While it may be true that “traditional marketing” and “digital marketing” could once be referred to separately, we now live in a world where there is no “marketing” without “digital.” The shift to digital amidst the pandemic was felt in all corners of the network infrastructure industry, including marketing departments! The strategies behind brand building and prospecting had to be reimagined in a traditionally face-to-face community. This month we tap into our network of experts to explore the most impactful marketing trends, tools and strategies in the network infrastructure industry.
From virtual events to digital advertising, B2B marketing continues to evolve in this post-pandemic world. What new marketing initiatives are you building into your promotional activities now and in the future?
JP Laqueur | Senior Vice President of Marketing; DataBank
“Marketing has proven to be adaptable. Before COVID-19, in-person trade shows, networking and other kinds of events were used as an instrumental lead generation strategy for many companies. At DataBank, we’ve adapted and elevated our digital marketing, enabling us to host impactful virtual events and webinars for our clients, partners and employees. We’ve kicked our creativity into gear to make our virtual events just as engaging as the in-person events we love to host with high-quality virtual tours of our data centers, giveaways, participation incentives, and interactive presentations.
Since the internet has virtually no bounds, we’ve been able to connect with individuals and groups from all over the world and offer valuable content our audience can’t get anywhere else. These online events have not only been a way to stay connected and strengthen our brand, but they’ve also provided a measurable way to evaluate event marketing performance and manage leads generated.”
Milad Abdelmessih | Vice President of Business Development, Marketing and Sales; KDDI America
“Successful marketing is about meeting people wherever they are on the platform of their choosing. Whether it’s current or potential customers or partners, your messages need to be as accessible and easily consumed as possible.
When it comes to online communications, having a varied and multifaceted approach — while being consistent — remains key. That means producing informational content (like on our blog), sending emails with helpful resources and remaining in touch with the customer through multiple points of contact. In fact, our omni-channel CPaaS solution is built for this kind of marketing philosophy, and we’re happy to be helping the market meet customers wherever and whenever needed. “
Jon Falker | Marketing Director; Prime Data Centers
“We’re not giving up on in-person events. We’re just being smart about when and how. Aside from events, we’re also focusing more on account-based marketing (ABM) and trying to deliver a coherent, comprehensive experience to everyone from a certain company, not just each individual.”
Joanna Soucy | VP, Brand Strategy; Aligned
“Our team had to continue building relationships during a time of limited to zero personal interaction and human connection. So, we launched webinars and created videos and virtual data center tours; but we also got creative and sent out what we call Aligned Care Packages that contained items our contacts could use at home or use to find new ways of interacting with family members and close friends. We also focused our efforts on giving back to local communities and getting our customers, partners and prospects involved in our philanthropic efforts. Additionally, we focused on increasing the promotion of health and safety across both our operational and build sites to keep our staff, customers and construction workers safe.”
Corey Cohen | Sr. Director, Global Channel Marketing; Intermedia
“Due to the fluid nature of work because of Covid, new initiatives require significant planning. I’m working on hybrid events and cool ways to engage our partners via social media. We all need to get creative when it comes to vying for people’s attention online. The best way I’ve found to do that is with short video snippets and interactive discussions be it LI groups or even ways to chat.”
To explore this topic further, join the conversation with us during our next JSA Virtual Roundtable, “Marketing Strategies Post-Pandemic: Top Trends and Tools for the Network Infrastructure Industry.” Register here for the event on Thursday, September 16, 2021.
