Hubilo at ETL London: Studio Chat with Rachel Stephan

Amid energy and conversations at Event Tech Live, Rachel Moore, the Director of Content and Communications at Hubilo, grabbed her mic to interact with a fascinating personality at Event Tech Live 2022: Rachel Stephan, the founder, and CEO of Snöball. 

As they unraveled how Snöball helps you leverage influencer marketing in its best form, their conversation was full of great takeaways for event marketers trying to make their next event epic. 

Let's see what they had to say.

Meet Rachel Stephan and Snöball

Rachel Stephan is the founder and CEO of Snöball, a Canadian-based event tech company that helps turn event stakeholders into influencers. As a creative director and event marketing expert, she focuses on building a great experience and a sticky brand that's personable and relatable.

The idea behind Snöball is that virtual, hybrid or in-person marketing messages for any event can be snowballed when attendees, speakers, and exhibitors share their participation and messages and invite others. This, as a result, creates the "Snöball effect." The software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution leverages the power of word-of-mouth to help event organizers grow their events, both virtually and in person.

Word-of-mouth marketing for events

Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most powerful tools an event planner can have in their toolkit. Why? Because when people talk about your event, it creates a buzz that can be difficult to generate through other marketing channels. Plus, word-of-mouth marketing is free!

Rachel S. says, "Attendance is about getting your people, your attendee speakers, exhibitors — everybody who was part of the event — to help you get the word out."

"Let's talk to our audience of marketers out there," she continues. "How many of us feel like we're alone? Sometimes, it's all about one person donning multiple hats. Marketing is one of the things that you're doing plus plus plus something else that you're doing. Doesn't it feel good to have some support? At Snöball, we believe it's not only your responsibility to do marketing. You have all these people right there. You don't have to pay them to do it because they also have a stake in it. They're speaking. They're exhibiting. They want to get the word out. Make it easy for them to do so. And the numbers and the data backs it up." 

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The key is to get people talking about your event. Once you do that, the word will spread, and you'll start seeing more people interested in attending. So get out there and start spreading the word!

Data and marketing

As a marketer, one of the most important things you can do is to keep track of what works and what doesn't in your campaigns. After all, if something isn't working, why waste time and money on it? This is where data analytics comes in.

Data analytics can help you understand which parts of your marketing campaign are working and which aren't. This way, you can focus your efforts on the areas that yield the best results. Data analytics can also help you identify potential problems with your campaign before they become too costly.

Rachel S. adds, "With data, the organizer can look, you know, 'Hey, these exhibitors got me this many people, I can give them special treatment next year or maybe involve them in something else that they could do differently' — because knowing this data allows you to reward your stakeholders."

In short, if you want to have a successful marketing campaign, data analytics is key. So if you still need to use it, now's the time!

Events and overall marketing

No matter what business you're in, events are a great way to market your company and its products or services. They allow you to reach a broad audience of potential customers and create excitement and buzz around your brand.

Events can also be used to build relationships with existing customers and partners to generate sales leads. By hosting or attending events, you can get your name and your company's name out there, which can help increase brand awareness and recognition.

According to Rachel S., if marketing is a car, then events are the steering wheel. 

She says, "Just like the steering wheel, it's getting you somewhere. You're behind the driver's seat because you're closer to people. Events are where people come together, and there's a stronger connection, and that's powerful."

Best marketing tactics

There's no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of what the best marketing tactics are, but Rachel S. shared a few general principles that can guide your decision-making:

• Listen to your audience to understand them and what they love or dislike.
• Invest in analytics to see what resonates with your customers, triggers the action you would want them to take, and enhances their experiences. Do more of that, and results shall follow. 
• During event marketing, you'll have generated so much content; once the event is over, so is the hype. Instead, leverage the content and the connections made during the event to cross-promote complete amplification.
• Build your audience during the event; if your event is gated, it helps you generate leads and revenue. 
• Encourage your attendees and speakers to share about the event. User-generated content goes a long way to building your authenticity and credibility.

An essential asset of marketing 

Rachel S. is confident that the most critical marketing asset is the connections you build, and we couldn't agree more. Watch the full video interview with Rachel Stephan in Hubilo's Studio Chats playlist on YouTube. And be sure to follow our blog to keep up with your business's latest event marketing strategies!