing the likelihood of a successful sale.”
Finding your faculty
“Events are great for boosting credibility and accelerating change and finding the right key opinion leaders to meet your objectives,” says Alison.
“Securing the right KOLs can help elevate your organisation’s reputation or position as thought leaders,”.
While the right KOL can increase the breadth of reach, finding the right mix and utilising early brand adopters can increase the depth of reach through authentic peer-to-peer recommendations.
“Having a big name at an event can be a pull, however it’s usually the lesser known, passionate advocates that can have a more profound influence among prospects.”
When it comes to finding the right KOLs for the faculty, there are several considerations.
“You need expertise that can open minds, provide perspective on key topics, are respected in the field, and can deliver ‘need to know’ thought-leadership with charisma to create engagement,” says Alison.
A lasting legacy
With any event comes significant investment both in terms of time and from a financial perspective, but there are lots of ways to make an event work harder, and for longer.
“The collateral generated at events can be used to deliver longevity an event deserves. The measure of success of an event isn’t just the number of attendees or simple engagements, it offers numerous opportunities to create long-term value beyond the immediate impact.”
Our clients share their top tips for making events work harder
- Where lead generation is the primary objective events provide a golden opportunity. Consider lead gen strategies such as gamification to create fun and interactive opportunities to engage with customers and leverage data for ROI
- Education should be two–way, aside from educating the delegates, use events to generate insights, learn from prospects and share success stories. Spend time looking at industry challenges and barriers and match these with perspectives from both inhouse and external speakers
- Nurture new connections with personalised follow up and prioritise those high-value attendees to direct sales efforts
- Content is key and events provide the perfect place to film, create, interview, share ideas and case studies. Have a content marketing plan in place and invest in resource like photographers, production, and PR & communications agencies to capture and keep momentum going, long after the event concludes
- Forging media partnerships which can help expand thought-leadership from the event with the wider industry, positioning a company as experts in the field
In summary, live events remain relevant in healthcare PR and marketing as they provide opportunities for learning and sharing success stories, collaboration, networking and creating longevity beyond initial investment.
If done strategically, events can significantly enhance a company’s attractiveness and valuation, as they can help to build an attractive profile. Ultimately, the right strategy, faculty and supporting healthcare communications programme can ensure that events are not only memorable but also impactful in advancing healthcare and business goals.
If that’s what you’re building toward, we should talk.
