Despite its market presence as a business tech tool since 2011, Zoom is receiving more attention since COVID-19 thanks to the advent of remote working environments for many companies. So it makes sense that marketers are starting to pay more attention to this video conferencing tool. If that sounds like you, here are some suggestions for how to get the most value from Zoom as a marketer now and into the future.
Leveraging “live” marketing tactics
Zoom is most known for its real-time, live tools that help people connect when in-person isn’t possible. Beyond the employee-to-employee capabilities, which is where most companies are utilizing this application, Zoom can become a marketing tool to engage and interact with customers and larger targeted audience.
First, there are webinars, which can take the form of hosted workshops, panel discussions, and seminars previously only found at an industry conference or trade show. Companies can now create virtual conference experiences or focus on smaller, more targeted presentations at a much better per person cost.
Zoom’s webinar solution provides a way to include up to 100 video participants and as many as 10,000 view-only participants. To further your marketing efforts and make these virtual conferences and webinars a success, Zoom also supports customized registration forms and emails about the online event. This includes registration management processes and tools to integrate customer and prospect contact information.
Second, Zoom can help conduct market research through focus group sessions and one-on-one customer interviews. Both the video conferencing capability and chat tools can enhance connections with prospects and customers.
For example, as part of a focus group effort, an organization may ship out product samples to participants or have them try a service. Then, with Zoom, it’s possible to hold a remote focus group session or one-on-one chat to get insights into what worked and what didn’t to better inform product/service/app development.
Third, consider video calling for prospects to connect with those who have shown interest in the company’s products or services. It provides a more personal touch to marketing and sales while also helping the company get an in-depth understanding of the prospect by seeing their responses rather than just hearing or reading them.
Extending the marketing impact
Think of your Zoom video footage as potential marketing content to use later on for other channels. It is easy to structure these for marketing use because of the recording capability.
The video content offers sound bytes and video clips to repurpose into social media content or used on a company’s website. Ideas for marketing-focused content include a product or service benefits video, recorded customer testimonials, webinars and panel discussions, and use case summaries.
Integrating marketing tools with Zoom
Reaching the full potential of what Zoom can do for marketing means taking it beyond its solo role. Zoom integrates with many marketing-friendly apps to deliver more results with options for campaigns and analytics, including Oracle Eloqua.
Many third-party and Zoom-developed apps drive opportunities for more leads. They can help to automate marketing workflows and optimize the campaign effort.
Marketing planning for Zoom
As with any digital marketing tool, it’s important to research, study, and plan before diving in. Despite feeling a sense of urgency to remain connected with audiences, a company needs to do it right or risk falling flat with customers and prospects. This could involve adding another layer of security to Zoom meetings by taking the following steps (suggested by Zoom’s best practices):
· Secure a meeting with encryption (or password)
· Create waiting rooms for attendees
· Require a host to be present before a meeting can start
· Expel participants if necessary
· Lock a meeting
· Screen share watermarks
· Use audio signatures
· Enable or disable participants from recording
· Temporary pause screen sharing
By planning ahead, marketers can ensure they make the best use of Zoom.