To those of you who attended our session at the Event Marketing Summit (EMS), thank you—I’m hoping to connect now that everything we took in is getting processed. To those of you who couldn’t make it, I hope this piece resonates with you.
The word at EMS was “omnichannel.” For those of us committed to face-to-face marketing—live!—the past few years have been scary. We knew deep down that in-person events would come back. We assumed they would come back slowly, but we misjudged the desire for personal connection.
No, the scary part was what would happen to the live event budgets. Other channels were panting with anticipation of increasing their shares of the marketing pie. And while there were no live events, these other channels—particularly digital—went full speed ahead to prove their worth. Their efforts kept brand awareness front and center. Some achieved the desired effect—keeping a revenue stream alive—while some did not.
If only because we feared shrinking budgets when live events came back, we not only monitored the efforts of other channels but we started being vigilant about tracking ROI.. And some of us asked: Does brand awareness have to be siloed?
In a post from one of my colleagues, Mark Harnischfeger, he recounts this story:
A few years ago, a pharmaceutical company famous for its products that help patients live with various metabolic disorders sponsored the activities of an endurance athlete—a person managing their disease with a healthy diet, exercise, and one of the company’s products. Social media fans followed the athlete’s progress, picked up training tips, and perhaps, in the process, reduced their proclivity to various unhealthy behaviors. The athlete was an awesome brand ambassador, and their activities promoted not only healthy living but also the results of therapeutic adherence.
While the company tracked this athlete’s success on social media, a doctor came into the company’s exhibit at a medical meeting and asked a staff member, “Aren’t you tracking that person’s progress while you’re here? You should have that person here!” The answer the healthcare professional received is the best-ever example of siloed efforts: The answer? “Oh, that’s a promotion from another channel.”
I love that story because it clearly shows what happens when we don’t embrace omnichannel marketing. Our goal is to engage audiences wherever they get their information—and to be consistent in our messaging.
We need to explore channels beyond those we know and use the tons of data at our disposal to determine what attracts our respective audiences.
In segmenting our audience, we acknowledge that the key is not audience size but audience interest. Omnichannel marketing opens the door to a new level of customer engagement. How does a unique audience absorb content, content that engages and builds preference for our products and services? Content that delivers a consistent message across channels? What influences their decision? The data is at our disposal. Exploring new channels is exciting and rewarding. And as marketers, it’s time to break down the siloes and serve our audience.
Are you staying at the forefront of the ever-changing event industry? At Access, we’re constantly reflecting on what’s come before and asking ourselves “What’s next?” To learn more about the shifts we’re seeing, read my recent blogs, WTS NXT for the Event Industry?