Trade shows and events can be a goldmine for B2B marketers, offering a unique opportunity to connect with potential customers face-to-face and generate leads that can drive significant business growth. However, the true value of these events lies not just in collecting leads but in how quickly and effectively those leads are followed up.
One of the biggest challenges for sales and marketing teams is managing the data collected from these events. Typically, leads are gathered through a lead scanner provided by the event organizer—often at a hefty fee—or by exchanging business cards. Some companies are also opting for digital business cards or connecting directly on LinkedIn. Yet, no matter how the leads are collected, getting that data off the cards or digital connections and into a usable format in your CRM is a daunting task.
Once the event is over, sales and marketing teams face the labor-intensive process of data entry, segmentation, and follow-up. This process includes entering contact details into a CRM, segmenting them based on criteria like industry or level of interest, adding notes from conversations, and then reaching out with targeted messages.
However, manual data entry isn’t just time-consuming; it’s also highly prone to errors. These mistakes can range from misspelled names to incorrect email addresses or phone numbers, leading to bounced emails, missed calls, and overall difficulty in reaching your leads. Such errors can be embarrassing and may even harm your company’s reputation. Moreover, they can cause you to lose valuable opportunities to connect with potential customers, as incorrect information means you might not be able to reach your leads at all.
The manual nature of this process can cause significant delays, leading to a loss of valuable momentum. Every day that passes without following up on these leads increases the risk that they’ll cool off or be snatched up by a competitor. Speed is crucial in the post-event follow-up process, and delays can be costly.
To address this challenge, HubSpot offers a Business Card Scanner app that can significantly streamline the data entry process. This tool allows you to quickly and accurately capture contact details from business cards using your smartphone, automatically transferring this information into HubSpot’s CRM.
By automating data entry, the Business Card Scanner helps you save time, reduce errors, and ensure that your leads are quickly and accurately captured. This allows your sales and marketing teams to focus on what they do best—engaging with leads and turning them into customers.
In the fast-paced world of B2B marketing, being the first to follow up with leads can make all the difference. HubSpot's Business Card Scanner gives you the tools to quickly capture and act on the leads you gather at trade shows and events, helping you stay ahead of your competitors.
To learn more about how you can leverage tools like HubSpot's Business Card Scanner to beat your competitors to the punch, connect with Inbox today. Don’t let valuable leads slip through the cracks—act fast and stay ahead!