With the end of the summer fast approaching, this is the perfect time to join MPG for a refresh and reset “retreat”, so you can recharge for the second half of the year. While we can’t promise warm sandy beaches and sunrise yoga, we can promise to reground you in the foundations of marketing excellence.

Here’s your H2 check-in to see where you might need to give yourselves some extra TLC:

• Do you have a GA4 property lurking in your account which hasn’t been set up?
• Are you reluctant to deep-dive into the analytics because you feel less confident with the new interface?
• Are your PPC campaigns spending money like a leaky bucket and you’re not sure where it’s going and how to stop it?
• Do you have an all-inclusive approach to your email marketing because you’re lacking the database quality and processes for better targeting?
• Are you asking your marketers to be all things to all parts of the business – build a brand, drive leads, grow the audience, bring in sponsors and support sales?
• Are you commanding your spot in the market, and holding your competitors out?

In this newsletter, we will help you to determine if your digital advertising, web analytics (including GA4), and database are 5-star. By ensuring you are excelling in these key marketing areas, you can deliver first class performance across commercial partnership and audience acquisition. We’ve got cheat sheets for you to help with that too – keep reading.

On the MPG retreat, we encourage you to post your #bestmoments. If you find the below articles valuable, share them with your colleagues and networks, then sign up to receive upcoming insights straight to your inbox.

#1 GA4 for B2B media & events businesses: your 7-step guide to success

While Google extended the deadline to switch over to GA4, MPG have seen recent examples of companies who haven’t yet committed to the switch over. Over the last few months Google has created a GA4 property for all of those that hadn’t done so actively. This is your sign to take the leap into the deep blue waters of GA4.

But there’s no need to fear drowning with MPG’s 7-step guide to success.

While the terminology is different, and the interface may look unfamiliar initially, start with the same first principles i.e. define tracking objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) to align with your business goals. With a clear focus on what you need, you can configure the measurement features across your website and registration platform. Setting up the right reporting means your team can continually monitor user journeys (and abandonments) and optimise performance of your digital properties.

#2 What every event marketer should know about PPC/Paid Media

Digital advertising is the proverbial pool lilo. It looks great once you’re floating along peacefully, cocktail in hand, knowing the return is rolling in, but blowing the thing up in the first place, let alone getting onboard, is enough to cause a splash.

Managing PPC or Paid Media campaigns requires a unique set of skills and expertise – which is why having a dedicated agency partner or specialist digital marketing team for your event campaigns is essential. More than that, handing this critical channel over to a non-event specialist is like having a puncture in that lilo – watch your PPC campaigns sink, along with your budget.

With an event offering that’s changing all the time – as speakers get added, sessions get confirmed and sponsors come onboard – you need a nimble ads approach. With MPG’s understanding of event intricacies and the unique campaign momentum changes, we’ve captured the key questions you need to be asking to drive ROI and five PPC metrics every event marketer should be paying attention to on a weekly basis.

Also of interest: Senior event leaders talked about all things PPC and Paid Media in a roundtable event earlier this year. Read their top 5 takeaways

#3 Is your database scuppering your event marketing campaign?

There’s nothing worse than not doing your research and turning up at a resort which simply ‘isn’t your crowd’. People are part of the experience. That’s why your event’s database isn’t just a list of contacts; it’s the beating heart of your event marketing strategy.

As campaigns ramp up, and the email frenzy takes hold, it never feels like you have a chance to get on top of your database. With MPG’s all-inclusive “review and recommendation” package, you can evaluate your data throughout the whole lifecycle, including data collection, storage, maintenance, governance and usage. Use our top recommendations to drive commercial performance, and follow a roadmap for implementing. Even if your mobile data fails you, you’ll no longer be lost with MPG’s guide to event database management.

#4 Marketing to grow sponsorship revenue: why it’s important and how to get it right

This post was sponsored by … #ad. You may not be a social media influencer, but senior event executives know how important sponsors are to a successful event. For many conferences it makes up the majority of the revenue target; it de-risks the event with earlier committed revenue and adds credibility, which will attract attendees.

For something so important to the commercial security of your business, there’s a strong argument for dedicating specialist resources to sponsorship marketing. Most event companies do this within their sales function, with separate sponsorship and delegate sales teams, yet they don’t replicate the same in their marketing. There’s a recognition that it’s a “different type of sale” so it follows that it’s a different type of marketing too.

Need more to convince company stakeholders? Read this blog for examples of what is important in sponsorship marketing that’s not relevant to delegate acquisition.

Also of interest: Make your case with this tried and tested methodology to achieve strong YOY revenue growth. When you see more MQLs and higher conversion rates, your argument will soon make itself. Click here.

#5 Reserve your spot [around the pool]

Just as competition is rife around the pool for the sunbeds, so too is the competition to get people to attend your event. You can’t switch off your delegate marketing. You need a 365 approach to engaging your audience.

While there might be some down-time between events, this is the time to press the reset button and tackle everything above, your GA4/analytics, your digital advertising and database hygiene because it’s back to business-as-usual before you’ve had a chance to say ‘pina colada’.

Thankfully, MPG is the malibu to your pineapple juice. With over 10 years of experience, we bring the perfect mix of marketing excellence in delegate marketing. With cross-channel experts and hundreds of integrated marketing campaigns delivered, you can sit back and relax knowing your events are in good hands.

We hope that the insights we’ve shared in this newsletter will help you take a moment to breathe and smell the sea, before making waves in your event marketing with MPG.