There’s a reason why event marketing is consistently named one of the most stressful jobs. At any given time, it feels like there are a million balls in the air, and dropping just one feels catastrophic.
So to consider adopting an entirely new go-to-market motion probably sounds overwhelming. (Maybe that’s an understatement?)
We’re talking about event-led growth, and it’s worth it.
But let’s rewind.
What is event-led growth (ELG)? It’s a go-to-market motion that uses events as the primary customer acquisition and retention channel.
Why do organizations like event-led growth? Because it incorporates teammates from across the revenue team, is scalable and measurable, and ties directly to specific business goals.
Of course, adopting a new go-to-market motion also means you need a new strategy. The good news is that this will look very similar to what you’ve done in the past for events. The difference is that event-led growth will inform your entire marketing plan, so it’ll probably be more robust than what you’ve been working with.
Let’s look at how to get this going in seven steps.
What are your organization’s business goals this year? This is the number-one thing you should consider as you set goals for your event-led growth strategy. From there, narrow down how events will help you reach that goal and decide which event KPIs you’ll track.
For example, say your organization wants to increase ARR by 30% over last year. The goal for your ELG strategy might be to source X opportunities, influence $X in pipeline, or generate X dollars of closed-won business across all events.
Data from past events and projections can help you assign more specific goals for each individual event.
Based on your goals, who are you trying to reach? Is it net-new prospects, potential customers who have already engaged with you, current customers, or a blend?
Event-led growth is most often the result of teams leveraging events for a blend of these audiences. The most successful ELG champions pinpoint different experiences for people at different stages in the buying cycle — and have those events work together.
I know, I know — budgets are a sore subject these days. But you have to bite the bullet. Take a look at what you have available to figure out how many events you can realistically fit into that budget.
Whether you’re planning for next year or looking to spend whatever you have left for this year, allocate your budget strategically to get the most bang for your buck — and prioritize the events that’ll help you meet your goals.
You have a realistic goal or two for your event-led growth strategy. You know what you need from each event. You know how much money you have.
Now, you can more easily (and strategically) decide what events to host or attend, and which ones will be in person versus online.
Other things you’ll want to consider when creating your events calendar:
These can all be indicators of when could be the best (or worst) time to host an event.
Your marketing plan might vary based on the type of event, the people you’re inviting, or something else, but it’s always smart to have a general template as you create your strategy. As you start executing on each event, you can adjust it.
Create an event brief template that includes:
Building an event plan or checklist is one of the best ways to stay on track (and avoid a lot of the headaches that come with planning events).
Start by writing down every single task you do to execute an event from start to finish. (Yes, I know that’s a lot.)
Then, move each task into a larger category to keep everything as organized as possible. Put this list in a digital space where you can maintain it as needed — because if we know one thing, these lists will just keep growing.
A lot of project management tools today have the functionality to support really complex projects, like events. Leverage features like templates, dependencies, and calendars to take your event organization to the next level.
You already set some goals for your event-led growth strategy. Now, it's time to identify how you'll measure progress.
Measuring event success can be complicated. To do it most effectively (and accurately), it’s best to involve your business operations team. They can help you build robust dashboards with all the data you’ll need to prove impact.
Here are some of the more common event goals, along with the related KPIs and where to track them:
As you get more sophisticated with your ELG motion, we’ll introduce more complex things to consider to level up your programming — things like how to cover your entire funnel, scaling your programs, and ways to optimize constantly.
Until then, just get started with event-led growth. It may feel overwhelming at the beginning, but it’ll be worth it once you see how effective and impactful your events are.
Event marketing may never find its way off the “most stressful jobs” lists. But with your event-led growth strategy in action, you’ll generate more revenue for your company than ever before — and be the hero who did so.
