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Behind the Curtain at Convergence 2014

Post Author: Joe D365 |

How PowerObjects Used Marketing Automation in Dynamics CRM

Whether you attended or not, you may still be feeling the buzz coming out of Microsoft Convergence 2014 in Atlanta. The team from PowerObjects had a blast connecting with customers, meeting new CRM fans, and learning about the latest features and technology from the world of Dynamics. As a partner that is 100% focused on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, we are looking forward to a bright future.

If you attended, there is a good chance you saw the PowerObjects logo on a hoodie, since we handed out 3,000 of them to booth visitors. How did it happen? It wasn't magic, it was CRM! Check out the steps below and learn how we leveraged the marketing automation capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and our suite of PowerPack add-ons. What aspects would you borrow for your next trade show or event?

Warming Up the Crowd

First, we sent email updates about early bird pricing and other details to our friends and prospects leading up to Convergence. To do this we used our CRM and PowerMailChimp to segment a great marketing list, design a template to engage and promote, and hit send – all within CRM. As these messages went out, we used the reporting in CRM to see who was opening, what they clicked on, and who wanted to learn more. When links in our emails were clicked, PowerWebTraffic also gave us the ability to see what customers and potential clients were viewing by collecting website tracking analytics and connecting them to contacts and leads within CRM. We also used PowerSocial to send updates via social media outlets like Twitter and LinkedIn – and yes, you guessed it, right from inside CRM.

Setting up Shop

When we arrived on site at Convergence, things started to get exciting. We set up our booth and it equipped it with four big screen monitors to conduct live demonstrations of CRM and our PowerPacks. After all, there is no substitute for seeing CRM in action! We also displayed a social media wall that had a feed of real-time Tweets, and Facebook and Instagram posts that had our hashtags – all of which we could continue to monitor and post via PowerSocial.

We also brought 3,000 hoodies that said "CRM" on the front and had the PowerObjects logo on the back. Dynamics CRM is our focus and our passion, so we couldn't help but share it loud and proud with everyone. Each booth team member had a Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet to use at the booth in order to further leverage our technology and CRM.

marketing automation in dynamics crm

Showtime - with a High Tech Twist

What is better than giving away 3,000 CRM hoodies? Giving away 3,000 CRM hoodies while also showcasing the capabilities of CRM and gathering leads in real time. To do this we built a custom app to capture lead information right at the booth.

Here’s how it worked:
We either scanned the RFID in attendees' badges or entered them in a simple form on a tablet. We could even add photo of that person to their record by taking their photo with the tablet's camera and using PowerPhoto to load it in CRM. Immediately after we had scanned or gathered the attendee’s info, three things happened:

1)      They received one of our wildly popular and stylish hoodies.

2)      Their information was entered into our lead capture app and CRM.

3)      From PowerSurvey, they were sent an email with a brief survey about what aspects of CRM and PowerObjects they were most interested in (services, support, education or add-ons).

Here is what the Lead Capture App looks like on a tablet – immediately after scanning and snapping a quick photo.

marketing automation in dynamics crm

After the attendees completed their survey, they were also entered into a drawing to win Dell Venue 8 Pro tablets – which were the same ones we used in our booth. To win the tablet, they had to complete the survey and show up to our booth for the drawing wearing our CRM hoodie. We also let people sign up for text reminders via PowerSMS.

As you can see, the booth was packed!

marketing automation in dynamics crm

In the survey, attendees could also request more information, which was delivered in an email bundle through PowerShare. This add-on lets us easily distribute PDFs and other files, as well as track what is opened.

So that's how it all came together for PowerObjects marketing at a 12,000+ attendee event, fully integrated with CRM. It was fantastic to meet so many Convergence attendees and to see our hoodies everywhere throughout the weeklong event and around the city of Atlanta.

Now comes the next fun part of the process: following up with the people we met to help them get more value out of Dynamics CRM for Marketing, Sales, and Service. Let us know if you want to learn more about how we used marketing automation in Dynamics CRM to pull off a great Convergence 2014. We will see you next year for Convergence 2015!

marketing automation in dynamics crm

Keep checking our blog for CRM tips and tricks! Interested in other upcoming PowerObjects events? Check out our events page!

Happy CRM’ing!

Joe CRM
By Joe D365
Joe D365 is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 superhero who runs on pure Dynamics adrenaline. As the face of PowerObjects, Joe D365’s mission is to reveal innovative ways to use Dynamics 365 and bring the application to more businesses and organizations around the world.

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