For the past two and a half years, marketers have focused almost exclusively on digital interactions. But now that pandemic restrictions have been lifted, personalized events and experiences are back in the marketing mix. Have you started this hub? How would you review your strategy to adapt to any changes in the market and the general business environment?
Face-to-face events are very important to me as we at Sitecore are planning our first face-to-face symposium in two years. Here are my main points from our process:
1. Begin by fully acknowledging all that has changed.
The past two and a half years have been transformative, with upheaval caused not only by the pandemic, but also by social unrest and other significant upheavals in the economy, technology, and society at large. Many of the ways we live and work have been dismantled and redesigned - and we've learned a lot about ourselves and our priorities in the process.
From a marketing perspective, one of the most significant developments is the accelerated adoption of digital interactions. Consumers have become accustomed to switching seamlessly between digital and physical experiences with brands and have developed new tastes and expectations. This in turn means that brands need the skills to identify, enable and optimize experiences across all channels.
2. Use digital learning to enhance the face-to-face experience.
Marketers are sociable by nature, and most, if not all, have struggled to return to live events for some time. However, it would be a mistake to let that enthusiasm overshadow everything we have learned about 100% digital.
After all, we now know that digital strategies can be very effective. We also know more about blending digital and physical to create meaningful interactions. In the end, this hybrid strategy proved to be the most effective as it allowed customers to choose the type of interaction that suited them best.
We've taken this approach for the 2022 Sitecore Symposium. Some aspects of the conference will only be accessible to attendees in person, but we'll be streaming speeches to allow other audience segments to participate virtually.
3. Sharpen your attention so you can chart a new direction.
Reintroducing face-to-face events into the marketing mix, and doing so in a way that meets your customers' new expectations, is complicated by many factors and sometimes competitive. It will certainly be difficult, but the only thing that keeps you on track is concentration.
Now, more than ever, you need to be clear about your team's short-term and long-term goals. Next, you need to focus your efforts on the goals defined for each audience. Remember that all buyers start their own journey and each journey has some dynamics of its own.
That's why we chose “Meet Every Moment” as the theme for this year's symposium. This is our way of showing that to thrive in a post-pandemic world, brands need to deliver authentic experiences at every touchpoint, be it digital, physical or hybrid.
4. Make peace with constant uncertainty.
Since all of us, marketers and customers, are still trying to process everything that has happened over the past two and a half years, the marketing environment is likely to remain dynamic and will change for some time to come. Whatever “rules” we have followed in digital or physical terms, they change and we have to accept that there is no certainty about where it will end.
Soon I'm expecting an increase in face-to-face events due to the need to catch up and digital exhaustion. But will this increase be sustainable? We have to wait. As always, the key is to keep testing so you know what works for your audience. So dip your big toe in the water, staying open to new information as soon as it arrives.
Reintroducing personalized experiences into the marketing mix requires a new vision and a new level of adaptability that allows you to respond moment by moment. As powerful as the digital approach may be, the last few years have also taught us that as humans, we crave personal connection.
We need to recognize that these connections are critical to continuing the buying journey and combining them with direct and contextual customer data, analytics, and business intelligence. In today's complex customer ecosystem, this is the only way to truly understand your audience and provide relevance, both online and in person.
