Can you hear me? I don’t want to shout, but has anyone else noticed how noisy it has become out there? As the onset of Covid-19 led to a mass cancellation of in-person events and trade shows – the networking lifeblood for so many B2B companies – there was an enormous increase in virtual events and webinars. Post-Covid, industry events are still being postponed, and hybrid experiences are increasingly considered a valid option rather than an afterthought. Even weekly catch-up meetings have migrated online as so many employees are encouraged to work from home.
How to adapt marketing to a new working culture
This shift resulted in organisations focusing greater attention on promoting their solutions and services online. The past year has shown a substantial increase in not just the budgeting of virtual events and hybrid working solutions, but ways of increasing visibility across multiple platforms. The expectation is that hybrid working, and virtual events are here to stay, at least in some form or another. The working culture has changed post-pandemic, at least for the immediate future, and businesses have adapted to reflect that – hence all that digital noise.
It can be hard to get noticed when everyone is talking. But by focusing on developing quality content and delivering useful information to your target audience, you can cut through all the chatter.
Speaking for the sake of it
What are the challenges for your customers, and what difficulties are they facing day-to-day in their industry? As the culture of our workspaces have changed, at least for the foreseeable future, the repurposing of a budget that was spent on getting people to meetings or face-to-face events could throw up huge potential for your business.
Therefore, if you can frame your content as a solution to industry challenges then it will immediately show you offer value, rather than just talking for talking’s sake.
The subtle art of Public Relations
Of course, this can be a balancing act. It seems obvious that you want to let everyone know how good you are, and how relevant your products can be. However, unless you can provide relatable and relevant information then you are just shouting into the void – nobody wants to be that friend that listens until they can turn the conversation back to themselves.
Inform by all means – but don’t promote. Instead, try to see your content as an opportunity to share and learn. Your value points should be both consistent and specific to your intended client base. Ask yourself, how can we make this relevant? Why is this a challenge?
Repetition Shows Conviction
Once you have demonstrated how you have offered value, it’s important to appreciate that it may still be a slow burn, positioning yourself as the clients’ trusted expert. Discoverability is vital. Repetition and different touchpoints are so important to get your message across. It may seem obvious, but not all your (potential) customers will be using the same digital media. Business’ social media and digital channels will vary dependant on the company needs, age of the business and their customer demographic.
The best way to ensure you are reaching your target audience while becoming an increasingly trusted source is through several different channels, all repeating the same message from multiple places.
Raising Words, Not Voices
By focusing on key information, and with the right content strategy in place, you shouldn’t need to shout to be heard amongst then increasing digital clamour. Next month, we will examine some practical tips to change up your marketing approach. In the meantime, take a look at some of our recent client news to see some key content that is worth shouting about.