Andrei Pop, the host of Forum IT during the 2020 Easter holidays, this time invites the audience to a new format of the show, i-Talks, where various topics of public interest are debated in order to bring added value to those watching the show.
As we have seen, things have taken a rather unexpected turn in this pandemic especially for business. This pandemic has basically forced a lot of businesses to transition at least partially online. A lot of people who used to work only locally using personal relationships suddenly found themselves having to work in an environment where communication is no longer person-to-person but through Facebook, Instagram and other marketing channels. And going by this idea everyone adapted as they could. Now comes a period where things are loosening up, but online marketing remains a constant in the lives of business people.
So, this story we are all in leads us all to the same situation, which is why a digital marketing expert and an online communication expert were brought to the set on Zoom to discuss how a business can adapt to digital in this challenging time. The two experts, Csaba Demeter and Alexandru Manea will answer the most important questions.
Moderator Andrei Pop: My first question for you is, first of all, how did this period affect you, what turned into an opportunity or a challenge and how did you adapt to new situations? I would like to start with Mr Csaba Demeter.
Csaba Demeter: I would start by mentioning that I deal with online and offline marketing, i.e. the whole marketing mix. During this period my work has not stopped, it has become more complex and more intense because marketing is not like a lottery in an envelope, you can’t just perceive it at one moment and wait for the results. Marketing is a process, you communicate with customers all the time, and this is even more evident in this period that has tried us all hard. Much of our communication has been focused online and over the phone, sometimes in meetings keeping a social distance. This period has seen the importance of communication, the importance of a close, long-lasting and deep relationship with clients. Only companies that have managed to communicate in the past and have continued to do so now will come out of this period stronger.
Moderator Andrei Pop: Do you find it difficult for a business person who hasn’t done this before to make the transition online. Is it a difficult transition and do you think it could be eased especially for a business that has worked strictly locally?
Csaba Demeter: You made a very important point at the beginning that this crisis has brought more opportunities. There have been crises before and mankind will face crises again, the important thing is how we adapt. In this period of crisis online is a very important channel and maybe the only channel to communicate with your customers, but any period of crisis brings new ways of communication, new ways of strategies, new ways of approaches that will continue. If during this period we got used to moving meetings to videoconferencing this will continue. Now, more than ever, these online conferencing platforms have started to be used more than before this crisis period, so it is yet another opportunity. But this should not be a one-off activity, even if at the beginning big companies invested budgets and put effort into advertising on TV, radio, flyers, they should remember that these methods are only effective in the short term. It is good to start even now to predict what will happen in the medium, long and near term. Marketing communication means long-term strategic communication.
Moderator Andrei Pop: Back to Alexandru Manea, as I asked Csaba Demeter, please tell me, during this period, what were the challenges, the opportunities and to what extent?
Alexandru Manea: Both have been with a lot of work from home, obviously from in front of the computer and I can confirm, communication must continue during these periods because there are a lot of opportunities especially, given that traffic on social media has increased. I’ve been watching the surveys on social media traffic increases that have gone up as much as 50% or more, so it’s an important time especially for someone who is just now making the transition online and starting to build a community around their brand.
Moderator Andrei Pop: Someone in the audience mentioned that even small agricultural producers, farmers, have started this transition to online and have made some sales especially during the lockdown and the Easter holidays based on ad hoc marketing.
Alexandru Manea: Another trend that has started both here and around the world, more and more people are starting to support and encourage local producers, to buy as much as possible from them and I think this should be communicated further. All those entrepreneurs who have local production need to communicate this as well as possible because society itself is looking for them at the moment and they need to make their voice heard.
Moderator Andrei Pop: In other words, now is the time for the Romanian producer to generate online clientele so that in the course of time he can have a trusted community around him. Is this a correct interpretation, Csaba Demeter?
Csaba Demeter: Indeed, it is a very important moment, but here some things also come into play, marketing must be targeted, for example towards a geographical area, a certain category of the population or a country, nationally or internationally. Even in our turn as a family, we supported the local producer by ordering, for example, fruit and vegetables from them. Phillip Koetler said some very interesting things at one point, including that the world is connected through this interconnectivity and the intellect is connected, we are talking about a synchronised facility so that if somewhere is disrupted everyone can suffer afterwards. Similarly, local producers believe that they will come out even in the medium term, but in reality in the short term, in profit for sure, under current conditions, obviously. We’ve seen a lot of platforms with local and regional producers, online marketplaces, which I think in some cases has really increased the customer base that they wouldn’t have reached before.
Moderator Andrei Pop: Even in previous editions we talked about such a platform that strictly supported the local producer, it was effectively created a marketplace where the local producer could sign up and expose himself more easily to the community and where he had everything he needed for the business to operate in optimal conditions, from exposure to actual delivery. I mean the whole logistical package was somehow taken care of and the platform itself was an enabler. It wasn’t a service provider but a facilitator, if I can give you a more specific example, the platform became a kind of Uber for the local producer.
Alexandru Manea: Basically a place where he could sell his products immediately the day after he was forced to close his physical business or put it on hold for friendlier times, so to speak. These are very welcome efforts and should be encouraged more because the platform itself is a local product.
If you want to see the full broadcast, you can play this video:
