Working for You: Building Concrete Connections Through Virtual Outreach

For many precasters, outreach efforts have always had an in-person slant – a plant tour, presentation, lunch and learn, meeting or other face-to-face event. But with limitations on gatherings in effect due to COVID-19, in-person events may not be an option. Thankfully, losing the in-person experience doesn’t have to mean an end to your outreach strategy. Transitioning to a virtual plan offers new options and can be a simple solution for reaching your target audiences and maintaining crucial relationships.

Virtual outreach is ideal for those with fewer resources available amidst the current pandemic, allowing you to save on both travel expenses and time. Your message can be delivered without the extra time needed to plan and prepare for hosting an event at your plant. And, since most business professionals have recently experienced telecommuting, online meetings or other virtual meetings, now is the perfect time to implement virtual outreach strategies.

The virtual approach gives your audience an opportunity to experience an up close, personal view inside your brand, company values and facilities. It allows for a focused plan that spotlights what your company does best. Additionally, options for conducting virtual outreach can be tailored to reach specific audiences:

• • For specifiers, contractors and regulators, educational offerings that offer continuing education credits are a big hit. Participation in NPCA’s specifier webinar series increased by 400% in 2020.
    • Virtual presentations can include product demonstrations that showcase new technologies, products and any services you provide.
  • Offering virtual guest lectures is a great way to build relationships with faculty at your local colleges, especially if they’re conducting online classes. NPCA currently is working with professor contacts to offer guest lectures this school year. Many professors are open to industry participation in their online classes.
    • Depending on what works best for your local academic contacts, you can offer a live or prerecorded presentation.
  • Reach potential hires and promote workforce development by pointing job ads to videos and presentations spotlighting your employees and their role within your company.
    • NPCA’s research into workforce development has shown that those in Generation Y (millennials) and Generation Z are heavy consumers of electronic content over print.

NPCA has conducted virtual outreach to influence audiences across the U.S. and Canada. Our experience has shed light on best practices to help you with your virtual strategy.

Choosing a platform

Whether you choose to conduct a slideshow presentation, one-on-one meeting or recorded plant tour, you’ll need a platform that will connect your presentation to your customer’s computers and mobile devices. If you’ve already committed to a platform, get to know its capabilities for optimum use. If you have yet to do so, consider the presentations and meetings you have attended since the beginning of COVID-related stay-at-home orders in March and April 2020. Did any specific platform provide you with the best experience?

Zoom has become very popular this year. Microsoft Teams offers similar functionality and may already be part of your Microsoft Office suite of products. Other options include Webex and the “GoTo” suite of products, such as GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar. Costs for each platform vary, and some may require you to estimate the number of attendees you’ll be hosting to choose the right license for your efforts. This will be difficult when you first begin offering virtual programming, so focus on platforms that provide flexibility in terms of your number of attendees.

Become an expert on your platform

No matter which platform you choose, you should become an expert in its capabilities. Complete the tutorials that are offered with your purchase and perform additional online research. Many tips and tricks are offered online, and some self-study will prove worthwhile should you encounter a problem during an outreach session.

Practice

Set up practice sessions with coworkers. Additionally, even when you feel like you’re comfortable, give your event a trial run. During NPCA’s Virtual Committee Week, we followed this approach, inviting committee members to test their connections and practice on the platform. Trial runs may reveal a need for upgrading equipment, such as microphones, cameras or editing software. They may also offer you tips for becoming a better presenter.

Promote your offerings

In addition to creating the content for your meeting or presentation, you should also develop a marketing plan for promotion. This can include email blasts, promoted social media posts, print ads and reaching out to your contacts with personal invites. Creating a plan for following up with your attendees is also recommended. This includes sending reminders in the days leading up to your event and asking for feedback afterwards. All of these steps will help you capitalize on your investment.

Working for you

If you need content, NPCA can work with you to develop virtual education offerings. We have a large database of technical resources available on our website at precast.org. Additionally, NPCA’s education catalog features a specifier webinar package loaded with recorded webinars on topics geared specifically for specifiers. The NPCA professional staff is always available to assist with technical information, provide leads for reaching your target audience or to answer any questions about conducting virtual outreach.