Any growth marketing strategy is about creating opportunities to engage with the company’s target market and prospects. One of the fantastic things about the era in which we live is that there are so many pathways to engage the people we seek to have a relationship with. The challenges with these pathways are twofold:
- Making sure that we are engaging in a way that rises above the clamor and noise competing for the persons attention. In other words, making a believable promise to provide something meaningful and worthwhile.
- And then fulfilling that promise, or engaging in a way that is respectful, creates value and leads to a desire for further exploration and engagement. Sometimes this is referred to having an Activated prospect
For one of my clients, one element of the solution to these challenges was to create a periodic Virtual Round Table. As a result, I established one-hour conversations with groups of industry leaders in the clients target market. Participants listen to a short presentation which is designed to warm-up the topic and provoke thought. We then facilitate a discussion amongst the attendees on areas related to the topic and of concern to them. This is the interaction that participants very much look forward to. For them it is an opportunity to hear what peers are thinking and doing, learn how they are addressing challenges, and to develop some industry relationships.
Now, of course this is not new. Industry associations and conferences have been doing this in many forms for years. What is different at this moment, however, is that the virtual nature of these events has completely democratized the ability to make this happen and to do so successfully. What do I mean by that term? Well, today anyone with reasonable research and communication skills, and some time, can assemble and curate lists of several hundred people with enough common interest to want to attend something like this. There is no need to rely on a trade association’s secret invitation list, or network, although in some cases that might be the right step. Also, anyone with a phone, an email address and a Zoom account can assemble an audience.
Of course, pulling this off ONCE is not the point. We want to leave our invitees engaged or activated, not bored, frustrated, or upset that you have wasted their time. Let’s definitely not do that! So, we will look at some considerations for how to make this happen, and leave the audience wanting more. Before we do that, let us discuss the plusses and minuses of Virtual vs. In-Person Round Tables.
No doubt virtual comes with a couple of downsides. Most notable of these is that it sometimes feels harder to form substantive relationships with people when you are not in the room with them. It is also a challenge to make sure everyone in the room is getting what they need. Anyone who has attended an aimless Zoom call knows the truth of these difficulties.
On the other hand, virtual has some amazing advantages. First, the threshold of commitment is very low. Think about it, there is no travel to/from, so a one-hour roundtable becomes something easy to commit to if is of value. Many people know that if the meeting proves useless, their internet is magically likely to experience issues and disconnect them, so there’s little risk. Also, because costs are low, no conference costs, parking, room, coffee or lunch service, and etc., there’s no big investment or need to charge fees. Finally, so long as you are timing the event appropriately anyone from San Francisco to Sierra Leone can join. This last point is important. The vast geographic availability for virtual events makes it possible to narrow the audience down in other, much more significant ways than proximity. Industry, seniority, size, or stage of company are typically much more important characteristics for a successful discussion.
What are the key things to remember to create and deliver on an amazing virtual roundtable?
- Vet the audience carefully: When planning this undertaking, it is tempting to roundup everyone on the company’s marketing list and invite them. Unfortunately, this is a great strategy to get one (and only one) event. Instead, carefully research and vet the attendees. What value do you want people to take away from this? Who is best positioned to benefit from this, and also who will be the strongest contributors? Do your research by speaking to some prospective attendees, determine what they are looking for. Where do they see the gaps in their own benchmarking, networking, or industry education? Asking these questions early and using the answers to carefully guide who to invite, and topics to have are key to a successful event or series of events. Once you determine who the right attendees are, stick to it no matter how tempting it may be to allow people to join that might not be a good fit. Remember a successful event depends on having the right people there. Even a few of the right people who are there to learn, experience and contribute is far better than many who may not have anything to contribute or a real desire to learn.
- Choose the right moderator: Not everyone is cut out to lead this kind of session, especially virtually where the visual and verbal cues are not at all easy to discern. While it is necessary for the moderator to know enough about the industry or topic to understand what’s being said and to ask good facilitating questions, it is likely counterproductive to have the “Expert” leading the discussion. The key to a great round table is to make sure the audience gets what it needs. Part of that is hearing what people are saying, what they are asking and what they are missing. A good moderator keeps the discussion flowing and does not let one or two people dominate. A great moderator makes sure everyone is getting what they want and contributing what they can. I consider myself a good communicator, but to be candid as I lead these round tables this has been a challenge, one I have had to develop a new set of skills for. I had never realized the degree to which I depended on visual cues in a real room, reading nuanced expressions and body language. These are missing in Zoom and can make for some tough, but not impossible situations.
- Prepare the conversational map in advance: Be sure that you have some good content to share either as a warm-up or along the way. I have seen firsthand how a short presentation or introduction primes the pump for great conversation, but it must not overshadow the conversation. In my client’s round tables, we set the limit to no more than 5 minutes in a sixty-minute session. The ideal presentation touches on several areas as a preview to the conversation, provokes thought across the topic, and/or somehow personalizes the subject. The best of our roundtables have been the ones that take off from there, with a stream of questions and discussion, until we have completely run out of time, with little input from the moderator. Great preparation can help make this happen. Almost always part of that preparation for me has been in the design of great conversation-provoking questions. As a moderator, I always think through and have in my pocket some leading questions just to move the conversation along in the direction we want it to go. I also make sure I have a lot of open-ended questions designed to get the conversation flowing. Having these written down in advance is important. It is a great idea to have conversations with some of your attendees beforehand. What ideas do they have to share, or things they want to know in this area? This is a particularly useful tool to keep conversation moving in a positive direction, but it’s also a great way to get the more reserved folks to speak up. I try to be ready with a question phrased as “Ms. X, you were sharing with me….” Or Mr. Y, your experience seems really relevant here…”
- Listen, recap and build on the conversation: For my client, an hour was the right decision. It is long enough to get to substance from the discussion, yet still feasible for people to join without disrupting their whole day. What adds more value to these conversations is providing continuity between sessions. After all, the objective is engagement, so it is important to listen to what your group is saying and engaging them about it again. Make sure you exercise all your active listening skills by recapping what is said and then building on the conversation from there.
Business is all about results. So, what is the result here? In a few months, my client has gone from a virtual unknown to having regular, substantive, value creating conversations with dozens of prospects at companies they would love to work with. They are doing it without being annoying and salesy (we can all agree those are counter-productive!) and without spending huge marketing dollars. Instead, they are well on the way to becoming trusted advisors to these great people, all potential customers. And it is not just those who attend that they are making headway with. Through our detailed invitation and vetting process, my client’s name has been in front of several hundred viable prospects, not by spamming them, but instead offering, respectfully, something of value. This has made them more receptive to other marketing and connection efforts as well. In this process, in just a short time, significant opportunities have been uncovered that might otherwise never have existed. It has opened a pathway to numerous marketing and engagement opportunities that will be fruitful. Round tables may not be right for everyone, but it definitely shows what can be achieved when the focus is on providing value and engaging your market in a meaningful way.