Building relationships and delivering personalized services have often been easier when done in person. There is a certain level of personalization sales teams can offer buyers, when they share their challenges, a variety of solutions can be offered right away that are specific to their needs. That one-on-one opportunity doesn’t come as easy now. With in-person meetings starting to become an option again after nearly two years, hesitation from both the buyer and seller is requiring an in-between option. Hybrid models of pre-pandemic strategies mixed with pandemic alternatives will be necessary to keep moving forward and define the future of field marketing.
It is important to remember that at the end of the day, B2B buyers are also human. Utilizing hybrid models of marketing that provide more options and personalization will drive future marketing campaigns. Today, audiences want to feel like you are connecting with them for a reason that is greater than just getting their business. People’s values have changed throughout the pandemic, so as a marketer, you need to build relationships and provide an experience to compete with your competitors.
Here are a few field marketing strategies that deliver a personalized approach to your campaigns and deliver an experience to your audience.
In-person events are going to return, but for right now, everyone is moving at their own pace. Existing customers that you have a relationship with are more likely to attend an event now, but new prospects are probably going to pass until next year. If you are hosting an in-person event anytime soon, show your appreciation by giving them something in return. This can be as simple as an entry into a draw, a gift bag filled with samples, or a special discount code for your product or service. If you are sticking with virtual events, for now, you can even offer free tickets to your next in-person event.
As mentioned earlier, one of the major trends people are demanding post-pandemic is personalization. Companies that are able to know what their clients want and deliver that when they need it, will be one step ahead of their competitors. Account-based marketing (ABM) is a trend that is just now taking off. This strategy uses highly targeted campaigns that flips the traditional marketing funnel upside down by targeting the highest priority contacts.
For more information about ABM, visit our website and check out our blog where we narrow down the latest ABM marketing trends.
Booth in a Box
As we know now, the pandemic took a toll on in-person events, and while they may be put on the back-burner for now, the standard trade show model is getting stale, as outlined in the Harvard Business Review. Competition is no longer solely between what products and services different businesses offer, it is about the last experience your audience had with your brand. Trade shows will likely never disappear, but they are in need of a refresh to meet the changing mindset within the industry. Companies that can offer an experience will find the most success.
Using a booth-in-a-box strategy, you can offer a personalized and memorable experience to customers that you might not otherwise see at a trade show. This makes it possible to share with your audience what they would have received at an in-person event. Plus, this strategy can be used in conjunction with in-person trade shows, offering a more personalized experience and increasing your audience’s excitement about the event.
As any marketer knows, staying ahead of the trends with the latest strategies in marketing is vital to executing a successful campaign. Field marketing is all about being part of the conversation and delivering an experience that your audience will remember. When digital and in-person marketing strategies come together, they can create a hyper-personalized approach and deliver an experience that puts you ahead. The pandemic forced everything to go online, now, use that to your advantage. Take your learnings and apply them to what you know to build a field marketing campaign that delivers results, offers an experience, and gets you ahead in the industry.