This guide will take you through everything you need to know about field marketing -what it is in today’s context, what a field marketer does, tips to improve your field marketing strategy, and more.
What is Field Marketing?
Field marketing is typically a series of marketing activities carried out by specialized marketing professionals, in the ‘field’. This can range from distributions, promotions, brand building, customer relationship management, or even lead generation efforts.
Field marketing can include targeting direct sales promotions, experimental marketing, merchandising, auditing, sampling, demonstration, organizing roadshows, related events, and more.
The Field Marketing Council has defined field marketing as “measurable face-to-face brand development as well as customer relationship management via highly trained people.”
What Does a Field Marketer Do?
Field marketing sounds like it encompasses a range of activities. But what exactly does a field marketer do?
Contrary to their traditional counterparts, today field marketers are seen:
- Collaborating with the sales team and tracking qualified leads
- Develop targeted account-based marketing campaigns.
- Maximize the return on investment from the events to enhance the revenue outcomes
Their goal is to provide engaging experiences to the potential customers, boost their buyer intent, and encourage positive responses.
It can be simply explained as creating meaningful interactions with prospective buyers. While events are a significant component, field marketing encompasses a wide range of activities that engage prospects through various touchpoints, including trade shows, webinars, and in-person events.
In the B2B space, field marketers combine sales expertise with marketing strategies to influence customers throughout their purchasing journey. In contrast, in the B2C context, they establish connections with consumers in high-traffic areas such as shopping malls, restaurants, gyms, etc., to drive engagement.
Ultimately, field marketers are essential in shaping customer experiences and enhancing brand awareness, using both direct interactions and strategic initiatives to cultivate lasting relationships with prospects.
Field Marketing vs Event Marketing, Digital Marketing, Product Marketing
There are several intersections in field marketing and this can be confusing to people – even to marketers at times.
So, let’s dive into how field marketing compares with some other types of marketing.
Aspect | Field Marketing | Event Marketing | Digital Marketing | Product Marketing |
Definition | Direct interactions with customers via events and promotions. | Strategic function focused on promoting and executing events. | Leveraging online platforms to reach and engage target audiences. | Positioning and promoting specific products or services. |
Focus | Building personal connections and generating leads. | Accelerating the sales pipeline through event execution. | Engaging audiences through online channels. | Ensuring products meet market needs and stand out. |
Engagement Style | Face-to-face interactions; personalized experiences. | Engaging participants during events for brand connection. | Digital touchpoints (social media, email, etc.); broad reach. | Market research-driven messaging across various channels. |
Target Audience | Localized efforts targeting specific geographical areas. | Targeting attendees based on event relevance. | Precise targeting based on demographics and interests. | Identifying target audiences through analysis. |
Measurement | Post-event evaluations and participant feedback. | Data analysis, post-event reviews, and KPIs for improvement. | Real-time analytics for immediate campaign adjustments. | Product adoption rates, market share, and sales performance. |
Strategies | Building relationships, event execution, and local promotions. | Designing and monitoring events; vendor relationship management. | Online marketing strategies across platforms. | Market differentiation and positioning strategies. |
Benefits of Field Marketing
Field marketing has been around, in one form or the other, for much longer than we would imagine – and for a reason. Let’s see what benefits they can bring to modern businesses.
Improves Brand Perception
- Field marketing facilitates face-to-face engagement, allowing potential customers to experience the brand personally.
- It often takes place at crucial locations, such as point-of-sale interactions and events like exhibitions, conferences, roadshows, and webinars.
- These environments are ideal for capturing prospects’ attention and effectively conveying brand values.
- Creates memorable experiences that foster brand loyalty, helping guide prospects toward becoming loyal customers.
Enhances Customer Relationship
- Field marketing ensures that customers receive uniform experiences at every interaction, reinforcing brand reliability.
- In today’s fast-paced world, customers expect to be recognized and valued after making a purchase, which is crucial for building loyalty.
- Field marketing representatives offer consistent and knowledgeable responses to customer inquiries, which helps build trust and confidence in the brand.
Augments the Sales Effort
- Sales representatives often focus on qualified leads, leaving them with little time to onboard or nurture customers. Field marketing helps with that.
- With limited bandwidth, sales teams may struggle to provide the necessary guidance for prospects as they familiarize themselves with a product or service.
Provides Measurable ROI
- Successful field marketing campaigns deliver quantifiable results that highlight their effectiveness.
- Brands utilize field marketing software that provides real-time reporting accessible on devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.
- Product managers and brand owners can view performance metrics instantly through various platforms, including tablets, mobile apps, websites, and dashboards.
Accurate Targeting
- Field marketing involves a wide range of activities, including sales promotions, onboarding, nurturing, sampling, demonstrations, experiential marketing, and organizing events like roadshows and conferences.
- Field marketers strategically choose locations, formats, and both internal and external experts based on comprehensive research about their target audience.
- This targeted approach enables field marketers to address the specific needs and preferences of their audience effectively.
Different Types of Field Marketing Campaigns You Can Run
Let’s explore the different types of field marketing campaigns you may undertake and launch:
Product Demos
A product demo is a live-focused presentation that showcases the features, functionality, and best uses of the product. Businesses are able to effectively communicate the value of their products to potential buyers.
In a live product demonstration, businesses highlight key aspects of their product i various ways such as live presentations, interactive demos, video presentations, and hands-on experiences. Overall, product demos play a vital role in influencing customers’ purchasing decisions and driving conversion for businesses.
Guerrilla Marketing
Guerrilla marketing is a surprising advertising campaign that a business undertakes in order to promote its product or service to reach its target market. This marketing campaigns are carried out in public places like malls, subways, or railway stations to boost brand visibility to the maximum number of people.
Some examples of guerrilla marketing include flash mobs, sidewalk art, or temporary installations in high-traffic areas. Real-life examples include Coca-Cola – Happiness Wending Machine, Google Pixel Fold Campaign, and Domino’s paving for pizza.
Trade Shows
A trade show is an exhibition that businesses organize to present their products or services to customers. These events take place in a hotel ballroom, sports stadium, or a convention center, like the “Las Vegas Convention Center”.
Organizations often set up an interactive display booth to demonstrate their products and their features to their potential customers and engage with them. This marketing campaign significantly increases brand visibility and helps businesses generate high-quality leads.
In-Store Product Marketing
It is a type of field marketing strategy that gives customers an in-store experience. Organizations open up retail stores, mostly in high-traffic areas, to sell their products or services to potential customers.
Consumers can visit the shop in person and discuss with shop associates face-to-face about a product’s features, benefits, and uses. Ultimately, in-store product marketing drives immediate sales lift for the firm and enhances the customer’s shopping experience.
Roadshows
A roadshow is a multi-day promotional campaign in which a company uses a vehicle, like a truck or van, that travels to different towns or locations to meet its target audiences, raise brand exposure, and promote its product or service. This allows customers to see, touch, and experience the product/service at hand, which creates a personal connection with the brand.
Here is a real example of roadshow marketing
BMW Roadshow by The Clear Idea
BMW’s official agency in Greece, Amuse, designed and created a special roadshow truck to showcase its new model BMW X2, in 2023. A 6m x 2.5m transparent display was placed on the truck’s chassis so that people could see the car clearly from the outside. To make the car glow in the dark and stand out, LED panels were installed on the interior. The road trip included land and sea travel, traveling through Europe, passing through Italy, and then arriving in Greece
Pop-Up Shops
A pop-up shop is a retail store that the company opens for a limited time to sell its products or services. A shop is often opened in high-traffic areas like shopping malls or supermarkets to meet its sales goal.
This marketing method allows people to try, feel, and experience the product in real-time, resulting in direct sales opportunities for organizations. A core benefit of opening a pop-up shop is that it delivers delightful short-term experiences to the audience, which reinforces a brand message with positive customer engagement.
Door-to-Door
It is a direct selling technique where companies appoint a sales representative and send them to consumers’ homes to promote their products or services. This marketing strategy allows businesses to reach their customers directly, which helps build stronger relationships with them.
Face-to-face interaction with target audiences gives the company a deeper understanding of its potential customers. Cable, Internet, and Telecom providers often run door-to-door marketing campaigns.
Creating Effective B2B Field Marketing Strategy
If your target audience includes the B2B sector as well, it needs unique field marketing strategies; S, here are some effective traditional field marketing techniques, along with innovative methods for you to employ.
Build an Insightful Customer Profile
To succeed in field marketing, it’s essential to develop a detailed customer profile. Understanding your target audience thoroughly enables you to effectively identify, approach, and engage them at local and online events. A well-rounded customer profile should include firmographic information, unique challenges, and relevant job roles, forming a strong foundation for your marketing initiatives.
Develop Marketing Collateral for Every Touchpoint
High-quality marketing collaterals are vital in guiding prospects toward making a purchase decision. Ensure you have a variety of materials ready for each stage of the buyer’s journey, including customer testimonials, brochures, case studies, images, onboarding videos, brand swag, corporate gifts, and presentations. This comprehensive preparation ensures you’re equipped to engage effectively with prospects at any point.
Personalize Your Approach
In today’s personalized marketplace, a one-size-fits-all strategy falls short. Both B2B and B2C
consumers expect tailored experiences. Therefore, it’s crucial to design field marketing campaigns that specifically address the needs of various target audiences.
Additionally, with the rise of virtual interactions since the pandemic, incorporating online events into your strategy is more important than ever now.
Pay Attention to the Competition
Keeping an eye on your competitors is essential, because you’re not alone in vying for your target customers’ attention. By monitoring your competitors’ strategies, methods, and technologies, you can adjust your own campaigns to stay ahead of the rest.
Implement a Content Management System (CMS)
A content management system can significantly enhance your field marketing efforts. It empowers field agents to easily discover, share, and measure the ROI of content. By integrating your CMS with CRM systems, email marketing tools, and marketing automation platforms, you can create a cohesive strategy that maximizes content accessibility.
Leverage Mobile Devices to Display Content
Mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are invaluable for showcasing products and services. They allow for the delivery of contextual content, making it easier to engage prospects in real time. Additionally, these devices facilitate lead generation by enabling quick sign-ups for newsletters and gated content.
Measure Content ROI
Tracking the ROI of your content is essential for assessing the success of your marketing initiatives. By using a variety of digital collateral during events, you can monitor engagement with materials such as case studies, videos, brochures, and presentations. This data helps identify which assets drive conversions and sales, allowing you to refine your strategy.
Don’t Let the Conversation End
After your field marketing campaign concludes, it’s crucial to maintain the conversation. Transitioning from one campaign to the next without follow-up can mean missing out on valuable opportunities. By nurturing prospects and continuing the dialogue, you can expand your base and enhance your visibility, trust, and reputation. Leveraging social media is an effective way to carry “in the field” discussions into the digital space.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned earlier, the definition of being a field marketer has evolved over the years, making them an indispensable asset to most modern businesses. Field marketers can act as growth drivers for your business, and by working on any of the marketing campaigns, such as product demos, guerrilla marketing, trade shows, in-store marketing, roadshows, pop-up shops, and door-to-door marketing, you can generate revenue streams that you would have rarely thought possible. Leverage field marketing in your company and unlock the magic that awaits.
FAQ
Success can be measured using KPIs such as lead generation, sales conversions, customer feedback, and ROI analysis, through tracking tools and reporting software that provide insights into campaign effectiveness.
Technology plays a crucial role by enabling field marketers to access real-time data, engage customers through mobile devices, and measure the success of their campaigns effectively using content management systems and analytics tools.
