Events – worth the effort?

Like any marketing effort, there's no guaranteed ROI and there's an element of deciding where best to focus time, money and energy. But you do need a 1:many and 1:few approach to complement the 1:1 sales approach that you have in place, especially when driving sustainable business growth.

Over the last few years, post the pandemic, the ROI from events has been one of the most questionable marketing spends. But, the second half of 2024 saw event budgets increase, with lots on the horizon for 2025, they are becoming more and more popular. But are they worth it?

In our opinion, yes, we think they are! Whether it’s an in-person event or an online workshop, we’ve recently seen a lot of success come from events that clients have held. Several of our clients using our Outbound Sales Service received a much higher response rate through inviting people to events and webinars in their campaigns and messaging. This demonstrates how actionable sales strategies for startups can foster initial engagement and spark valuable conversations.

The trend we’ve noticed is that offering something of value instead of pushing for a sale opens the door of conversation to prospects. A sale doesn't happen overnight; it requires multiple touchpoints. Events are proving to be a great way to get that buyer journey started, and/or enhance a relationship with somebody already in your pipeline. When combined with tailored growth action plans, events can help accelerate pipeline movement and build trust.

If you’re thinking of putting on an event, here’s some quick wins to get you started:

• Think of some event ideas, rate them out of 5 for ‘ease to put on’ and then rate them again for which you think would be the most successful. Go with the idea that scores the highest in both areas – a simple yet effective step in sales strategy development.

• Ask your audience what they want to see from you, try running a poll. There’s nothing wrong with putting feelers out there to give you an idea on who would be interested in what.

• Make sure you have a sales campaign that takes into account pre-event activity and post-event follow-ups – it’s more than just the day! This follow-up process forms part of implementing scalable sales functions that drive long-term engagement.

Our sales advisory services can support you in creating events that align with your broader business growth objectives.

We’d love to know if you’re already planning to hold any events in 2025, and if you need help or advice, please get in touch with us!