When pandemic restrictions went into effect, marketers shifted all of their initiatives to digital channels. Now that those constraints are being lifted, marketers find themselves shifting once again—this time, back to in-person events and experiences.
But as you start this latest pivot, be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking you can simply dust off the strategies and tactics you were using back in February 2020.
Case in point: Sitecore is ramping up planning for its first in-person Symposium in two years, and it’s been fascinating to see how much, and where, Sitecore is updating the approaches used in the past. Here are some key lessons.
New expectations require new tools
It’s worthwhile to pause and reflect on how much has changed over the past two-and-a-half years. This has been an incredibly transformative time, shaped not only by the pandemic, but also by social unrest and other significant evolutions in business, technology and society, in general.
Countless aspects of people’s lives—how they work, shop, bank, travel, interact, consume entertainment, etc.—have been disrupted and rearchitected. In the process, they’ve learned about themselves and about what’s important. Priorities were reset. New preferences emerged.
Perhaps most important to marketers today, digital adoption accelerated and consumers have grown comfortable switching seamlessly between digital and physical interactions with brands. This, in turn, has led to heightened expectations and the need for brands to have the tools needed to connect and activate customer data across the ecosystem, personalize and optimize every experience across every channel.
A blend of digital and physical experiences is key
Marketers should not view the return to in-person events as an “all or nothing” proposition. To the contrary, in most cases, a hybrid strategy will be most effective, allowing you to combine physical and digital experiences and offer your customers the freedom to choose the type of interactions they prefer.
For example, while certain aspects of Sitecore’s Symposium 2022 will be available only for in-person attendees, we will be live streaming the keynote speeches, so that other members of the audience can participate virtually. It’s a potent reminder that amid all the excitement and eagerness about adding in-person events to the marketing mix, marketers can’t just cast aside what they learned from being 100% digital.
After all, marketers proved that a digital approach can be very successful. But even so, over the past few years it’s also been realized that people crave in-person connections and that these connections are vital to propelling the buying journey. That’s why the optimal solution is to meet people where they are by offering them both digital and physical options.
Flexibility is critical
Marketers have always had to be adaptable. Today, it’s absolutely imperative. While it may be tempting to review old strategy sessions and revert to “the way we did it before,” hosting a successful in-person event now requires a fresh vision.
You have to adjust to a more dynamic business environment and continually be able to quickly interpret and respond to change—whether that’s internally, with your team or externally, dealing with customers and vendors. As a leader, I’ve found that patience, empathy and a sense of humor can go a long way to help teams perform at their best, as can being mindful of when you need to take a break (even if for just 15 minutes) to recharge.
Focus helps you meet every moment
How can you possibly juggle the ever-changing marketing mix, the expanding expectations of your customers, and the ability to stay receptive to new inputs? With focus. It has never been more essential for marketers to identify concrete objectives (short- and long-term) as well as clear goals for each target audience.
Sharpening your focus will keep you aligned and will help you appeal to different segments based on where they are on their journey. Sitecore’s theme for Symposium this year is “Meet every moment.” To us, it’s a way to emphasize that every buyer is on a different journey, and that each of these journeys is characterized by its own multiple dynamics.
Any brand that wants to survive—let alone thrive—in a post-pandemic world will have to be able to connect with their customers through authentic experiences at every touchpoint, whether those touchpoints are digital, physical or a blend of each. Stay focused on that goal and you’ll be able to chart a clear path forward.
No one knows where all this will land
Lastly, marketers need to understand that it’s likely they will be operating in this dynamic and changeable environment for quite some time. Right now, there aren’t really any absolutes and the “rules” marketers thought they knew about digital vs. physical are in flux. All of us—both marketers and customers alike—are in the process of assimilating what was experienced over the past two-and-a-half years, and it’s impossible to predict where things will settle.
Will in-person events see a surge in attendance due to pent-up demand and digital fatigue? Probably. Will those increases be sustainable? That answer will have to wait.
As always, your best bet is to keep testing to stay in tune with what works for your audience. Then, dip your toe in the water to determine what’s truly resonating. There will be times when digital makes the most sense. In other instances, you’ll want to unleash the power of an in-person or hybrid strategy.
Combining direct and contextual customer data with analytics and business intelligence will help you deepen your understanding of your audience. Then, you’ll be better able to meet their expectations and deliver relevance, whether that’s online or on stage.
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Paige O’Neill brings over 20 years of experience in senior marketing roles crossing many areas of enterprise software, customer experience, and cloud computing. As CMO, she combines product marketing expertise with an extensive background in communications and a passion for developing thought leadership programs that build awareness, differentiation and demand.
