You are not going to find much content on this subject. Frankly, after searching the web, we were forced to coin the term “Digital Marketing 2.0”.
But, before I answer this question, I will have to take you through a brief journey…
WHAT ARE YOU SELLING?
While reviewing feedback from customers of our Online Only platform–India Technology Week (ITW), we stumbled upon an intriguing question…
How would we define the kind of digital marketing that ITW offers?
Is it content marketing or display advertising? It is lead building or an e-event?
Truth be told–initially, we did not even realise the importance of this question! We wondered why do these folks want to classify an online platform that’s clearly defined as an ‘Online Only’ event. Perhaps, internal bureaucracy–we reasoned.
But then–this question started popping up in different forms across a larger set of clients.
In August 2020, we decided to start speaking to these clients to understand why they were asking these questions.
And, an interesting insight kept repeating, with almost identical wording…
ITW provides us with impressions, clicks, content marketing, list-building and if we are lucky–sales leads.
While it’s not comparable with an on-the-ground event–because of the missing human interactions,
it seems like a good digital marketing platform for B2B businesses.
And, then came the real issue…
But, if we shift the expense to Digital Marketing from events, we are unable to classify the head
under which to expense it. The nearest seems to be content marketing–but we are not really
developing any new content here.
THE AWAKENING
That’s when it started dawning upon us that ITW is perhaps more than an ‘Online Only’ event for marketers. And, it was important to classify its deliverables for marketers to assess against current options available to them.
So, we started with the easiest one: Online Advertising. It provides impressions, clicks and can generate leads if there’s one at the landing page. But, ITW operates very differently. You don’t pay per impression or click. The targeted audience (of the event, the show, and the hall) is managed by us–and not the client. And, then it won’t function without your content.
How about Content Marketing then? Very close. Clients publish their content about their firm and their promotions. They get contact details of those who consume that content. They have Analytics that help them to figure out the serious ones from those who aren’t. But, then what about the in-built amplification (aka promotion) of the content that ITW provides? Plus, how do we connect the possibility of an instant meeting between the visitor and the exhibitor?
THE CLAIM (to fame)
Wow! We seem to have developed the Superman in the world of Digital Marketing, is how a colleague described her new-found insight, at a review meeting. She explained,
it’s a DO IT YOURSELF content marketing platform, which has in-built amplification–
so no need to spend on promotions separately,
and it automatically enables the content to be discovered by the right audience,
and it provides an automated system to collect the list,
and it provides analytics,
and last but not the least–it enables sales to get leads!
(I profusely apologise for the multiple conjunctions in the above sentence but without the same–the significance of the benefits would be lost.)
And, then the smartie came up with the idea–would it be right to call it Digital Marketing 2.0? After all, it seems to be a new type of Digital Marketing.
Quickly, we Googled to find how experts have defined Digital Marketing 2.0.
Interestingly, we could not find much!
We came across a few posts like: Digital Marketing 2.0 — Creating Effective Marketing Campaigns at Optimal Budget, Digital Marketing 2.0 Advanced Targeting, and Content Marketing 2.0 – How to Plan and Execute an Integrated Digital Marketing Campaign. And, a few more. But each seemed like a blind man describing a part of the elephant and not the elephant itself.
So, we decided to place our bet on what Digital Marketing 2.0 needs to be.
OUR BET
Here’s how we would like to define Digital Marketing 2.0 (the reason why you started reading this piece)…
Imagine, online platforms where you don’t have to hire any specialists to do marketing.
Imagine, not having to create any new content other than your traditional sales or marketing material.
Imagine, you not having to create different ads and campaigns.
Imagine, you not having to decide between paying-per-click OR paying-per-impression OR paying-per-form-filled.
Imagine, a platform which is easy for your sales (or inside sales) to operate.
Imagine, a platform where your team publishes your key content within 30 to 45 minutes.
Imagine, a platform where your team gets contact details of those who consume their content.
Imagine, a platform that provides Analytics to you to figure out seriousness-levels of those who consumed your content.
Imagine, a platform where your team also generates leads of those who want to be called back.
Imagine, a platform where your LIVE team members can get on video calls with interested customers.
Imagine, such a platform coming with a TRIAL offer, and a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE offer.
Now IMAGINE, your firm on not being on that platform…or is it?