Six Tips for Better Event Lead Capture Surveys | Next-Gen Lead Capture Part IV

/in , /by

This is Part IV in our series on Next-Gen Lead Capture. Read Part I, Part II, Part III.

Almost certainly you’ve been there: getting scanned at a trade show while the sales or marketing rep also tries to bring you through a series of survey questions. And all you wanted was that cool light up ball for your kid. The quest for more data during lead capture is a noble one, but unfortunately it has become something of an afterthought for event marketers, and thus you are in that awkward scenario where the sales rep dread asking these questions. It is time to reignite this quest, nay this mission, to have a lead capture survey that actually works to turn leads into relationships!

Today, because we love you, we give you six tips for better event lead capture surveys, and we’re counting it down.

#6 TIP FOR BETTER EVENT LEAD CAPTURE SURVEYS: QUALIFY QUICKLY

The point of the survey is to get information that will help your sales team get the prospect to the next meeting, or as importantly, disqualify them from the sales process. Your goal is to qualify quickly, and depending on your business that may be as simple as asking a few very transparent questions such as:

  •      Do you have any plans to buy a <your industry solution> in the next 12 months?
  •      Have you implemented a <your industry solution> in the last 12 months?
  •      Are you answering these questions simply to get a tchotchke?

Sometimes cutting to the chase in the beginning is the best way to save time, and it also sets you up to go deeper depending on the answer.

#5 TIP FOR BETTER EVENT LEAD CAPTURE SURVEYS: TIERED TO GO DEEPER

Let’s imagine that the person does have plans to buy your super-duper widget in the next 12 months — now would probably be the time to ask some more interesting questions. The ability to tier your survey is critical, and it should align with a decision tree like:

#4 TIP FOR BETTER EVENT LEAD CAPTURE SURVEYS: ON-THE-FLY CUSTOMIZE

Survey questions are very personal, not for the participant, but for each member of your team. Every sales rep will want something different and there will be edits needed to be made right up until the event starts. Now you do have to create some ground rules in terms of question workflow, but you also need the ability to adapt to the sales reps needs and even the event attendees.

One great example is when we asked attendees about cloud-based data analytics. On day one of the event we noticed that the folks in this niche industry were  getting turned-off by the term ‘cloud’ and it was hurting our ability to establish relationship capture. Mid-morning we changed the question to read ‘secure SaaS-based data analytics’ and our problem was solved.

#3 TIP FOR BETTER EVENT LEAD CAPTURE SURVEYS: HUMOR WINS

In tip #6 we got a bit humorous around asking people if they were only there for the give-away. But it’s often the best way to engage people throughout a survey, even for the positive qualifying questions. When you align the sense of humor with your brand personality it can be a great way to relate to the person taking the survey.  

One great way to infuse humor is to relate it back to something happening in the current news cycle (CAUTION: Avoid politics). A good example was at an event right after Super Bowl 49 (Patriots beat Seahawks in dramatic fashion) and we slipped in this question in the middle of a 7 question tiered survey:

Should Pete Carroll have run the ball?

If you knew about the game you laughed and answered. And if you weren’t a football fan then you asked ‘Who is Pete Carroll’ and found out something new. Win-win (just like the Patriots).

#2 TIP FOR BETTER EVENT LEAD CAPTURE SURVEYS: VIDEO DAILY DOUBLE

Surveys are typically text based, even for the best lead capture apps, but that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate some interactive questions. If there is a video running or perhaps a demo then insert a question into the survey that not only gets you some insight into what they were paying attention to, but also sparks a conversation.

One amazing example happened when a travel luggage manufacturer  came out with a new top-line premium backpack. Their video loop had several celebrities modeling the new line in various outdoorsy scenarios and in the survey they would ask which celeb they remembered doing what? If the answer was Clooney hiking that lead to the next question of if they were avid hikers…and so on, and so on (see Tip #6).

#1 TIP FOR BETTER EVENT LEAD CAPTURE SURVEYS: QUIT WHILE YOU ARE AHEAD

That perfect lead is answering every tiered question and going deeper and deeper with you…STOP. Quit while you are ahead. Better yet have the survey graphically pop up a screen with something like “This person needs to go to some sessions now, leave them alone…they’ve told you everything.” It’s a great way to acknowledge their time and to leave the conversation at a point where you both want to talk more.

 

Tell us your tips for a killer lead capture survey at @captixevents, #leadsurvey.