THE FIRST STEPS INTO LIVE DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
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Autor //
Lars Lockemann
Live marketing traditionally plays an important role as a communication channel in the B2B environment. It is particularly effective where classic online marketing for B2B niche topics lacks search volumes. Due to the growing demand for climate protection in companies for years, the need for digital transformation in live marketing has been apparent for some time. It is therefore likely that even with a possible end to the pandemic, this transformation process will continue.
New challenges: Generating leads and digital customer contact
While the trade fair industry got through the last six decades without any major innovations, finally the pandemic demanded change unconditionally. For there was no longer any possibility of meeting in analogue form. Since then, many companies have been faced with questions like: How to generate leads when trade fairs are cancelled? Or how do you manage to keep in touch with customers when the sales department can’t get to the customer? In analogue form, it is relatively easy to make new contacts, keep them and get customers or partners emotionally involved in the long term. But lead generation and customer contact also work “digitally and live” – even B2B.
What is digital live communication?
Digital and live – what sounds like a contradiction at first, only means that people come together in real time. This can happen analogue, but also digitally – such as in a classic video call. Or in a webinar. Or on a digital event platform. Or a livestream on your own website. The possibilities of live communication are just as diverse digitally as they are analogue.
It is important to recognise and develop this new communication channel for the marketing of your own company. Because the long-term potential through digital live communication is enormous, as one can act much more self-determined and thus more independent of external circumstances and external offers. Live alone does not necessarily mean emotional fireworks. For a successful live event – whether digital or analogue – the following questions are crucial: How do you design the contact with the target group in such a way that they are not only taken along in terms of content, but also emotionally? On which platforms and channels can this contact best be established and the target group activated? How can content be packaged in such a way that it is remembered by the target group?
Live communication using the example of Speck Pumpen
Let’s take the company Speck Pumpen as an example. At the beginning of the pandemic, they were looking for digital alternatives for the best possible customer and new customer contact. Together we developed a strategy and a concept for digital live communication. The result was the “Speck Wissenswelle” (Speck Knowledge Wave) – a digital platform on their own website that specialises in imparting knowledge on the topic of clean water in swimming pools and swimming ponds.
For this purpose, they produce regular live events in their own studio, which they make available to customers and interested parties free of charge on the www.speck-wissenswelle.de site. These live events are marketed for new leads via social media channels as well as for customer retention via sales.
The success of the last few months proves to Speck that they can digitally and live keep the connection to their customers and intensify it all year round and even attract additional new customers. Again, the initial hurdles were great and there was also a little scepticism, but in the meantime the numbers show them that the digital strategy is working. A quick and courageous decision was rewarded at this point.
How to make a successful start in the digital transformation
In order to establish digital live communication in your own company, you don’t have to set up a studio right away and develop and run your own knowledge site. You can also start with a small, detached project, such as short, original online seminars. But it is important to develop a strategy right from the start.
How can the customers’ need for information be satisfied in the long term?
In this question lies the core of digital live communication. It offers the possibility to get in touch with customers at any time, to address them without being dependent on a trade fair. Business is done between people. Whether they communicate analogue or digitally is irrelevant if – even more so than with analogue live events – a concept is developed that is specifically geared to the needs of the target group.
Now, on closer inspection, digital live communication does not mean that much change at all, because it takes place live and live is what many companies in the SME sector are already capable of. In order to enter the digital world, it is important to act as a team. This requires IT, the event manager and the online marketing manager as well as sales and, of course, the management to support the project.
We at fairconcept support companies in their entry into digital live communication.
In the LIVE CONTENT WORKSHOP we answer all open questions about tools and technology, possible content, marketing of own content and the implementation. We involve the entire team, develop initial format ideas based on analogue live communication and give concrete recommendations on how to get started in the virtual world. With a lot of strategy, practical tips and innovative spirit.
Contact us now!