Use It or Lose It. How to Navigate Uncertainty, Advance Marketing Initiatives, and Protect Future Budgets

07.15.2020

Use It or Lose It. How to Navigate Uncertainty, Advance Marketing Initiatives, and Protect Future Budgets

The coronavirus pandemic — and the behavioral shifts and the economic recession it’s triggered — are on the verge of steamrolling entire industries and transforming the paradigm of others.

And across industries and organizations, budgets are one of the first places this impact can be seen.

• The market volatility from the first half of the year has placed immediate scrutiny on organizational spend.

• Companies are increasing technology investment and attention to support employees working from home.

• Business trips have been canceled. People are working from home. Trade shows disappeared. That means spends on travel, facilities, and live events have come in far short of projected numbers.

In a survey of 300+ CFOs, Gartner reported that the impact of the recession put marketing departments at risk as the leading function to have their budget cut by 10% or more in 2020.

What it means for you:

• There’s money on the table. The savings from office space, travel, and face-to-face events can be effectively applied to strategic communications initiatives.

• If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. And unused funds are unlikely to be re-upped in 2021.

• If you reallocate it wisely, you can make this unprecedented moment in time a transformative moment for your business.

To avoid costly future implications, proactive marketers should:

• Strategize how to spend your remaining 2020 budget to advance your objectives — and to minimize future cuts.

• Substantiate the value of your events in your audience’s lifecycle — and make the case for investing in these events, regardless of what level of face-to-face interaction is advisable.

• Steer you through the transition from virtual to hybrid to face-to-face events.

• Plan budgets for 2021, accounting for unprecedented uncertainty.

InVision Communications can help.

At InVision Communications, we’re known for thriving in complex environments. For working with speed, agility, and focus. And for delivering engagement solutions that, regardless of platform or message, show a deep understanding of your audiences — and move those audiences to action.

We know that in this age of coronavirus

• Communicating empathetically and comprehensively is more important than ever.

• The epicenter of activity, across audience segments, is on screen. Smart digital communications and virtual experiences are a must.

• As audiences deal with this disruption, they are making decisions that will affect the long-term success of your business. Your marketing team can’t afford to go silent.

InVision Communications provides certain value as you navigate these uncertain times.

As your partner, we will deliver strategic services that are wholly customized to meet your of-the-moment priorities, and your business needs over time.

• Portfolio Analysis — A comprehensive review of your event portfolio will reveal interrelationships, synergies, and efficiencies. A comparative look at your event metrics will help you invest in events more strategically. The output will either validate what you’re doing currently or make a case for evolving your initiatives.

• Scenario Planning – By considering potential scenarios, mapping their dependencies, and overlaying your business priorities, we’ll design an agile strategy — and a menu of engagement solutions — that will drive results. We’ll account for the unknowns ahead, identify decision triggers, and plan circumstance-specific solutions, so you’ll be ready, whether a best- or worst-case 2021 awaits.

• Hybrid Events Playbook — A strategic and tactical toolkit, including everything from best practices to design templates, will set your organization up for success, as you begin bringing people together again, in events that have audiences engaging both virtually and face-to-face.

• Sponsor Solutions — Your sponsors are accustomed to engaging audiences in traditional face-to-face activations. We’ll help you redefine the value proposition, crafting, and activating virtual and hybrid sponsorship programs that maximize ROI.

• Audience Acquisition Strategy — Audience acquisition in the age of coronavirus bears only a passing resemblance to audience acquisition in years past. By carefully considering your target audiences and the channels where they consume content, their current headspace, and the contracted timelines on which they operate, we’ll attract the right attendees to your events, online and off.

• Communications Architecture — We’ll help you determine the frequency and fidelity of communications across the organization and your audience segments, building an architecture to ensure clarity and consistency in message, efficiency, and effectiveness in delivery.

• Content Development and Design – Whether you need presentations designed for internal or external audiences, sponsors or executives, our creative and strategy team will help you tell your story.

• Engagement Trends and Best Practices — We’ll deliver custom research based on your organization’s specific needs.

• Custom Strategy Support ­— Our consultative team will leverage our expertise in change management, integrated communications, and audience engagement to drive marketing, sales, and communications programs that serve the greater good of your organization.

Turn the dollars you’ve saved into an investment in the long-term health of your organization.

To learn more or get started with a complimentary workshop, email info@iv.com or contact your account director.