Marketing Recap | February 2023
Bj?rn Otto
Engineer, Marketer, & Investor | Transforming Water Tech Companies with Sustainable Strategies
So here it comes again, the February Marketing Recap.
First, thank you very much for your incredible feedback on the last edition. I didn't expect to hear so much positive words about this new approach. That was really cool.
But now let's get started before discussing the terrible weather here in Germany.
Conferences & Trade Shows
I made my way to Cologne the last few days for Filtech. A platform for the global filtration industry. What struck me again was how listlessly some salespeople hung out at the booth. Ok, the fair could have been more spectacular and will probably not be held again soon.
However, still, if you as a company spend so much money to go to such an event, then the staff should also be motivated to work accordingly and not play in the last corner on their cell phone and hope that the visitors pass as quickly as possible without asking stupid questions about the exhibited technology.
Incidentally, such behavior massively fuels the conflict between sales and marketing. Because usually, marketing bears the costs of such an event in the hope of presenting the brand and collecting leads. If, of course, the performance of the fair trade staff leaves much to be desired, the finger is pointed at marketing, saying that the trade fair was once again not a success.?
But I need to understand why all exhibitors still present themselves in the same way as 20 years ago? Counter, chairs, exhibit, and a monitor. Come up with something new to stand out!
But more importantly, buy a photographer or cameraman for the day and create content when you go to an event like this.
No matter which company I worked with, they all needed help with poor photo and video material. Use events like this to change that. Suppose you already spend thousands of Euros on the event. In that case, the daily rate of a photographer doesn't make a difference but gives you material for your next social media post, for the webpage, or the family album.
You don't have to make it as big as GF Piping Systems Germany does but why not. I celebrate these guys for producing so much video content, podcasts, and more.
Video Conferences
When was the last time you went on a date and didn't look the other person in the eye the whole time? Hopefully, never, but that happens in almost every video conference. We look at the screen, and the camera sits above; therefore, we never really look at each other during the conversation. But now there is a solution: #AI
Providers like casablanca.ai now offer plugins that ensure you're looking into the eyes of the person you're talking to. The ai makes an optical correction of the direction of gaze and thus wants to make digital conversations closer - including eye contact!
This means that from now on, you can flirt with your customers again and finally be successful. Now there is no excuse anymore for all farmers out there.
领英推荐
Unfortunately still in the beta phase, but this will boost video communication.?
Contact Forms on your Webpage
When was the last time you tried your contact form on your webpage or went through the process a potential customer goes through on your webpage? Exactly. I thought to myself. DO IT!
One of the first things I do with my clients, I click everything on their webpage.
Surprise. Surprise.
Most of the links need to be fixed, they don't provide any content, and the message via the contact form ends up with a person who already left the company 13 years ago.
Hey, if your website is the channel where everything comes together, make damn sure that everything works. Make sure the content you offer is available. If you collect email addresses, do something with the address. Otherwise, please don't build a paywall for your content! And make sure that if the contact form is used, the customer will receive a call within <1 h.
No further emails, please.
Puh....
That's it for this month. I hope spring will come soon. I had a call with Australia this morning. My counterpart started talking about the weather. I just hung up and cried.
In this sense: Good marketing.
Cheers Bj?rn
Not enough?
Connect with me?here on LinkedIn, or check out the?Interius Solutions webpage?and book your personal call with me.
See you soon.
Marketing & Sales at MentorAPM | Asset Leadership Network Board Member
2 年An observation I've made at trade shows - there's often a big difference in the level of energy and engagement when you head to the innovation pavilions, or any startup stand where you have owners and founding teams working the show vs employees. As owner/founders we have a different level of incentive and we are keenly aware of the cost of the investment we are making in being there. so we're hustling! Wondering if you've observed this too, Bj?rn?
?? Business Developer ??? Host of the "(don't) Waste Water" podcast ?? Rock Star (well... Pianist.)
2 年I'd supplement your (excellent) point on trade show marketing with the following: I'm wondering who really does the link between physical and digital events. Where's your online activation for the live event? Where's your definitive reason why someone should attend and come to visit you? How do you turn a simple walker into a raving fan? Gilles Toussaint gave an amazing and passionate rant on that topic on my podcast a while ago, and he said it all. Tradeshows are maybe not dead if they embrace the modern way to connect. (And thanks for the shoutout: the tradeshow team of GF Piping Systems Deutschland is really top-notch: to quote René Habers - "?? Wenn Messe - dann richtig ??")
Marketing Strategist | Fractional CMO | Helping B2B Founders & Leaders to Drive Growth Through Effective Strategy & Execution | Water / Energy
2 年Great thoughts on the boring trade show game. Agree, we marketers always take the fall for an unsuccessful show, always hounding the sales teams “how did it go?” What are some of your thoughts on measuring a “water” show’s effectiveness after so much is being invested? Leads? Foot traffic? Comparable cpm to ads? Let us know your thoughts!