In just a few short weeks, the marketing landscape has changed in ways we previously could not have imagined. The coronavirus pandemic has dealt at least a short-term blow to the events and tradeshow industries.
With tradeshows off the table for the foreseeable future, we must ramp up original-content generation into overdrive and utilize various means of self-promotion. The good news is it’s possible to use marketing budgets earmarked for industry events in other ways – working with analysts, creating additional content and more. Watch the video here. Additional ideas and recommendations are below.
Amp Up all Forms of Content
- Corporate Blog – Post an original blog on the company website at least once a week, based on a content calendar with relevant trending topics
- Social Media – Conduct relentless LinkedIn campaigns (at least three times a week), targeting journalists and industry influencers to build up followers and including relevant trending topics and video; consider using LinkedIn-sponsored posts to target and maximize visibility
- Company Newsletter – Create a monthly newsletter of original and curated content, including industry news, the month’s blogs, videos and demos
- Video Content – Create and maintain a company YouTube channel, and pursue subscribers; create video versions of every blog and other content, such as explainer videos, virtual demos, etc.
- News Surveys – Journalists love surveys, so conduct surveys on key issues and topics that would have been discussed at trade shows and If possible, partner with an analyst firm to extend the survey’s reach and credibility
- Contributed Content – Step up contributed content efforts with thought-leadership articles, technical article, use case articles, explainer graphics, infographics
Engage a Reputable Analyst Firm
- Invest in one or more analyst engagements
- Consider partnering with a firm to conduct a webinar that targets prospects
- Conduct a joint survey with a firm and/or create a market report to showcase your story
Conduct Direct Campaigns
- Purchase target lists from publications
- Conduct a joint webinar with partners/ customers and invite prospects you would have met at tradeshows/events
- Promote a corporate newsletter with content geared toward users/prospects who might otherwise have met with the company at a tradeshow or other event
- Provide links in the newsletters to all relevant news and coverage
- Lead generation
Create Interactive Online Virtual Events in Place of Tradeshows
- Create and maintain a company YouTube channel, and pursue subscribers
- Create video versions of every blog (using simple set up with inexpensive teleprompter)
- Create sophisticated explainer videos showing both the technology and its applications
- Virtual demos (share widely with press, customers and prospects)
- Host interactive videos/webinars/demos for journalists, invite partners/customers/analysts to participate and promote it in place of the trade shows and promote heavily on social media, on the company’s website, in blogs and more
- Potentially partner with Rainier clients who can share the cost of an analyst to lead a panel discussion or other type of webinar
Rainier will also undertake on behalf of all our clients:
- Surveying our media connections to ask them how they prefer to receive client news relevant to a cancelled event.
- Working with Globe Newswire and BusinessWire to seek their recommendations and any changes in best practices.
- Requesting cancelled events share their attendee lists and media lists (or have our clients make this request).
- Leveraging media and attendee lists from previous year’s shows to include in our distribution of content.
Rainier can help you plan and execute all of these recommendations, and of course we will be happy to discuss them with you.
