How to Win Internal Support for IPM (In-Person Marketing)

In-person marketing is one of the most powerful channels for business growth. Face-to-face events are a strategic cornerstone for building authentic relationships, showcasing products, and driving revenue [1]. Yet, many companies struggle to prove the value of their biggest marketing spend. Events feel chaotic, leads get lost, and valuable conversations turn cold because of outdated, manual processes.

The truth is, fixing this problem rarely starts from the top. It starts with a forward-thinking marketer—like you—who sees the waste and decides to champion a better way. This guide is your playbook for getting the internal buy-in you need to transform your company’s in-person marketing strategy with a modern platform.

The Challenge: Why Most In-Person Marketing Pitches Fail

Stakeholders and budget-holders care about ROI, but they often can't see the invisible leaks draining your event budget. Traditional methods are filled with hidden costs that silently kill your pipeline and damage your brand perception.

The Hidden Costs of Outdated Methods

When you rely on rented badge scanners, paper business cards, and manual data entry, you’re not just being inefficient—you're actively losing money and opportunity. The real costs are found in:

• Lost Leads: Every misplaced paper card or failed badge scan is a potential customer gone forever.

• Wasted Hours: Your team spends countless hours manually transcribing messy data from business cards and CSV files instead of selling.

• Delayed Follow-Up: Leads that take days or weeks to enter the CRM are already cold. The momentum from the event is lost, and competitors get there first.

• Damaged Brand Perception: Fumbling with outdated tech or paper cards doesn't project the image of an innovative industry leader. After all, 77% of attendees report increased brand trust after a positive in-person interaction [2]—an impression that manual errors can easily undermine.

How to Build an Unbeatable Case for a Modern In-Person Marketing Platform

Winning approval for a new tool requires more than a good idea; it demands a smart, data-backed strategy. Here’s how to build a case that’s impossible to ignore.

1. Start with a Small, Measurable Pilot Program

Instead of asking for a company-wide overhaul, propose a small-scale pilot. Test a modern in-person marketing platform with a single team at one event. This creates a low-risk, high-reward scenario where you can generate undeniable proof. Track key metrics like:

• Number of leads captured vs. previous events.

• Time saved on manual data entry.

• Speed of lead-to-CRM sync.

• Number of meetings booked from event leads.

2. Focus on Data Quality, Not Just Lead Volume

Shift the conversation from "how many leads we got" to "how valuable our leads are." A true in-person marketing platform does more than just scan; it improves the data that fuels your sales engine. With a modern platform, you can:

• Capture Leads Instantly: Use a universal scanner to capture data from any event badge, QR code, or paper business card with AI-powered OCR.

• Enrich Contact Data: Automatically enrich leads with verified data points, turning a simple name and email into a complete, actionable profile.

• Sync Leads in Real-Time: Integrate directly with your CRM (like Salesforce or HubSpot) to send enriched leads to your sales team before they even leave the event floor. This aligns with the growing need for data-driven marketing to optimize campaigns and personalize experiences [3].

3. Showcase the Modern Experience

First impressions matter. A seamless, tech-forward interaction builds trust and makes your brand memorable. Demonstrate how a modern platform elevates the customer experience.

• Digital Business Cards: Equip your team with sleek, branded digital business cards that can be shared with a single tap.

• Interactive Lead Forms: Capture not just contact info, but also custom notes, follow-up tasks, and qualifying information directly in the app.

• Tell a Story: Don't just present stats; share anecdotes. "Our rep booked a demo right on the show floor with one tap" is far more powerful than "we increased efficiency."

4. Build Internal Champions

Get your sales and event teams on your side first. Once they experience how much easier a modern platform makes their jobs—no more manual entry, no more lost leads—they will become your most vocal advocates. Positive word-of-mouth from the people on the front lines is often the most persuasive argument for leadership.

Overcoming Objections with Confidence

Prepare for skepticism. Decision-makers will have questions and objections. Here’s how to address the most common ones with confident, fact-based answers.

Objection: "We've always done it this way, and it works fine."

Your Response: "The definition of 'working fine' has changed. Our competitors are leveraging technology to create hyper-personalized experiences and build trust, which is critical when only 49% of people trust businesses [4]. Our old methods leave us vulnerable to data errors and slow follow-up, putting us at a competitive disadvantage. This is about future-proofing our event strategy."

Objection: "We don't have the budget for another tool."

Your Response: "This isn't another cost; it's an investment in making our largest marketing spend—events—actually measurable and profitable. By eliminating lead leakage, saving dozens of admin hours per event, and accelerating our speed-to-lead, this platform pays for itself. We can finally calculate the true ROI of every handshake."

Objection: "Our rented badge scanners are good enough."

Your Response: "A rented badge scanner is a single-function tool. A modern in-person marketing platform manages the entire lead lifecycle. It combines digital business cards for our team, a universal scanner that works on any badge or paper card, AI-powered data enrichment, and real-time CRM sync. It solves the entire workflow, not just one piece of it."

The Professional Payoff: Becoming an In-Person Marketing Leader

Championing this change isn't just about fixing a broken process. It's about establishing yourself as a strategic leader. When you’re the one who connects in-person marketing directly to revenue, you demonstrate your value far beyond event logistics. You become the marketer who finds problems, implements solutions, and drives measurable growth. People who create momentum get trusted with bigger budgets and invited to the meetings that matter.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is an in-person marketing platform?
An in-person marketing platform is a comprehensive suite of tools designed to maximize the ROI of face-to-face interactions. Leading platforms include features like digital business cards, universal lead capture and scanning, AI-powered contact data enrichment, and seamless, real-time integrations with CRM systems [5].

Q2: How does a modern platform improve event ROI?
A modern platform improves event ROI in several key ways. It eliminates manual data entry, which saves significant time and prevents human error. It ensures leads are captured accurately and enriched with valuable data. Most importantly, by syncing leads instantly to your CRM, it enables immediate sales follow-up, increasing conversion rates and turning event expenses into measurable revenue.

Q3: Can these platforms work without a reliable internet connection?
Yes. A critical feature of a top-tier platform is robust offline capability. You can continue to scan badges, capture leads, and take notes without Wi-Fi or cell service. The app securely stores all data on your device and automatically syncs everything to your CRM as soon as a connection is re-established, ensuring no lead is ever lost due to poor connectivity at a venue.

Ready to Be That Marketer?

Every company needs a champion for innovation. If you know your in-person marketing is leaking money and wasting time, now is the time to do something about it. Turn your next event into the ultimate proof point.

Book a Demo of Popl Today — and see how a leading platform for in-person marketing turns every handshake into pipeline you can measure.

Citations

• [1] https://www.bizzabo.com/blog/power-of-in-person-events-2025
• [2] https://eventcube.io/blog/events-as-a-marketing-strategy
• [3] https://www.park.edu/blog/effective-marketing-strategies/
• [4] https://www.wsiworld.com/blog/the-future-of-marketing-strategy-5-predictions-for-2025
• [5] https://www.gwi.com/blog/marketing-tools