Since 2013, Localz has removed complexity from the last mile with mobile workforce solutions that use scalable technology and communication workflows to save time, money and improve brand experiences. They support over 45.6M “moments of happiness” (service, collection, delivery) annually for Centrica, Ovo, Rentokil, Satellite, HSS Hire, Woolworths, Dan Murphy, Countdown, AutoGlass. We spoke with Louise Robertson Localz Global CMO about her marketing philosophy and activities in recent months.
What’s been your most recent focus?
We sprinted through new code and platform changes to reduce need for physical interactions. Ensuring drivers are safeguarded and customers reassured of timely delivery and social distancing. This improves consumer experiences and reduces cost (a missed service call costs about £75.00 excluding cost of rebooking). Many platform communications are to customers’ customers e.g. B2B2C. In Australia we support click and collect for Woolworths and Dan Murphy’s where our solution is ‘white labelled’. Our solution pivoted rapidly to enable touchless pick up and deliver to boot. Launched mid COVID, Localz Count Me In people counter app and management dashboard allows for simple store traffic management using the devices employees already have. We are focused on getting back to business with quick to implement solutions that prove your commitment to safety.
How are brands adapting to recent events?
Some supermarkets and HubSpot have delivered excellent work, but others are in denial. They’d invested in assets and are determined to execute, regardless of relevance and risk of customer alienation! I’m a member of a club who for 7 weeks now have sent a barrage of automated messages. I suspect they furloughed marketing but didn’t turn off automated CRM tools. I’ve been invited to dinners, cocktails and EasyJet want me to holiday in Turkey!
How do you use thought leadership?
Pre-Covid we published a white paper, The Gig Economy. This thought leadership content created a platform that we’ve built on with more white papers recently. These papers offer Covid compliant strategies: How to React Recover Restore Your Guide to Contactless Click and Collect and Safeguarding Concerns as part of their initiative – Communicating Through Uncertain Times .
How have events been affected?
All our events are on hold until we’re clearer on the future, but I don’t believe exhibition stands are always the best investment. Better to partner at shows and attend content sessions with customers to understand their pain points. These days we host virtual meetings and webinars with partners and clients for groups of about 30.
Your guidance on virtual events
- Drop company sales pitches: B2B virtual sessions invariably include ‘corporate overview’ openers. Delegates endure ‘grand standing’ before real content starts – stop wasting our time!
- Webinar Titles Should Relate to Content: Titles and content must relate and support each other. People leave sessions when content and title mismatch.
- Drop tokenism: Random slides on topical events inserted into pre-existing content and other thoughtless ‘quick fixes’ alienate customers (CV19 produced lots of this behaviour).
- Get Interaction and feedback: Hosts rarely seek feedback – missing opportunities to improve content, message and tone.
- Tone and Listening: Recently I attended a partner webinar with a large global software provider. The hosts talked at their audience throughout one of the most arrogant, self-congratulatory events I’ve witnessed. Not once did they reaffirm they valued our relationship, acknowledge the financial climate or demonstrate understanding our needs. I wasn’t alone: the meeting opened with 200 participants and fell to 46 by the time I left.
Innovation Day: Last year we ran a physical event for 100 board level clients, influencers and press. Starting with breakfast followed by demos and product roadmaps from our Global CTO. Inspirational, independent speakers preceded a key customer lunch during which we shared our business vision and heard their pain points. The consultative approach changes relationships with major partners and accounts, it demonstrates a focus on them, brings a buying chain together and delivering results along with more invaluable content.
What’s Important in Content Marketing?
- The Turkey’s the ‘star’ My favourite analogy is Christmas lunch: you have a gem of content say for a white paper, an event, a podcast. But as with Christmas turkey you create other dishes from leftovers – sandwiches, curry, soup, freeze it! Say you have a video treatment, then lots of snapshot marketing nuggets, social media posts and communities – small pieces that add value. Consider the time your targets spend on content and determine the best media to use.
- Audience Persona – understand who you’re talking to, their world, their careabouts. Help them, signpost value – don’t thoughtlessly dump big dollops of content.
- Cut out Cut and Paste: 50 words cut and pasted from a piece with an awful picture slapped on won’t work! Choose the right image and copy that’s written for both the audience and media context.
Your advise for content marketers
- Be Honest – Revisit plans, be frank with the business about what needs to change (products, services and marketing).
- Put customers at the centre
- Articulate solutions to client careabouts
- Optimise content – think Christmas turkey!
- Reshape plans
Marketing must appreciate the crisis we are living through and that ‘caring’ for society needs to be part of brand message.