Survey: B2B Marketers Still Fine-Tuning Data Capture at Events

B2B marketers are still attending events and trade shows to expand their reach, but new research suggests that they are not tapping into the full potential of this channel.

A new survey conducted by Certain, Inc. asked more than 150 B2B marketing decision makers how they handle post-event nurturing. Their results showed that 73 percent rely on manual data capture for events. After conferences and tradeshows conclude, 81 percent stated that they still seek further information on leads. Nearly 89 percent experience lag in following up on leads due to a lack of tools and capabilities.

“It’s clear from our recent survey that marketers want to follow up more quickly, but are unable to do so with current tools and technology,” said Peter Micciche, CEO of Certain Inc. “With the help of event automation, marketers can take full advantage of the relationships fostered during events – collecting crucial data that enables real-time marketing – creating better engagement including post-event nurturing, to drive stronger business results.”

Despite these challenges, 70 percent of B2B marketing decision makers claim that they still plan on increasing their spending on events this year.

The Ongoing Benefits of B2B Tradeshows and Conferences

Event marketing has been a cornerstone for B2B marketers, and utilizing the right technology has been the key to seeing significant ROI.

A survey conducted by Demand Metric and Attend found that when event management technology is in use at a tradeshow or conference, for instance, the average ROI is within the 36-to-45 percent range. Without it, the average ROI drops to between 25 and 34 percent.

“Event management technology is important, but what’s more important is using events to drive revenue,” noted Eric Bisceglia, vice president of product and marketing at Attend. “Event technology should be able to accomplish both the operational side of event management as well as the sales side of events.”