Every year, we set our sights on something new, and that something new becomes an obsession. This year, the obsession is online marketing and the internet of things. Whether you’re a marketer or just someone who wants to be more active on social media, this blog post is for you.
Why Online Marketing Events?
Marketing managers, product managers, and analysts all over the world are obsessed with digital marketing and the internet of things. That’s because digital marketing is evolving. It’s not just about SEO and PPC any more. It’s about learning to market to consumers in a whole new way.
If you’re looking for a marketing strategy that’s worth implementing – and you’re reading this blog post, then you probably are – here’s why you should care about online marketing events:
1. Building Brand Awareness
The most basic principle of marketing is to create awareness about your brand or product. Thanks to digital marketing, this is easier than ever before. Thanks to platforms like Google Marketing Platform, which is integrated with Google Ads, you can track the results of your marketing campaigns in real time.
Whether you’re hosting an online marketing event or you’re using a property or company for the purpose of the event, attendees can sign up for your email list through your website. You can then engage with them through email marketing to encourage them to visit your website, make a purchase, or – in the case of marketing events – attend the event itself. This is especially useful in the case of digital marketing events, where it’s hard to get people’s attention through traditional marketing methods.
2. Access to Decision-makers
The internet of things is connecting people – both individuals and businesses – in a way that was never possible before. This is creating an opportunity to access decision-makers, whether they’re consumers buying products online or in retail stores, or they’re employees searching for jobs.
What does that mean for marketers? It means that you have the opportunity to reach the right audience, whether they’re executives, managers, and directors at a company or government agency, or students and parents who want to buy your product or service for their kids.
Marketing managers can use their knowledge of a particular industry to gain entry to decision-makers and gain access to important information. For example, a brand manager for a technology company might get the chance to speak with CIOs, IT directors, and other decision-makers about the importance of the company’s products in their work. Or a manager of a cleaning product might get the opportunity to speak with executives about the importance of their products in cleaning the home.
This kind of access can be invaluable in gaining a competitive advantage in your market. By understanding the decision-making process, you can identify areas where you can innovate or add value to the customer experience.
3. Customer Research
Thanks to the internet, we have access to massive amounts of customer data. If you want to know what your customers think about your product or service, whether they love your products or they have a complaint about your company, you can find this information easily. You can also identify areas for improvement.
What is customer research? It’s the process of analyzing customers’ behavior, preferences, and interactions with a brand or product. For example, if you’re running a hotel business, you can set up Google My Business to get real-time feedback from customers who have stayed in your hotel. Or if you’re a car manufacturer, you can set up a website where customers can share their experience with your cars.
Thanks to the internet of things, you can also track all of this data in real time. If you want to know what products your customers love and which ones they want changed or improved on, you can set up a survey to get the information you need. You can also use data to identify if there are any pain points your customers are experiencing and if you’re meeting their needs. For example, if most of your customers say they want to see more inclusions of popular TV shows in YouTube videos, you might want to change the content you’re putting out.
Customer research is important because it helps you identify areas where you can improve – whether that’s the layout and design of your website, the way you respond to feedback, or the products you offer. By understanding your customer’s needs, you can fix these issues and provide a better experience.
4. Gamifying The Experience
If you’re running an e-commerce store or business website, you can incorporate virtual or in-game elements into your marketing events to make them more engaging. Especially since marketing is often seen as a “boring” or “dry” subject, incorporating fun elements can encourage attendees to engage with your content – both during and after the event.
Take a look at how Canva has integrated games into their marketing events. At the Core Brand Marketing Summit, they hosted the Grand Tour, a scavenger hunt with a twist. Attendees had to search for brand ambassador tiles that were hidden around the city. Once they found a tile, they had to click on the image to reveal the brand ambassador’s identity. The aim was to increase brand recall and encourage attendees to visit the Canva website for future marketing events.
Or imagine a scenario where your attendees are participating in a stress-free marketing event – with fun activities, entertainment, food, and drink – and are therefore more likely to engage with your content. They’re also likely to discover things about your brand that they didn’t know before. For example, what is a bold strategy that you’ve implemented to ensure your brand’s longevity?
These are just examples of how you can use online marketing to its fullest. There are numerous other benefits to hosting online marketing events, like the ones Canva and Expedia have implemented. If you’re interested in learning more, get inspired by the professionals and try out Google Marketing Platform today. With Google AdWords, you can create and run ads that appear alongside search results, YouTube videos, and other places online that engage your audience.