3 Creative Ways To Capture Leads At Live Speaking Events
A few months ago I had a strategy call with an attorney who was frustrated he didn’t have more business coming in the door. As I started to ask he questions about his current marketing efforts, I found out that he was doing speaking engagements almost every week!
Stunned by this, my very first question was, “how are you staying in touch with the people you’re meeting at these events?” and “what are you doing to convert them into clients?” He told me that he typically passes out business cards and just waits for them to call.
Ouch.
When doing any kind of live speaking engagement, your primary goal (besides putting on a great presentation!) is to capture the contact information for as many people as you can in the room.
Remember our trusty rule of 7? Capturing attendee’s information now gives you the opportunity to add them to your mailing list and communicate with them on a regular basis.
In fact, when our private clients do speaking events, we have multi-step, automated follow-up sequences in place to ensure we are staying in touch with these warm leads and gently pushing them toward becoming a paying client. These sequences typically include an immediate post-event email, a letter and sometimes a personal phone call.
Now remember, people will not just give you their name, email and phone number just because you ask. You may have to get a little creative in order to capture this valuable information. Here are 3 of our favorite ways to collect personal information without acting ike a used car salesman:
1. Do a raffle or prize giveaway- Make sure the prize or free giveaway that you are offering is something the particular audience you are speaking to wants. Examples might include tickets to a ball game, a certificate for a local restaurant, spa, etc. To enter, attendees must include their contact information on your registration form. Be sure to note on the form that they’ll also start receiving a complimentary subscription to your email newsletter as a bonus for registering.
2. Offer bonus educational materials- Another great way to capture leads during events where you are not allowed to overtly promote yourself is to offer supplemental learning materials that you can “mail out” to attendees free of charge. This could include free guides, brochures, informational CDs etc. Examples might include a guide to securing VA benefits for a loved one or a CD on 7 things you should know before filing bankruptcy. Have an order form ready so that you can deliver the goods (and stay in touch with your leads!) after the event.
3. Make a special offer for a free appointment with you- Many of our estate planning clients will offer a free, 2-hour planning session with anyone who fills out a questionnaire and qualifies during their live events. It helps them to book more initial consultations while simultaneously builds their internal database. If your practice area allows you to make a similar offering, bring your calendar and consider ways to capture names and book appointments on the spot.
Finally, don’t forget to ask attendees to follow you on sites like Twitter and Facebook, as it’s another great way to stay in touch with warm leads! Make a plan to start collecting this information any way you can so you can stop leaving money on the table at live events!
Would you like to talk about how we can help you save time on your marketing and help you turn ideas into action? Simply schedule a time on my calendar for a no-strings virtual cup of coffee.