Studies show nearly one-fourth to one-third of B2B marketing budgets tend to focus around live events. With many spring and summer niche shows being cut or postponed, pipeline for many suppliers at present is challenged. It’s not enough to hope this shortfall will be made up by folks finding your website and filling out a form–in fact, relying on this passive approach is a sure-fire way to miss out on potential business.
So what’s a marketer to do?
Consider updating your marketing strategy in the following key ways.
Draw Traffic to Your Website Using Social to Target Them. Too many suppliers think about sharing content and promotions using only their own accounts on Facebook or LinkedIn. But you can also draw traffic to your website by targeting prospects on their feeds.
With PMMI Media Group, advertisers are able to use paid social ads to reach the exact same individuals from the PMMI database that they do in print and in email. There are more than 40(!) vertical markets to select from (see targeting categories and audience size: https://pan.pmmimediagroup.com/).
Highlight Your Expertise Around the Niche Area Within Trade Media. Even though a niche show might not have happened, it doesn’t change editors’ desires to cover the particular industry—they’re just as eager to learn about trends and share best practices as ever, only with reduced access to sources that would have been made at the event. By offering up your subject matter experts to discuss trends or customer referrals for possible case studies, you significantly increase chances of your company receiving organic news coverage—and prospect attention–– in the niche area. Event cancellations or postponements are an ideal time to focus heavily on sending press releases to media contacts. (Pro tip: To contact individual editors at PMMI Media Group, search “About Us” from each magazine’s home page. And for practical advice to get your press releases noticed, be sure to read “Top Tips to Get Editors to Listen.” )
Take Advantage of Paid Channels. While your existing customer list is likely filled with many great contacts, it’s not helping you reach new eyes. To bring in more audience from the verticals you desire, you’ll need to look outward.
In a recent survey, 52 percent of buyers said they relied on trade media magazines, websites or newsletters to inform their most recent purchase decision. (2019 Packaging End User Buying Insights Study)
Top ways to appeal to an audience around a particular vertical using email with a trade media audience include:
The good news? Many shows are still on the horizon. To keep up with the latest events in your market and any changes, be sure to visit PMMI Media Group’s magazine sites. Each site features an “Events” page that lists upcoming shows, dates and registration info.
