Which communication channels perform best in 2020 and beyond?

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This pandemic has changed the way companies communicate, emphasizing the need for honesty, empathy and for a more human approach. Even if, in theory, we knew that the messages companies send should be centered around the customer, now this has become mandatory. In all fairness, we marketers were aware that our messages should be focused on our customers, right? But if we could bypass this in the past, today it’s no longer acceptable.

People have new, unmet needs, are concerned about things they never thought they would face, many might even struggle financially or emotionally. This is why companies must adapt their messaging and become more focused on their target audience and their specific wants and needs.

And our messaging approach is not the only thing to change. Some communication platforms prove to be more performant than others – some say that in 2020, the essential digital marketing channels include email, SMS and video, while other studies emphasize the role of SEO and social media. In 2019, when we weren’t yet facing the pandemics, HubSpot listed these 5 main channels for 2020, that we still consider extremely valid: word of mouth, podcasts, email, Social Media and SEO

We wanted to get a better grasp of how things are happening locally, so we talked with digital marketing specialists from some of the most well-known tech companies in Romania. We asked them what are the best communication channels for them now and you can find all their answers, plus other relevant insights in our latest eBook, ”What has changed in digital marketing for tech & software companies in Romania” (available in English and Romanian).

To sum up their answers, the majority of them said that their company blog and website continue to be the most performant communication channels, alongside other tactics, i.e., influencer marketing, video content, live sessions, customer referral programs and SEO.

For us, the organic channel has always performed very well, as UiPath is the leader in RPA. For prospects, clients and analysts, UiPath is top of mind in RPA, and the search engines ranking also reflects this. Our content is becoming more and more specialised, our focus is on case studies and thought leadership. Vlad Ionescu Tokynomo, ex UiPath

When it comes to marketing, the messages we create must be, first of all, human, empathetic and emotional. Salespeople should convey the rational message of benefits versus costs, and it’s their role to guide the client through the entire sales cycle, using creativity and flexibility. Daniel Ionescu, DRUID

We have adapted our messages and positioning a lot. First of all, we have rapidly refined our offer for it to be as relevant as possible for our clients. We have some more performant marketing channels that are not necessarily digital – such as influencer marketing, ecosystem marketing, customer referrals. Regarding digital, I would say that live sessions, fireside chat debates or relevant webinars brought encouraging results. Ioana Serban, FintechOS

We generally have three types of content that perform well: written (such as white papers), video and efficiency calculators. White papers and calculators are excellent for lead generation, and video is excellent for awareness. Monica Dumitriu, DocProcess

Our website is still the best performing communication channel, where we described all the SmartBill products and the advantages they bring. Word of mouth is the most influential channel, and we are grateful for this. Miruna Ursache SmartBill

We have been focusing a lot on creating educational materials, and during this time, we created 150% more content, from videos to articles, ebooks etc. I don’t believe in only one competitive channel, but in a mix that can bring the desired results. Looking at the numbers alone, Facebook seems to be performing a bit better than other channels. Ilinca Drăgănescu Jobful

Our blog is the most efficient channel, as we have been investing in SEO for the past two years. What has changed were the content formats we experimented with. During the pandemics, we organised four webinars with guest experts. Miruna Dragomir, Planable

We used UX research techniques (mostly interviews, empathy mapping, journey mapping) and I think that together with keyword research, you can generate a lot of content ideas that are interesting for your audience. Thus, we saw an improvement of our content’s quality, especially on our blog. Erika Kramarik Tapptitude

Besides the campaigns we have been running during this period, the content stayed the same. At this moment, Organic Search is our main acquisition channel. Bogdan Pol, Moqups

While the best performing channels might vary from organic search to social media, one thing stays true: creating quality content aimed at educating and solving your audience needs pays off and will bring results, regardless of what communication medium you choose.

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