Last week, I wrote a blog post about how to increase demand with a new marketing mix that doesn’t include events. If you haven’t checked that out yet, it’s a great precursor to this topic which will focus on B2B marketing tactics to reach and engage your  target audience  in the post-pandemic world. Yes, that’s right, I said post-pandemic, because if I talk about it like it’s over, maybe it will end sooner.

As we all know, events are out and now we’re left analyzing the remaining engagement approaches that allow us to reach, connect, and engage with our audiences without in-person meetings, field events, or tradeshows. While the jury’s still out when it comes to the ROI of tradeshows, none of us can discount the value of in-person interactions and the impact they have on building relationships with our customers, prospective customers, and partners.

Since we’re still waiting patiently to start packing conference centers again, here are three new (or new-to-you) tactics B2B marketers can include in their marketing strategy to stay connected until we can all [physically] meet again.

Integrated Chat

 

 

 

Since we can’t meet in person, why not expand upon a channel that allows you to connect with prospects as quickly as you can beeline it to your favorite partner’s booth? B2B buyer expectations are evolving to align with their ever-increasing B2C expectations because regardless if you’re B2B or B2C, each customer and prospect ultimately wants to be treated like a person and wants to engage on their own terms.

Rather than forcing someone to comply with a rigid information request process, why not design your marketing campaigns to engage customers in a more interactive format? Drift is one solution that likely integrates with the rest of your stack and helps you start engaging different buyer personas in a way that better aligns with their expectations.

Digital Events

I’m sure you’re already in a mad dash to convert your live events to digital, but beyond digital tradeshow replacements, think about new ways to engage your  audience members. Many B2B companies are getting creative with their events and are now including happy hours, lunch and learn customer office hours and other types of online events that allow your customers to connect with one another and build that sense of community.

Direct Mail

Never underestimate the value of a good swag box in your marketing efforts. I once worked at an agency where we received a ‘contact us’ form fill that said, “I have no idea who you are or what this company does, but I’m pretty sure your t-shirts were made from unicorn hair.” Not joking. I’ve also been lucky enough to be the recipient of some pretty amazing Marketo swag – that customer marketing team is not messing around. I’ve always found dimensional mail to be among the most underrated tactics from a B2B  marketing strategy  standpoint.

Keep in mind that audience engagement is a must, as most of the audience has less attention span. Post-pandemic we need to get the audience’s attention with valuable content and great offers. A good story can get them involved and make the audience feel that you are catering to their needs and expectations. Also, ensure that you pay attention  to the various social media platforms to create the great video content  according to the demographics.

Looking for a more creative way to engage your audience and build brand awareness? It doesn’t just have to be a “just” swag box, it can be a care package or a giveaway  or a timely dimensional mail piece that’s relevant to a recent client, partner, or prospect interaction. For example, if a target account lands on your webinar  registration list, consider some branded air pods for them to listen in on. However, with more teams allowing employees to remain remote for the foreseeable future, decision-makers will need to go the extra step of collecting or verifying personal addresses to make sure your package is delivered in a timely manner.

What are your top pandemic-proof ways to keep your audience engaged? Drop me a note at [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn.