In conversation with...

Veronika Slogar, Marketing Manager, Vizor

In uncertain times, it is more important than ever to share experience, insights and advice with your peers so we can all learn from one another. With this in mind, we are having conversations with members across various sectors to understand how they and their teams have adapted their strategies throughout the pandemic, what they have learned from it, and how they prepare to return to the new normal.

For this week’s instalment in the series we’ve chatted to Veronika Slogar, Marketing Manager, Vizor. Vizor are finalists at this year’s Digital Media Awards for Best Strategy and Best Website.

If you are a member who would like to feature in the In Conversation with series please send an email to editor@mii.ie

MII: Hi Veronika, how has your approach to marketing changed over the past year, and will this continue into the new normal?

In late 2020, we positioned content and digital at the heart of our marketing strategy. That helped us embark on the digital transformation journey with a key objective: to transform our digital marketing into the main driver of lead generation and nurturing activities. The main goal was to create impactful content syndicated on a sustainable schedule based on market opportunities, insights and industry trends. As part of this transformation, we wanted to evolve our website into a digital hub – a visually attractive, intuitive, responsive and optimised platform. We’ve been working closely with specialists in content marketing and website development in 2021 to deliver a new website and content strategy. Connecting the dots across our digital channels, using a new marketing ecosystem tool and database segmentation, we managed to improve the quality of leads and increase online engagement. This approach will continue in the future, adding new layers on top of that, such as account based marketing.

How did you adapt your brand to connect with consumers during this time as we move towards normality?

For the last two decades, customers have been the foundation of Vizor’s success. As part of our digital transformation project, we implemented a customer-first, unified, methodical and research-backed content strategy that steers all future content marketing activity for the brand. We used data and insights from the strategy to inform user experience and content architecture for the new website (launched in May 2021), and we have rolled out omni-channel approach to content publication and amplification that supports customer growth and engagement across several business streams. We have also rebranded and developed a new flexible and interactive website. We applied a user-centric approach and funnel driven layout. Abstract visuals and graphics, sub-branded business streams and easy navigation were key to enable a seamless flow throughout the site. From an engagement point of view, a new navigation system and quick access to the most important content (without hiding behind the click) proved to be a winning combination. We will continue to focus on improving digital dialogue with our customers in 2022.

What was the most important lesson you learnt from a marketing perspective during the pandemic?

Don’t be afraid to question the status quo. There were three important pillars of stepping outside my marketing comfort zone: data, customer-first view and innovation. I worked with outstanding digital strategist Christopher Chapman to help me understand the data we were collecting, measuring, and reporting on. Together, we designed a framework of Vizor’s digital marketing that included a complete overhaul of our existing strategy, putting front and centre our digital platform (website) and content. Thinking from our customer perspective helped me understand their needs and drivers. Also, it reminded me that we are dealing with humans, not machines behind screens. And finally, with the support of senior stakeholders, I’ve been innovating our marketing approach, such as delivering outstanding brand and interactive online experience for prospects and customers. Who says that B2B marketing within the financial services sector can’t be creative?

What are you most proud of from a marketing perspective that you and your team have delivered?

I’m proud to see that our holistic, factually established strategy (informed by specialist expertise) enables us to attract and engage with prospects and customers efficiently. We now have a clear, coherent, persuasive and flexible digital platform designed and built according to strategic insights and goals for better lead generation and sales growth. All underpinned with persona-driven and data-backed content strategy.

What did you learn about yourself over the last 18 months?

I’ve learned that the only constant is – change. Changing how I live, interact with people, learn a new language (learning Spanish via Zoom is a fantastic too!), and changing how I work. Some of the changes were scary but also exciting and eye-opening. I’ve learned how resilient I can be and, when needed, quickly adaptive. Work-life balance has become extremely important to me. I also realised that I can’t predict the future, but I can create one that wouldn’t otherwise exist. Looking into the future rather than the past has become my driver.