What do manufacturers need to make their marketing more effective? One proven channel is the trade fair or exhibition.
This is very much about the human factor, with active participation and interaction and, critically for manufacturers, the opportunity to demonstrate and test products in a live setting.
However, as Paula Bates of Toucan Telemarketing points out, effective event management for manufacturers involves a lot more work behind the scenes.
“The key to a successful event is in getting prospects to attend it. Ensuring this commitment takes careful, strategic planning, and telemarketing has a vital role to play here.”
Telemarketing for Events
“Making direct contact with your delegates is an ideal way to get them on board with attending the event. You can make a more compelling case verbally than using other means such as email or social media.”
Used in this way, telemarketing can provide valuable insights into prospects, before and after the event.
“It’s a process of engagement before the event, and following up afterwards. It is an effective means of gathering data, and amending or adding to that data to ensure the event runs smoothly.”
Why is outsourced telemarketing so effective?
“It’s about drawing on a resource that combines excellent interpersonal skills with agile thinking, underpinned by a keen sense of strategy.”
“If you understand that events are all about people, then, logically, it makes sense to use telemarketing as a very human form of communication to support them”
Generating Demand and Gaining Insight
The range of support that B2B telemarketing offers events, exhibitions and trade shows includes:
- Demand generation
- Engagement
- Data gathering
- Market research about the event itself
“The more you know about prospects attending the event, the better your chances of engaging with them and aligning your products with their needs. Having a firm degree of pre-knowledge about attendees or delegates allows you to maximise your opportunities.”
This form of engagement also adds value even where prospects are unable to attend.
“You can still discover their pain points and, where possible, refine your offer or reshape your future events to focus more clearly on specific target audiences.”
A Full Package of Support for Manufacturers
Toucan Telemarketing recently supported a product launch for Scapa, global supplier of bonding products, held in Dusseldorf.
“Scapa is a manufacturer of adhesive products for industrial and healthcare markets, and our specialist telemarketing support focused on demand generation, data gathering and updating, and sending out information to invitees who couldn’t attend the actual launch event.”
“I was really impressed with the team at Toucan Telemarketing. Having set them a multi-dimensional challenge in a complex pan-European market, they delivered. Their calls brought visitors to our exhibition stand and, if they didn’t, they secured leads for my new products anyway. We already have solid business from their work”
Jeff Tate, Global Market Manager – Cable Materials, Scapa UK
For manufacturers to maximise the potential of events, they must master event management and marketing, which should include a multi-channel approach.
“Telemarketing is a versatile and adaptable means of adding value to events and the marketing surrounding them,” Paula concludes. “It gives manufacturers the opportunity to engage with their prospects on a meaningful level before the event, and to extend the legacy of the event afterwards.”
To discover more about the vital event management role that Toucan Telemarketing can make to your next trade fair or exhibition, please call 01260 294444 or visit toucantelemarketing.co.uk.
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