This weekend, I attended a three-day gaming event, DesertBash 9. It’s an event put on by local organizers with the support from Intel and a number of sponsors. This LAN Party is the perfect breeding ground for lead-generation, branding and engagement with this niche audience – gamers. I’ll share the case for why email marketing 2.0 would be perfect for live, in-person events.
Fragging your peers is not the only reason to attend; the event retains gamers beyond the game with attractive raffles and camaraderie that makes it enjoyable for everyone. As a marketer, I often observe the types of interactions the sponsors have with event attendees, and I found an opportunity for how sponsors can not only build their brand and gain awareness, but they can actually strum up business (and help prospects).
What’s the solution?
- Email Marketing – The audience (definitely this one) most likely has an email address. In fact, for most games, using an authenticated email address is necessary and many people regularly check their email. Though for this audience, it’s assumed they’ve been assaulted in the past with spam, so gathering their interests is key to maintaining trust in their inbox.
- CRM – Segmentation is important and using a CRM as a means to store the data on your email list is useful for later targeting. In this instance, segmentation can easily be achieved as to what type of games they play, platforms and other key interests that relate to purchase decisions. The last thing you want to do is send a gamer using an Intel system an offer for an AMD discount … using a CRM tied to email marketing is how you avoid problems and provide value.
These are not the only ways to effectively market to a live audience. Last week, Tyler shared how you can use text messaging to engage your audience. Couple that with the fact that the audience who attends LAN parties all has cell phones, it’s a no-brainer.
It’s worth noting that the proceeds from this event go directly to charity, but that’s no reason to not leverage interactive marketing that attracts prospects to your brand and eventually your products. (From about eight sponsors, zero of them had lead-generation activities.) Just imagine if you’re the sponsor who does follow up with prospects.
Here are a few ideas for attracting prospects at events:
- Fishbowl Marketing – Could be good at business events, but empty fishbowls signal a lack of community interest. I don’t have to tell you, this doesn’t fit the LAN party niche.
- Spin the Wheel – A fun way to give away your swag while attracting people who want to win big prizes.
- Survey & Raffle – Prospect don’t mind sharing their opinion when there’s a good chance they will get a prize. Rather than having a huge prize, split it up into smaller prizes so more people have a chance to win.
- Email Newsletter + Raffle – Help people sign up to your newsletter and enter them in a raffle for a prize or a significant discount from your product or service.
… The intent of the above ideas is to attract people and provide value, not to deceive. Make it very clear what they will receive and set the expectations for what future messages they will have in their inbox. The prize is just a perk for coming to your booth. Effective follow-up marketing is key to making it worthwhile. Not everyone is prepared to buy at the event, but maybe in a month or so they’ll be more prepared to purchase.
When a brand sponsors an event, it doesn’t hurt to consider the lead-generation abilities at the same time. This is where branding and lead-gen intersect and it’s the optimal way to follow-up with an event’s audience and reward them for sharing an interest in their product or service.
I had fun, the sponsors had some good exposure and the event went very well. I look forward to seeing brands engage with the audience beyond the scope of funding it. If you or your friends and family play multiplayer games, you ought to check out LANFest near you to be a part of the action.
[Image credit: LANFest/DesertBash9]
Posted In: CRM Information & Tips
