Strategies for Effective Event Lead Generation and Pipeline Development

At the heart of business growth lies lead generation and pipeline development. 

But how are companies across various models, B2B, B2C, and D2C, tackling these priorities?

Enter the world of events.

From webinars and virtual meetups to hybrid experiences and in-person gatherings, events have emerged as the go-to strategy for attracting potential leads and building robust pipelines.

To unlock the full potential of event-based strategies, we need to dive deeper. What exactly is event lead generation? What are its benefits? How can events transform your pipeline development? These are just some of the questions we’ll answer. 

Let’s first break down these concepts and explore how they're reshaping current businesses.

Understanding event lead generation and pipeline development 

The crux of all marketing and sales initiatives is gaining leads or prospects, nurturing them, and converting them into customers. Events play a major role in a company’s expansion strategy.

Pipeline development, on the other hand, involves nurturing and managing potential sales opportunities from events and other sources. From the initial meeting to deal closure, it includes systematically tracking and engaging with prospects through various stages of the sales funnel to ensure a steady flow of potential customers.  

Implementing the right event-driven lead generation and pipeline development strategies offers several benefits, such as optimizing the sales cycle and promoting sustainable growth with high-quality leads.

Let’s discuss how an effective event strategy that focuses on lead generation and pipeline development can benefit your organization.

Benefits of event lead generation and pipeline development

Events have proved to be integral to the company's overall revenue strategy. 

Here are some key benefits of using events for lead generation and pipeline development efforts: 

Market expansion and growth

Research into event-led growth strategies has shown some interesting numbers about their impact on market expansion and business growth. About 83% of marketers believe events are crucial to business growth.

Source: Splash

Whether through webinars, conferences, or trade shows, businesses can tap into new audiences, geographical regions, and various industry segments, expanding their market reach. This exposure can lead to increased opportunities and faster business growth.

Customer retention 

It’s not just about gaining new customers but also about fostering deeper relationships with your existing customers.

Regularly engaging with customers through events such as user conferences, product launches, or networking events helps maintain strong connections and keeps customers informed and satisfied. This ongoing engagement can lead to increased customer loyalty and repeat business.

Brand visibility and awareness

Events offer businesses a chance to influence their target audience by showcasing products, services, and thought leadership. Consistently hosting events gives companies a great opportunity to cement a strong brand presence, making them more recognizable and reliable in the market. 

Don’t just take our word for it.

Efficient lead capture

Companies can efficiently capture and qualify high volumes of leads by using events. This can reduce the effort spent on organizing otherwise time-consuming lead generation activities.

Holding events and ensuring all leads are systematically tracked and engaged through the sales funnel is an important benefit of this strategy. 

High-quality leads

Today, 80% of marketers leverage live events for lead generation, and 53% frequently host webinars, acknowledging them as top sources for generating high-quality leads.

Events such as webinars and virtual gatherings attract prospects who are genuinely interested in the offered products or services, resulting in higher-quality leads. These leads are usually more engaged and have a greater likelihood of conversion.

Increased ROI and revenue

We’ve already seen how events can generate high-quality leads that are more likely to convert.

This not only leads to sales but also has the potential to generate more sales over time. 

The focused nature of events allows for targeted lead generation, reducing wasted resources on unqualified leads. The direct networking and engagement opportunities provided by events help build a genuine connection and trust, which is important for closing deals. Therefore, events are drivers of substantial revenue.

Considering the obvious benefits of event lead generation and pipeline development, let’s examine the most effective strategies for maximizing their potential.

Top strategies for event lead generation and pipeline development

Transforming event participants into qualified leads and guiding them through a robust pipeline is a skill set that can significantly impact your bottom line. 

To effectively use this gold mine and develop a healthy pipeline, you need the following strategies: pre-event engagement to post-event nurturing.  

5 strategies for event-driven lead generation

To truly capitalize on the leads generated from your events, you need a strategic approach to managing and nurturing them effectively.

1. Pre-event promotions

Pre-event promotions are crucial for generating interest and building anticipation before the event. They're not just announcements - they're your chance to capture the attention of your target audience, increase registration rates, and provide access to potential leads.

Effective pre-event promotions raise awareness about the key aspects of the event - the topic, the speakers involved, and the takeaways for attendees - attracting genuinely interested registrants. Think of it as quality control for your attendee list. 

This approach enhances the quality of leads, significantly boosting event lead generation and supporting pipeline development efforts. Essentially, you're not just filling seats but setting the stage for meaningful connections.

To get the most out of these promotions and advertisements: 

• Use various channels, such as traditional marketing, content marketing, email marketing, social media, community groups and forums, etc., to spread the word about the event. 
• Offer early bird discounts to incentivize potential attendees to sign up early and maximize registrations.
• Incorporate visuals like images, videos, graphics, gifs, and sneak peek clips to ensure a robust turnout and more leads.
• Consider running digital advertisements and collaborating with influencers to gain more traction
• Repurpose content, takeaways, testimonials, and webinar recordings from earlier events as promotion materials, showcasing your brand's credibility and reliability.

2. On-site strategies

When it comes to on-site strategies, the name of the game is maximizing event lead generation. From check-in to engagement, these strategies should cover every aspect of the event. 

Whether you're going digital, hybrid, or sticking to good old-fashioned face-to-face, it's crucial to have the right tools and solutions in place to:

• Gather attendee information and other details via digital check-ins, surveys, and feedback forms.
• Provide multiple engagement and networking touchpoints, such as interactive booths, networking lounges, breakout rooms, speed networking and Q&A sessions, etc.
• Streamline the attendee journey with a globally accessible web-based app and a dedicated event mobile application.
• Use an integrated CRM system to manage attendee data and access real-time event analytics.

To maximize the potential of your on-site strategies for event lead generation, consider using event management platforms, virtual event platforms, and webinar platforms.

These tech sidekicks help streamline your entire event process, offer registration and check-in management solutions, provide real-time analytics, and kick your attendee engagement up a notch.

3. Create a stellar event experience

Creating a compelling and unforgettable event experience is crucial for generating leads and acquiring potential customers. 

Here's your recipe for event success:

• Identify your target audience to attract the right leads.
• Conduct targeted and segmented marketing campaigns for a personalized experience and desirable outcomes.
• Build anticipation with exclusive offers, early-bird discounts, videos, event sneak peeks, and countdowns.
• Design an impactful and visually appealing event landing page that inspires immediate action.
• Send personalized event invitations and reminders.
• Incorporate engaging elements such as keynote speakers, panel discussions, live demos, 3D elements, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities.
• Ensure the event content is relevant, informative, and valuable to the audience.
• Offer merchandise and gifts as souvenirs to leave a lasting impression.

4. Conduct frequent webinars

Let's talk webinars — they're your ticket to efficient and economical event options that will broaden your audience and consistently generate leads.

5. Attend industry events  

Participating in industry events as an attendee, sponsor, or exhibitor is a powerful lead-generation strategy. Keep the momentum going by attending and participating in relevant industry events to generate leads and strengthen your sales efforts.

Choosing events that share your target audience can provide numerous benefits.

• Get the opportunity to connect and collaborate with potential customers, partners, and influencers.
• Engage in discussions with like-minded individuals and industry peers.
• Network with attendees in a less formal setting, fostering relationships and identifying new leads.
• Sponsorships or exhibitions at events enhance your brand's visibility and credibility.
• Access valuable booth visitor data, that gives you direct access to hot leads as a sponsor or exhibitor at an event.

5 tips to develop pipeline via events

Maximizing the impact of your event-driven pipeline involves attracting leads and assessing their potential. Let’s look at some tips.

1. Lead scoring

Lead scoring involves assigning values to leads based on their interest and readiness, helping you prioritize the most promising prospects. You can score and qualify leads based on attendance, level of engagement, and interactions. 

Implementing a lead-scoring strategy in events can help:

• Personalize the communication with attendees based on their interests and behaviors during events.
• Direct your sales teams to focus on high-quality leads and nurture them. 
• Achieve higher lead qualification rates and improve conversion rates.

2. Segmenting leads

You can ensure more relevant and impactful interactions by segmenting leads based on various categories, such as demographics or engagement levels.

This approach allows you to:

• Connect with leads in the sales funnel using a more personalized approach based on their specific characteristics.
• Adapt your nurturing efforts to address each segment's unique needs and interests, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
• Implement more focused follow-up strategies in later stages to boost conversion rates.

3. Nurturing campaigns

Nurturing campaigns involve ongoing communication with leads to build relationships and guide them through the sales funnel. This campaign can help keep leads engaged and connected with your brand. 

Effective nurturing helps you convert leads into customers by addressing their pain points and showing the value of your offerings. 

Here are some tips to elevate your nurturing campaigns: 

• Use personalized email sequences and share regular updates to keep leads engaged and informed. 
• Share relevant use cases, testimonials, and feedback to improve your credibility among the targeted leads. 
• Identify their requirements and offer valuable content around them, such as blogs, newsletters, ebooks, webinar replays, and session recordings. 
• Send private event invitations and collaboration opportunities to connect with high-quality leads more personally.

4. Call-to-action (CTA) prompts

A clear and compelling call to action (CTA) is essential for converting event attendees into leads. Having CTA prompts and announcements at the end of a webinar or event is ideal. Make your CTAs prominent and easy to follow, ensuring attendees know what steps to take next.

CTAs are one of the most effective and efficient ways to: 

• Connect you with hot leads in real time. 
• Move potential customers down the funnel toward the purchase stage.
• Enhance sales efficiency and boost conversion rates. 

5. Post-event follow-ups

Timely and personalized post-event follow-ups help maintain momentum and convert leads into customers. It is crucial to ensure that your post-event campaigns include a CTA to “schedule a demo” or “connect on a call” in the emails. 

Post-event follow-ups can contain different event-related resources and materials, including: 

• Thank-you emails with feedback and survey links.
• Event highlights and links to replay sessions.
• Additional resources are needed to keep the conversation going.
• Upcoming event updates with registration links. 

Following up promptly shows that you value the attendees’ participation and are committed to addressing their needs and questions, enhancing the chances of conversion.

Important metrics to measure event-led strategies’ effectiveness

Event organizers and businesses should use the following metrics to monitor, track, assess, and measure the effectiveness of event-driven lead generation and pipeline development strategies. These overlap with some webinar metrics you must know when hosting events.

Event landing page traffic

This metric tracks the number of visitors to your event landing page. High traffic typically indicates the success of promotional strategies, the prospect's strong interest in the event, and an improved registration number. 

On the other hand, low traffic on the event landing page indicates that you need to re-strategize your event marketing efforts and identify and fix the loopholes in order to maximize traffic and boost registrations. 

Ads and promotion reach

This metric helps determine how many people have seen your advertisements and promotional content. A broad reach indicates that your message is visible to and consumed by a large audience. 

This metric helps assess the effectiveness of your advertising channels and the overall visibility of your event.

Channel-based traffic

This metric involves breaking down traffic by sources like social media, email campaigns, or organic search. 

By segmenting traffic, you can identify which channels are most effective at driving visitors to your event landing page and which are not contributing at all, allowing you to reallocate and utilize resources more efficiently.

Click-through rate

Click-through rate (CTR) measures the percentage of people who click on a link within your ads, promotional content, or email campaigns. 

A higher CTR indicates that your content is compelling and relevant to your audience, while a lower CTR indicates that your content and approach need to be reworked to achieve the desired results. 

Event registrations

The number of people registering for your event directly indicates your lead generation success. Tracking registrations helps you gauge the effectiveness of your promotional efforts and the overall appeal of your event.

Evaluating CTRs, event landing page, or registration page traffic vs. total event registrations will help you understand the effectiveness of event promotional strategies and the performance of your landing page in converting interest into registrations.

Attendee turnout

Attendee turnout measures the actual number of people who attend the event compared to the number who registered. High turnout rates indicate effective communication and engagement leading up to the event. 

This data is important to identify and understand the relevance and effectiveness of the pre-event reminders and engagement strategies.

Net promoter score

The net promoter score (NPS) is a key metric for evaluating the overall satisfaction levels of the event attendees. This, in turn, indicates the likelihood of repeat attendance, word-of-mouth referrals, and recommendations of your event to their friends and colleagues.  

A high NPS indicates positive attendee experiences, which can lead to organic lead generation through referrals.

Lead quality score

Lead quality scores assess each lead's potential value based on predefined criteria, such as engagement level, job title, company size, etc.

High-scoring leads are more likely to convert into customers. These metrics can help you target the highest-quality leads and prioritize follow-up efforts.

Cost per lead

Cost per lead calculates the total expenditure on lead generation efforts divided by the number of leads generated. 

This expenditure might vary depending on the channel or medium you use to generate leads. Lower costs per lead indicate more efficient resource use. 

For example: 

• For event lead generation, calculate the total cost of the event (including venue, staff, marketing, etc.) and divide it by the number of leads generated from the event. 
• Calculate the cost per lead for leads generated directly from marketing campaigns based on the specific campaign expenses. It's ideal to segment this into different channels. 

Pipeline velocity

Pipeline velocity quantifies the speed at which leads move through the sales funnel stages. Faster pipeline velocity indicates a more efficient sales process, with leads converting to opportunities and then to customers more quickly. 

The efficiency with which leads are converted depends highly on pipeline development strategies, including effective nurturing campaigns, personalized communication, knowledge of pain points, timely follow-ups, aligned sales and marketing efforts, a clear value proposition, and streamlined sales processes. 

ROI

ROI calculates the financial return on your event lead generation and pipeline development investments. It compares the revenue generated from new customers to the total costs incurred. 

For event-driven lead generation, this typically involves:

• Total revenue from customers acquired through the event.
• All event-related expenses, including venue, marketing, staff, follow-ups, etc.

Lead conversion rate

The lead conversion rate is the percentage of leads that turn into paying customers. A higher conversion rate suggests effective lead nurturing and sales strategies. 

To calculate the lead conversion rate for your event’s lead generation efforts:

• Divide the number of leads converted into customers by the total number of leads generated from the event.
• Multiply the result by 100 to get the percentage.

Potential challenges to event-driven strategies

The continuously changing environment and saturated market present several challenges affecting your sales funnel and growth cycle. 

Let’s examine some of the most challenging issues impacting your strategies and hindering business growth. 

Industry competition

High competition can make it challenging to differentiate your event. Competitors may host similar events or target the same audience, leading to market saturation.

Failure to stand out can result in attracting low-quality leads, reduced brand visibility, slower growth, and potential business loss.  

Poor brand visibility

Establishing brand visibility is challenging in a saturated market. Poor brand recognition can negatively impact your company’s credibility and business growth, ultimately hindering event lead generation and pipeline development efforts.

Identifying high-quality leads

While events may generate many leads, quantity doesn't ensure quality. The challenge lies in effectively identifying truly promising prospects. Without robust strategies for lead qualification, companies can potentially risk wasting resources on unproductive leads, extending the sales cycle, and reducing conversion rates.  

Inaccurate ROI measurement

Calculating the true return on investment for event lead generation and pipeline development is often complex. Inaccurate ROI measurement can lead to misguided budget allocations and strategy decisions, potentially undermining future lead generation efforts.

Lack of engagement and interaction

Virtual or hybrid events present unique challenges in maintaining attendee engagement. Participants may be easily distracted, less likely to participate actively, and struggle to focus on the event content, potentially reducing the event's effectiveness. 

Data security and privacy concerns

Managing lead information involves handling sensitive data and raising security and privacy concerns. A lack of understanding or implementation of compliance regulations and security requirements can lead to data breaches, compromised information, and serious consequences.

Best contingency strategies to overcome challenges

The following points outline solutions businesses should consider to avoid specific challenges and navigate uncertain situations effectively.

Provide unique value

Highlight unique value propositions in your event messaging and set yourself apart from the crowd. Showcase exclusive content, speakers, or innovative formats. 

Emphasize interactive elements, industry-specific insights, numbers, or networking opportunities that set your event apart. Consider creating themed events or offering personalized experiences to attract potential leads looking for something special.

Collaborations and partnerships

Partner with industry influencers, thought leaders, or complementary businesses to broaden reach, spread brand awareness, improve brand visibility and position, and enhance credibility among your audience. 

Co-marketing opportunities, joint webinars, or collaborative content creation not only expand your audience but also add value through diverse perspectives and expertise.

Utilize content effectively

Create compelling, data-driven content tailored to specific audience segments. Leverage multiple channels, including social media, email marketing, and content marketing. 

Develop engaging multimedia content, such as videos, infographics, interactive presentations, and storytelling techniques, to make your content more relatable and memorable.

Implement lead qualification process

To ensure that the leads collected are high-quality and have a genuine interest in your products or services, implement a lead scoring system that prioritizes leads based on their engagement level and aligns with your ideal customer profile. 

Pre-event surveys or registration forms enable you to gather qualifying information, use progressive profiling and lead scoring methods to collect data, and identify priority leads. 

Make use of event analytics

Virtual events and webinars hosted on reliable platforms provide crucial data and metrics to help you make data-driven decisions and effectively strategize your sales efforts. 

By leveraging these virtual event and webinar platforms, you can centralize this data in one place and even export it into your company's tech stack, assessing every bit of information, like registrations, attendance, and engagement.

These insights also empower you to identify strengths and areas for improvement for future events, helping you refine strategies, improve lead quality, and enhance market presence.  

Incorporate interactive features and games

Engage attendees through polls, Q&A sessions, breakout rooms, and gamification. Personalize the event experience using attendee data to suggest relevant sessions or networking opportunities. 

Consider virtual reality or augmented reality elements for immersive experiences. Implement live chat features for real-time interaction.

Ensure data compliance and security

Stay informed about data protection regulations like GDPR and CCPA. Implement robust security measures, including multi-factor authentication, end-to-end encryption for data transmission and storage, and secure access controls. 

Be transparent about data usage and offer clear opt-out options. It is ideal to train staff on security best practices and create incident response plans.

Implement flexibility

Staying adaptable and ready to adjust your strategies in response to challenges or changes is key to successful event planning and execution. Flexibility allows you to respond effectively to any issues that arise, ensuring your event remains on track and continues to generate valuable leads.

Tools to amplify event lead generation and pipeline development strategies 

Let’s look at some must-have tools to support sales and marketing lead generation efforts. 

• Lead capturing tools: Lead capture tools, like forms, landing pages, mobile apps, and QR codes, automate the collection of attendee data, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.  
  They often integrate with CRM systems, smoothening follow-up and nurturing processes, which helps businesses maintain organized and comprehensive lead records.

• Event management platforms: Event management platforms provide end-to-end event solutions, from field solutions to logistics support to event engagement, enabling organizers to focus on creating valuable experiences for attendees. 
  Event organizers can choose these platforms to make event-specific requirements and lead generation efforts easier.

• Virtual event platforms: Virtual event platforms have features like integration, live streaming, virtual booths, CTA prompts, customization and branding, engagement and networking, and real-time analytics. 
  These platforms act as a unified solution for spreading brand awareness, encouraging seamless networking and relationship building, and capturing leads.

• CRM tools: CRM tools are vital for managing and analyzing customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. They centralize lead information, track interactions, and manage follow-ups. 
  CRM systems also automate lead scoring and nurturing processes, which improve conversion rates and sales efficiency.

• Marketing management solutions: Marketing management solutions are used to plan, execute, and measure marketing campaigns across various channels. These tools automate marketing tasks, personalize outreach, and track campaign performance. 
  They often integrate with CRM and event management platforms to create cohesive marketing strategies, ensuring that marketing efforts are aligned with sales goals and lead generation activities.

• Email marketing tools: Email marketing tools are designed to help businesses create, send, and track email campaigns. These tools enable the creation of targeted email campaigns for event promotion and follow-up. 
  They provide analytics on open rates, click-through rates, and engagement, allowing businesses to refine their email strategies and improve their effectiveness.

• Social media platforms: Social media platforms are powerful means for promoting events and engaging with audiences. These platforms allow businesses to reach a broad audience and generate buzz around events through social media ads, organic posts, and engagement features. 
  Companies can attract and interact with potential leads effectively by actively interacting with followers and sharing compelling content.

Lead generation and pipeline growth trends to watch out for

To create an effective event lead generation and pipeline development strategy, you must stay informed about current trends and changes in the industry. Some trends are evergreen, while new ones continue to develop. 

Here are some key trends to watch out for to maximize your event lead generation and pipeline development efforts.

Digitalization 

The global shift towards digital solutions and the rise of remote and hybrid work cultures have reinforced the use of increasingly creative event lead generation techniques. 

Digital tools and platforms enable businesses to host virtual and hybrid events, reach a broader audience, and use technology for efficient lead capture and engagement.

Personalization

With personalizations, you can tailor communications, event experiences, and follow-up strategies to the specific needs and preferences of individual attendees. This can significantly enhance engagement and conversion rates. 

Utilizing data to understand attendee behavior and interests allows for more customized and relevant interactions and experiences.

Virtual events and webinars

Virtual events and webinars have become popular tools for lead generation due to their cost-effective nature and ability to reach a global audience. 

Virtual events and webinars allow you to share valuable content and interact with potential leads in real time, engaging participants and improving lead generation efforts.

Hybrid events

Hybrid events have gained traction due to their flexible nature. They combine in-person and virtual elements, offering attendees the best of both worlds. These events can attract a larger audience and generate more leads by accommodating different preferences and circumstances.

Sustainable solutions

Sustainability is becoming a crucial consideration in event planning. Companies are adopting eco-friendly practices, such as reducing waste, using digital materials, and choosing sustainable venues. 

These practices not only appeal to environmentally conscious attendees but also boost the company’s reputation and brand image.

Advanced analytics

Advanced analytics helps businesses review event data and gain insights into attendee behavior, measure engagement levels, and assess the effectiveness of their strategies. 

This data-driven approach helps refine future events, improve lead conversion rates, and drive growth.

AI and automation

AI can analyze vast amounts of data to identify high-quality leads, predict attendee behavior, and personalize communication.

Automation tools help manage repetitive tasks, such as sending follow-up emails, scheduling meetings, and event lead generation campaigns, allowing sales teams to focus on more strategic activities.

Interaction and data-driven engagement

An interactive, immersive, and engaging event environment is not only a trend but a crucial component to creating an impact on attendees and potential leads. Personalizing experiences based on interaction data maximizes engagement and lead generation opportunities.

Virtual event platforms generally provide insights into attendee participation in sessions, networking spaces, polls, Q&A sessions, and chats. Organizers can use this data to refine future strategies and make data-driven decisions, ensuring a more engaging and impactful event experience.

Snippets

Snippets are brief answers to queries displayed at the top of Google's search results, providing quick, concise information. Featured snippets can enhance your event's online visibility, driving more traffic to your event pages. 

By optimizing your content to appear in these snippets, you can attract a larger audience, increase brand awareness, and generate more leads. 

Powering up your business with event lead generation

Event-driven lead generation and pipeline development are game-changers for growing your business. They help you expand your market, keep customers coming back, boost your brand’s visibility, and increase your ROI.

To nail it, you need the right tools and strategies, such as pre-event promotions, on-site engagement tactics, and post-event follow-ups. You must also use a mix of event formats, from webinars to in-person conferences.

By focusing on event-led growth and strategy, you’ll move beyond simply competing to becoming a market leader.

Get insights into lead generation strategies that stay ahead and drive sales!

Edited by Shanti S Nair