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The formula for strong customer relationships is simple: first listen, then respond to the needs of the other party. Carl Zeiss Meditec AG shows how this communication can be digitally reproduced successfully and customer relationships can be strengthened online.
Specializing in the manufacture of medical lasers, surgical microscopes and instruments for eye examinations, Carl Zeiss Meditec AG addresses a target group with a tight schedule: doctors and surgeons. “Our customers block classic marketing content,” reports Dr. Jochen Tham, Head of Global Marketing Communications. The solution: stand out with individual and relevant content.
Digitization: more relevant than ever
The restrictions associated with the current coronavirus situation are massive. As far as digitization is concerned, however, they do have advantages. “We usually do a lot of personal contacts,” says Tham. “Of course this is currently not possible. This opens up exciting new options for us. For example, we developed a plexiglass protective shield for our slit lamps to better protect both doctors and patients during treatment. We have developed an international website for the registration process as well as cross-border social media campaigns. Before the current situation, we would have operated strictly by country. However, we were able to send two of these shields to all doctors who came forward to support us during the COVID pandemic – in total, we sent over 100,000 copies. The digital crisis has clearly given us added momentum – we want to keep that and expand it further. ”
Due to the current corona virus situation, digitization is experiencing an unexpected boost. (Photo: ZEISS)
It depends on the perspective
This also means that processes have to be rethought. “From their private lives, our customers are used to the customer experiences of large online brands – we have to do that in the B2B area too,” explains Tham. That is why Carl Zeiss Meditec AG has been using trigger-based campaigns on its own website and on social media channels since the beginning of 2020 and has decided against blast mailings. The surfing behavior of website visitors can be tracked using Munchkin codes.
This has two decisive advantages: On the one hand, it can be deduced which areas and products the users are particularly interested in. On the other hand, targeted communication offers can be placed based on previously defined points. Because everyday life in the clinic is so stressful, doctors and surgeons have often perceived past blast campaigns as a nuisance. The situation is now completely different for trigger-based campaigns. They are so well received that the opening and click rates have doubled.
Personalization is also moving up the agenda. “In the future, we want to prepare the website with the option of creating customer profiles so that specialists are led directly to the content relevant to them. This means that an ophthalmologist or a neurosurgeon can receive content tailored to their needs without having to click through long product lists or menus, ”says Tham.
The customer perspective must be maintained throughout the customer journey. (Photo: ZEISS)
Adventure journey customer journey
The way is the goal – this saying is no coincidence. The customer journey must be convincing, especially when there are several years between initial contact and purchase in extreme cases. Whether congresses, information portals for doctors or your own website: Both online and offline, it is important to connect as many different touchpoints as possible.
Without targeted tracking, you quickly lose track of where a customer is currently in the sales funnel. In addition, the customer journey does not end with the purchase – after all, devices have to be serviced regularly. To ensure that the journey does not come to an abrupt end here, data should be accessible across all departments and transparently for all teams.
For Dr. Jochen Tham is therefore clear: “Marketing cannot be an ivory tower. Not only marketing and sales have to work closely together, but also marketing and IT. ”If marketing starts a campaign and the customer then calls sales curiously, the sales team must of course know the campaign. “Keeping everyone up to date is an increasingly data-driven process for which marketing and IT have to agree on a common nomenclature.”
Digital marketing thrives on dynamism
A versatile marketing solution such as Marketo engagement from Adobe, which can be easily integrated into all existing programs and data sources thanks to flexibly programmable interfaces (API). For example, Carl Zeiss Meditec AG uses Marketo Engange to transfer their customer data centrally to a Power BI dashboard, thus ensuring that the respective campaigns reach the right target group.
No matter whether lead management or email marketing: Marketo engagement supports brands with flexible tools and solutions to get the best out of their customers. And because this only works if all teams pull together, Marketo brings sales and marketing closer together – for customer experiences that inspire.
More information on successful customer interaction in medium-sized companies
