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Economists have two choices: either they can look back at the history of the pandemic and move on, or they can transform their business processes to be immune to the effects of such disruptions. Marketing will never look the same as it did two years ago.
These are some of our expectations for the future, once the cloud lifts.
To regain lost ground, social media and networking are key.
Many organizations have successfully achieved digital transformation in the last few years. They can now leverage digital networking presence to a large extent. The best part about digital marketing is the ability to measure your efforts. This can help you determine how much you have invested. This attribute will become an asset in the future because it will give an ROI to your networking efforts.
Analytics will provide a clear picture and help to make informed digital marketing decisions and social channeldecisions. Studies have shown how LinkedIn can make a difference in a marketing campaign. And that impact may be stronger in the new world order. Strong online connections will prove to be invaluable in the years ahead.
UX is crucial for your online presence. Customer expectations have skyrocketed as companies have accelerated their digitization and have the ability to satisfy almost all customer needs digitally. There is no turning back.
It would be prudent to state that every brand is trying to invent the next experiential marketing episode for every customer. Brands will no longer be the competition; it will be the experience provided by other brands. Brands will be judged on their experience, which includes strategy and messaging personalization.
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The power of listening
The last two years have been a time for everyone to see how communication has changed around the world. After the shock received by businesses, the market now demands transparency, honesty, and deep-rooted concern. Companies should be sincere in their communications. AnStudy by EYIt is becoming increasingly important to choose products and services from brands that support socially responsible concepts such as ethical sourcing and sustainability.
This has resulted in messaging that is more insightful and subtle. Intelligent messaging is about listening to what customers don’t say. The future focus of marketing messages should be on sustainability, community support, and health safety. Knowing the customer is not enough. To create customized marketing messages, it will take more than just knowing the customer segment. Understanding its aspirations, ideals and objectives will enable you to understand the customer segment. This is the future and it’s already here.
Virtual is great, but in person events will be back too
In the past few years, customer conversations have taken a greater role in B2B marketing. Virtual has become the norm, and technology has succeeded in meeting the growing demand for more human-like interactions and meetings online. Although webinars are not new, virtual breakout rooms will be able to replace face–to-face meetings.
Virtual meetings and podcasts will soon replace physical sessions in large part due to their lower costs and better collaboration tools. Podcasts are now a powerful B2B marketing communication tool and most media are making great use of it. According to research,Since the pandemic began, 76.2% have consumed more audio content than ever before.
Over the next few years, B2B communications will be dominated by VR and AR, in addition to audio and one-on-one gaming.
Despite the lure of virtual events, it is clear that in-person events are on the rise and will remain so. People have missed the excitement of conferences, networking, and peer discussions in hospitable situations. The future will likely hold hybrid events that combine elements of the virtual and in-person events to maintain the balance between experience and economics.
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Brand values will be more important than tech stack.
The technology stack will help brands increase their marketing results, but the real value of the strategy will be a combination of factors, with the most important being the messages’ intrinsic values.
Technology stacks alone do not deliver value. It is the data that provides insights, and the human enablement that drives the transformation of those insights into actionable strategy. The human element is important in every step of the marketing process. It ensures that technology brings maximum value.
As the new norm settles in, marketing will take on a new flavor. Instead of focusing on a product, marketing will become a delicate blend of strategies, values and technologies with customized solutions and services at its core. Marketing strategies have been affected by the pandemic. However, this change could be a course correction that leads to more effective and impactful marketing activities.