Why Events are My Number 1 Secret to Nurturing Long-Term Customer Relationships

In a digital age, sometimes it pays to be old school. I read recently that in the USA, most people are exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 branded messages every single day. I’ve no doubt the situation is similar in much of the English-speaking world and beyond.

Most of these branded messages are digital, and – although digital methods have become a necessary part of every marketing toolkit – I find that nurturing long-term relationships with truly engaged customers is much harder over the internet than in-person.

Today, I’m sharing my take on how to achieve fantastic engagement from your customers, using in-person events. In this article, I’ll dive into why events are so important, and how you can make the most out of this powerful marketing tool.

Keep it intimate

Many of my most successful events have been those where I invited the fewest guests. I have held numerous evening events where I only invited my company’s top 25 customers. At that size, I get the opportunity to personally interact with every individual, and they’ll come away knowing that I’m interested in them and the success of their companies. This makes for a much stronger relationship than one that is conducted solely over the internet or via phone calls.

Choose an eye-catching topic

You want to make sure as many of your invitees show up as possible, and so part of the formula for any successful event is choosing a compelling reason to bring people together. I like to run events around topics which our customers might find challenging in their businesses. If they feel there is business value to be gained by diving into these issues, they’re far more likely to attend than if the event has no bigger purpose. You could invite guest speakers who are thought leaders on the topic-in-question. Plus, picking an exciting venue never hurts!

Don’t forget ROI

In comparison to digital marketing, it is much more difficult to directly measure the impact of an event. A year or more might pass before one of the attendees decides to pursue a big new deal with you, but your event might be a significant reason for them to choose you over one of your competitors.

In my evening events, I tend only to invite my company’s highest-spending customers. Increasing the chance of future business with them makes a lot more sense than focusing on smaller customers: any new deal is likely to be much bigger, and that makes a lot of sense for my business’s bottom line. This makes sense for my company, but if you’re looking to expand your client base, why not try hosting an event with the goal of bringing in new business?

Get to know multiple contacts

Every client business may include 5 or 10 other decision-makers that you didn’t know, but whom - via an event - you could be introduced to. And generally, those kinds of introductions only happen when you have a good enough relationship with the client.

It is easier to get more business from the customers who know me and trust me than looking for customers who have no experience and no track record with me. So, for me, the whole objective of an event is to end up doing more business with the customers that I already have a relationship with. One of the best ways to do that is by expanding your network within a client’s company. Being on good terms with multiple decision-makers is a sure-fire way to get more deals.

Conclusion

Even for large companies, it’s easy to get stuck in your comfort zone. Often, it involves a lot more preparation and planning to create a winning event than to run a digital campaign. But in my experience, the effort is worth it.

The market is as competitive as ever. Everybody wants to deal with your customers. And that’s why it’s so important to build long term relationships. You don’t want your clients to jump ship to a competitor as soon as they’re offered a lower price or a newer product. Events can help you build those lasting relationships.

James Caan CBE

www.james-caan.com