By
·
7 minute read
Live events are the No. 1 way to generate engagement and excitement around automotive products.
This goes double for brands looking to drive interest and sales. Proving the value of activations like test drives and model reveals is almost entirely based on converting leads into customers.
Since vehicles are rarely sold at auto activations, the only way to create those conversions is to follow up with leads to help transition them from window shoppers to motivated buyers. To do that, marketers must have the means to capture data, segment leads, and follow up with them via email, SMS, phone, or even snail mail.
This is where top marketers circle back to digital tools. Gone are the days when pen and paper led the way, the same goes for in-person forms and surveys that require the Internet. In 2024, it’s more important than ever to capture lead data for follow-up whenever and wherever an activation takes place.
Below are 15 tactics to effectively follow up with auto show leads and nurture them down the sales funnel.
Why Following Up On Event Leads Is Important
Creating a memorable experience for attendees at an event is great, but the job doesn’t end there. Converting leads by engaging them once they leave an activation is the key.
That’s because brand affinity begins with a good first impression, a top product and an exciting test drive. Nurturing that relationship with effective communication and turning it into a sale is the end goal of every marketing initiative.
Once attendees leave the event, the challenge shifts to maintaining the momentum captured on the show floor. Communication is key here. It's not just about reminding them of the brand; it's about deepening their connection to it.
Tailored follow-up messages that resonate with the specific interests they expressed at the event can transform a casual visitor into a serious prospect.
A combination of email marketing targeted social media ads, and even direct mail can keep your brand at the forefront of attendees’ minds. This approach not only reinforces the initial experience but also guides potential customers along the buyer’s journey from awareness to decision.
A follow-up strategy gives brands an effective way to convert leads into loyal customers. Let's dive into 15 different ways to follow up on event leads.
15 Ways to Follow-Up on Event Show Leads
Maximizing the potential of leads gathered at auto shows requires thoughtful and creative follow-up approaches.
Whether you prefer digital outreach or personalized touchpoints, these 15 effective strategies for will help you engage leads after an event.
1. Segment leads based on interest
Once people have agreed to provide first-party data about themselves, it’s very important to understand what they’re interested in and where they are in the purchase journey.
There are multiple ways to group leads, such as the specific products they tried, interest level, or if they specifically asked for a follow-up.
Dynamic forms and surveys that adapt to answers can segment leads within your tech stack to ensure personalized, on-point follow-up messaging is sent manually or automatically.
Use your segmentation to personalize follow-up messaging and deliver more relevant content.
2. Prioritize the highest quality leads
Every marketer wants leads, but a single hot lead is generally better than 10 cold ones.
More specifically, prioritize leads who have engaged with your products and shown that they are ready to use. Use a simple lead scoring system to find the highest-priority leads.
With the right data fed into your CRM and dealers alerted to motivated customers, higher-quality leads can be prioritized and communicated with quickly.
Once the data is within your CRM, focus on following up immediately with the best leads to maximize your event marketing efforts.
3. Ask them for communication preferences
It’s difficult to get people to pick up the phone for an unknown number.
Many find SMS messages intrusive and spammy. Emails can go to junk folders, and unwanted mailers are literally called junk mail.
But none of that means people aren’t interested in follow-up conversations; it just means you need to know their preferred channel.
Simply asking can go a long way and keep your brand from inundating people with messaging, which can compromise the overall customer experience.
4. Follow up with them immediately
Nothing says “we see you” like getting a personalized message not long after leaving an activation.
A lot can happen from when they first tried your product to when they left your event. Reach out to warm leads to keep your brand top of mind, while focusing on the specific conversation or questions they had at the event.
When Susan from the local dealership reaches out to schedule “a real test drive” of that car you took around a track at the auto show, it makes you feel important and fosters brand affinity.
5. Invite them to join your mailing list
Mailing lists are an easy way for leads to learn about offers, events, new models and more.
They’re also completely not intrusive because, once opted-in, people expect to hear from you. And they’re good leads because they’ve shown interest and made a choice.
6. Nurture them down the sales funnel
Window shoppers are still shopping, even if they’re not ready to buy immediately.
Reminding leads it’s been five months since they said they were six months from purchasing, that the new model they were waiting for is now available, or just to say, “Happy birthday, talk soon!” keeps your brand top of mind during a longer decision-making process.
At the event, highlight the content they’ll get by joining your mailing list, such as exclusive offers and special deals.
Make sure the sign-up process and lead forms are seamless and easy to opt into.
7. Communicate with them consistently
This flows naturally from nurturing leads. People shouldn’t be flooded with messaging right after an event or ignored for weeks afterward.
Leads should be communicated quickly at first and regularly afterward. with irregularly.
Establish a consistent follow-up communication cadence using a mix of different channels, such as emails, social media, and even direct mail.
But, avoid overwhelming leads with too frequent contact, or else they may get turned off and opt out.
8. Hook them with videos and customer stories
What better way to follow up with leads than with testimonials from real customers?
Share customer stories that are relatable to the customer’s interests which makes the content feel like it’s personalized just for them.
Of course, don’t send a video or story that’s outdated or about the wrong type of vehicle. Anecdotes detailing great customer service experiences are an excellent fallback.
9. Pick up the phone and talk to them
Phone calls are an unused communication channel but the top salespeople use them daily to reach out to interested leads or at least keep them engaged.
It is much easier to have a real conversation with them and be able to answer any questions they have about your products. Plus, it adds a human touch to your communications.
10. Wisely leverage automation
There’s no better way to efficiently engage leads and nurture them down the sales funnel via email or SMS than by automating communications.
Once leads are segmented, you can automate sending thank you emails or follow-up reminders. Use automation to scale your efforts without sacrificing the personal touch.
Effective communications need to be personalized, and that does not mean a simple “Hi Michelle” at the top of a generic follow-up email. It means understanding how your tech stack works—its abilities and limitations—and sending people personalized messages. If Michelle test-drove a coupe and gets an automated email promoting an SUV, that’s bad.
11. Create urgency with special offers
Dealer days, no money down, interest-free loans, and limited-time cashback are all time-sensitive promotions that can be made exclusive for event leads to encouraging action.
Auto show follow-ups with special promotions generate interest and incentivize people to buy. Highlight the limited time or expiration of the offers to create a sense of urgency.
12. Invite them to exclusive events
Does your brand sponsor a music festival? Does it have a private box at a sports arena? Can your experiential team plan an exotic test drive experience?
These types of exclusive events, engaged through experiential marketing, make leads feel special and offer another experience they won’t soon forget.
Exclusive events and offers make your future customers feel valued and connected with your brand.
13. Invite them to private product demos
Like the above, private demos build brand affinity by providing elevated experiences to a select few. (Pro tip: A few can mean many leads in this case.)
Personalize which products to showcase depending on the specific customer’s interests and needs.
14. Survey them for feedback
What better way to learn how to make your next auto show activation or test drive experience better than by asking the people who just experienced it?
An added bonus is the ability to sneak in some questions to help further segment invested leads already in your sales funnel.
15. Engage them on social media
When someone tags your brand or includes a preferred hashtag in a post, engage with them!
Like it, reply to it, or add it to a story or Reel.
Social media is one of the best channels for creating a lasting relationship and one of the easiest places to ruin one. Re-market to your best leads using relevant content and targeted ads. This increases engagement which can lead to conversions.
Put Your Auto Show Follow-up Into Top Gear
It might seem like a big ask to pull off the 15 points above, but it can be done with a little elbow grease. Many are just about forethought and effort when it comes to how best to engage leads and increase the ROI in your live marketing.
The technical ones are table stakes for Limelight Platform. Our experiential marketing platform solves many of the problems event marketers experience in the field and supports collecting, quantifying, segmenting, prioritizing and communicating with leads before, during and after events. It’s kind of a one-stop shop many top live marketers and brands use to drive more sales.
FAQ
When should I follow up after an auto show?
Within a few hours. Your first outreach should come not long after a lead offers their contact information. You never know where they went or what they did after visiting your activation, so it’s important to stay top of mind.
By giving them an action item (newsletter registration, dealer contact info, etc.) you’ll also be able to further gauge interest in purchasing, which helps with segmenting, prioritizing and next communications.
How do I write a follow-up email?
Whether you’re following up on an auto show, test drive or any experiential marketing activation, there are four commandments to follow:
- A subject line of six words or fewer
- Make sure it’s personalized
- Give it a conversational tone
- Keep it to three paragraphs
Here’s an example:
Subject: Wasn’t the [vehicle name] cool?
Hi [name],
It was great to see you yesterday at [colloquial event name]!
Thanks for taking a spin in the all-new 2024 [vehicle name]. [Rep name] from [local dealership name] will be reaching out to see if you’re interested in getting the [shortened vehicle name] out for a traditional test drive. She/he/they will be in touch within a couple of days.
In the meantime, sign up here [link] for our newsletter to stay up to date on [brand name] special events and offers.
Thanks,
[name]
How do I track my auto show successes?
Experiential marketing technology can measure ROI with data and create more conversions. Marketing leaders often look at the number of leads generated and conversion to sales as a metric metric to track auto show success.