Digital VS In-Person Engagement: dichotomy or cohesiveness?

Digital channels, alongside consolidated ones, also bring benefits to traditional sales channels. This is now a well-established concept even in industry sectors.

But... How to involve the online audience with the same effectiveness of an in-person meeting?

When brands use digital channels to deliver personalized, spot-on experiences, they create emotional connection with their customers and prospects.

Ecommerce, especially in B2B sectors, is based on Content, Quality and Trust, whatever these refer to products, relationships or processes.

These are pillars held together by transparency, immediacy and user-centric approaches. By satisfying individual and functional needs, we can make use digital channels to convey authenticity and thus obtain the emotional involvement of the users during the entire digital journey - that can lead them to make a purchasing decision.

Life's true value is found in the experiences, development, and learning that happen along the route. It is the journey that leads to the destination.

So, the keyword is human experience. B2B or B2C marketing no longer exist, it is all about the user experience across all digital touchpoints and e-commerce platforms of the brand. The experience of the digital journey becomes the driver for all Data Integration and Content Marketing strategies. Creativity, equity, omnichannel mindset, asynchronous and synchronous communications... It is the journey that leads to the destination - not by chance life is a journey, not a destination.

Engagement instead of vanity metrics, user-centered storytelling rather than promotional approaches, advantages and not features, integrated and circular processes... In short, as marketers we should care about human experience. And salespersons too should see themselves more as content creators, so that the authenticity of helping instead of selling can be perceived. With humility and in-depth (and digitalized) listening to our audience needs - they are experts with real and complex needs, not fancy people in an imaginary world.

Considering all these aspects and the related opportunities that can be seen behind the complexity of an integration between business processes, data, platforms and contents, it should be equally well-established that meeting in person is important for brand reputation as well as digital platforms are essential to build customer trust.

There is no dichotomy between digital and in-person engagement. It is a continuous exchange between two different yet cohesive methods of interacting and engaging people.

A holistic and systemic approach to managing the user experience instead of selling the product/solution should make it clear that there is no dichotomy between digital and in-person engagement, but rather it is a continuous exchange between the two interaction methods within a journey that can leave an indelible and decisive "mark" in the mind of the user - that experience is the key to success for any sales and marketing organization.