As live events, trade shows and fairs are reduced to a minimum and the digital world has taken over its dominance it is important to know exactly how to navigate through it successfully. We gathered our top 10 alternatives for B2B companies to test and try in 2021.

​

1. Organize your own live online events or webinars

2. Leverage convenience of pre-recorded webinars

3. Utilize LinkedIn influencer voices around B2B campaigns

4. Participate in podcasts and joint online panel discussions

5. Attend online conferences and webinars

6. Launch your podcast or weekly video posts on LinkedIn

7. Focus efforts on content marketing

8. Do not forget about your email marketing

9. Practice social selling on LinkedIn

10. Optimize your website for presentation and conversions

​

View full review of the top 10 alternatives to live events, tradeshows and fairs for B2B companies in 2021:

​

1. Organize your own live online events or webinars

 

Live targeted digital events, such as talks, workshops and webinars are a fantastic way to connect with new audiences, deliver valuable information, present your product and showcase your expertise. According to the latest Xant report, sales and marketing professionals ranked small executive events (77%) and webinars (73%) as the best ways to generate quality leads. It is a cost-effective way to deliver high ROI and fill your sales funnel with quality leads.

​

2. Leverage convenience of pre-recorded webinars

 

Your team can always pre-record interesting content in advance and deliver in smaller chunks over a longer period of time. It is an effective way to organize workload on your side as well as appeal to the busy schedules of your target audience. Such pre-recorded material can be easily promoted as gated content on your website, in email campaigns, across social media channels. Include clear value propositions and short agenda to engage your audience and convince them to view the full recording.

​

3. Utilize LinkedIn influencer voices around B2B campaigns

 

Another effective way to engage new audiences is B2B influencers on LinkedIn. Activate a number of business professionals who are interested to share your branded content across LinkedIn and endorse your company to their direct network. The latest case studies from BrandRefer, show that such practice delivers strong 4-6% engagement, 2% CTR and in some cases even 20% conversion rates for B2B content campaigns. It is a fantastic way to create awareness around your product and services online, attracting high-quality leads.

​

4. Participate in podcasts and joint online panel discussions

 

Simply saying, get your brand out there. Whether that means collaborating with your business partners or joining marketing forces with other brands to share social networks and engage audiences. Research your topic relevant podcasts or media channels, both audio and video format, approach the hosts and propose a joint episode. It is a great way to be present to already very engaged audiences. Plus, this method allows you to gain new exposure or even new content piece to promote afterwards.

​

5. Attend online conferences and webinars

 

Don’t forget that you can always attend online webinars and conferences as a visitor. Often large online events have digital socializing rooms where attendees and visitors can virtually mingle and chat. Most event providers will showcase visitors, speakers and hosts on their platform. Some platforms allow easy connection with members, exchange information and contact details. Smaller webinars without hefty entry costs may share similar information about the audience. This is an effective way of discovering new contacts and be visible to others in the market.

​

6. Launch your podcast or weekly video posts on LinkedIn

​

If you have enough resources on-site, consider running your own podcast sharing knowledge, expertise, or topic relevant news with the audience. PodcastInsights analyzed that 80% of podcast listeners tune in for all or most of each podcast episode and on average listens to 7 shows per week. Your branded content can be easily showcased on your own website, youtube, other social media channels. Nevertheless, your sales team can effectively add videos or audio snippets in their email conversations with potential buyers to add extra value to their message.

​

7. Focus efforts on content marketing

​

77% of companies say they have a content marketing strategy. And for sure, content marketing should be at your driver’s seat this year. Especially now when most interactions happen online your content is an extremely important communications tool with your audience. Review critical topics to cover the most common questions your customer might have. The more frequently you can produce value-added content the more consistently you will appear on your target audience’s radar.

 

8. Don’t forget about your email marketing

​

Email still plays a huge role in your product exposure, lead generation and business development. Content Marketing Institute reported that in fact, email is one of the top 3 content distribution channels used by 87% of B2B marketeers. Being one of the most effective ways to generate leads and open up new business opportunities, think about running email campaigns. Segment your audience by personas. Create value propositions in a short email and deliver large campaigns raising brand awareness and supporting your sales team with fresh leads.

​

9. Practice social selling on LinkedIn

​

LinkedIn is a great platform to showcase your product, engage with prospects and attract new audiences. Invest time to learn about the key tricks of social selling. Start with your company’s LinkedIn page and team pages. Plan frequent content, engage with LinkedIn audience via posts, forums, groups, events. Leverage networking capabilities by building direct networks and interacting with new contacts.

​

10. Optimize your website

​

BlueCorona data report shows shocking facts, that 46% of your online visitors might leave a website because of a lack of clear message, and 37% will leave because of poor design or navigation. Make sure your website navigates your online visitors with ease, providing all crucial information. Think about adding information in multiple formats, such as video, text, infographics. Test your demo and contact forms, to ensure a smooth and accurate registration process. Add plenty of text and descriptions of your services so that your site is searchable.

​

Continue reading: How to promote webinar online in 2021

​

_ _ _

This article was prepared by BrandRefer, your trusted full-service influencer marketing agency for LinkedIn.