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How virtual events are going to be important post-lockdown
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Saturday, 11 July, 2020, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Luve Oberoi
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The world is currently undergoing a crisis called Covid-19 which is neither seen before in human history nor anticipated by our generation. Most of us, especially from a business standpoint, the year was filled with huge, transformational plans. However, as we were hit by the Covid-19 crisis, we had to move indoors, go under lockdown, postpone the travelling plans and relook at the business strategies.
While humanity and businesses are trying to combat the Covid-19, the fact is we need to accept the current world order and ensure we do not put our lives to a halt. It has already set up a new work order for all of us. In the post-lockdown period, life is going to be different for quite some time. This implies a difference in business climate as well. Businesses will have to remap their strategies and come up with ways which can ensure business continuity in these tough times.
One positive outcome that we may look at - digitalisation or mushrooming of virtual worlds. Digital transformation has been in talks for quite some time but Covid-19 has provided it the much-needed impetus. The digital wave generated by this crisis is going to change the face of businesses and events for a very long time. One of the crucial of these changes would be - adoption of virtual events.
1. On-ground launches to be replaced by online launches- The age of on-ground launches might become history and online launches might become the new way of marketing for businesses. The initial days of lockdown were perplexing, confusing and troublesome as we were unaware about how to deal with it. Businesses, especially B2C had trouble reaching out to their customers. However, as it is said, change is the only constant. Since on-ground launches cannot happen, online launches will have to be adopted and adapted to. For example, if you are doing an on-ground event, you can do it on zoom, sending invites to as many people as possible to join the launch event. You can also update your audience about the online launch with the help of social media.
2. On-ground community programmes replaced by events on Zoom- Community programmes play a very crucial role in the marketing and business growth for FMCG products. That is one of their key ways to interact and engage with their potential customer base. However, since lockdown does not permit on-ground community programmes at the moment, businesses like FMCG can opt for video conferencing tools like Zoom, Google Hangouts to conduct these events. For example, brands can conduct community programmes like housewife contact programme or youth special programme so that once the lockdown is over, they can get in touch with networks that are related to their target audience.
3. Setting up QnA Session on FB or Instagram Instead of Organising Meetups- For retail brands, it is very important to keep meeting their target audience. Meet ups used to be a common form of brand-consumer engagement. Since the current times of pandemic does not allow in-person meet ups, it is time to unleash the power of social media. You can do brand engagement activities via your Facebook or Instagram page in lieu of in person meet ups. You can set up weekly QnA and chat with your team about any existing or new product. These days, live interactions are very much trendy. You can have a one dedicated day on behalf of your brand to speak to your customers and their queries/suggestions with the help of a live chat.
4. Seminars to be Replaced by Webinars- In the digital world, webinars are also a part of growing cult. It is very much probable that in the times to come, you may not have to travel for seminars but can attend webinars from anywhere on the earth. With limitation on travelling due to pandemic, most of the businesses are opting webinars replacing their plans for seminars. For many brands, seminars play a very crucial role in voicing their brand and engaging with the thought leaders. Since the brands cannot go silent and take a dip down, the replacement of seminars is being seen through webinars via multiple online apps.
The outbreak of Covid-19 has also come to us in the form of a mirror which shows how several businesses lacked the business continuity plan, which made them suffer a halt. Thankfully, for many of them, the halt was temporary and as businesses are adopting virtual tools of interaction, slowly and steadily, businesses are getting back to the new normal.
(The author is marketing manager, Asashi Kasei India Pvt. Ltd)
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