"Brand management on the Internet is a major challenge".

"The user has become more sensitive and quickly notices when content is too glossed over," says Martina Dalla Veccia.MK Ms. Dalla Vecchia, what is currently occupying the online marketing world?MARTINA DALLA VECCHIA Many companies are asking themselves how they can make targeted use of social media and what their potential for success is. The hype surrounding Facebook and the like has died down somewhat. Nevertheless, the question remains: How do I as a company manage to communicate my competencies and ideas via social networks? However, companies often struggle with standard problems: Is the online positioning right? Have the right campaigns been selected? How do we measure success? Which key performance indicators are relevant? Brand management on the Internet in particular is a major challenge. Many companies have not yet done their homework here. It is important to select the online marketing instruments in a targeted manner and to monitor one's own online presence.MK Online marketing is a broad field and is constantly changing. It is not easy for a company to maintain an overview and find the right online marketing mix.DALLA VECCHIA Everything stands and falls with the objective. A company must know what it wants to achieve. "Wishy-washy" goals such as "we want more market share or awareness" are no longer sufficient. The more closely the goals are defined, the better the instruments can be aligned with them. The extent to which the marketing measures taken contribute to the goal should be analyzed on an ongoing basis. Often, the enthusiasm for a new tool is great. But it is also a matter of checking how effective this tool actually is and which adjusting screws need to be turned to become even more efficient. For example: How can the call-to-action be implemented or the conversation rate of a newsletter be increased?MK This control of success is often very difficult.DALLA VECCHIA That's right. Often, marketers are not very familiar with the metrics in online marketing. The digital evaluations are anything but trivial. But if a company spends a lot of money to increase traffic to its website, it should surely also monitor what exactly this traffic brings. Another problem is that many companies develop a website but then fail to maintain it. It is important to improve it continuously, to take up new topics and to incorporate experiences from customer use.MK Technical developments and ever new devices such as the smartphone ensure that our usage behavior is constantly changing. How difficult is it for online marketing to keep up with this change?DALLA VECCHIA When it comes to online marketing measures, flexibility is certainly needed. If customer behavior changes, then companies have to react to it. Keyword: mobile use. But there also needs to be consistency in market presence, both online and offline. Brand management on the Internet must be stringent and sustainable. But of course I have to know when, how and where I can reach my customers today, for example in the morning on the streetcar via smartphone or tablet.MK Online advertising - especially on mobile devices - has an acceptance problem. More and more users are also using adblockers to get rid of annoying advertising. What will online advertising have to look like in the future to be accepted by users?DALLA VECCHIA That is indeed a challenge. On small devices like smartphones, there is hardly any space for banner ads. That's why advertisers are increasingly relying on content marketing. However, the user has become more sensitive and quickly notices if the content is too glossed over. The big challenge for advertisers is to create relevant content and deliver product information that interests the customer. In general, they should think more about the needs of the customer. Not clumsy and sober, but entertaining and witty advertising is in demand. This is then also disseminated further.MK Developing such relevant advertising content requires more effort. Doesn't this exceed the capabilities of certain companies?DALLA VECCHIA The question is: Do I have a better response with higher costs? The world is changing and we have to interact with customers differently than before. A combination with the offline world is also in demand, keyword: cross-media marketing.MK Where does Switzerland stand in terms of online advertising compared to other countries?DALLA VECCHIA We are roughly on a par with Germany and Austria. But the English-speaking and Asian countries are much further ahead. However, users in these countries are also more accepting of online advertising. In German-speaking countries, on the other hand, people are more cautious and want to get to the bottom of things.MK Companies have more and more data about their potential target groups. What does this mean for online marketing?DALLA VECCHIA Big Data is nothing new in itself. In the past, people simply spoke of data mining or data warehousing. But now online data is being added to the mix, creating a new discipline in online marketing. Today, an online marketer needs great know-how to analyze the available data and draw the right conclusions from it.

"An online marketer today needs great expertise to analyze data and draw the right conclusions."

MK Companies know more and more about their customers. Isn't there a danger that they will scare off customers by using this data too "offensively" for marketing purposes?DALLA VECCHIA Companies need to develop a sense of this. Most companies are not yet using the data intensively, although it would be technically possible. Of course, the question arises: Are we all becoming buying robots? But customers do have a goal when they surf a website, and they are usually interested in a product. To a certain extent, users appreciate receiving suggestions that meet their needs. But if a limit is crossed, the customer could get the feeling that he is "glassy" and that they want to patronize him. Ultimately, it is up to online marketers to use the available data responsibly.MK Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are booming. Nevertheless, many companies find it difficult to use these networks for marketing purposes. What does an optimal social media presence look like?DALLA VECCHIA Social media are not traditional sales channels. As a company, however, I can use social media to present my expertise or specific services. I can present products, give examples of why these products are useful, or even take a stand on a topic and answer customer questions. It is important to define exactly what I stand for as a company. These principles must then also be lived out on social media. Then the customer realizes that the company is authentic. A company only becomes tangible when it becomes visible that there are people behind it who identify with the products.MK Which Swiss companies are particularly good at social media marketing?DALLA VECCHIA A great example is "Freitag". The bag manufacturer speaks the language of its customers on social media. His comments and responses are original, diverse and non-conformist. Just like the bags he sells. Migros and SBB are also doing a very good job. Nivea has built up its own community and conveys lively brand management with pictures and examples. The Hiltl restaurant in Zurich uses Twitter and Facebook to stand out from the competition.MK Through social media and the possibilities of immediate feedback, companies are losing control over internal and external communication. This harbors dangers.DALLA VECCHIA That is so. Some companies have also had negative experiences. Airlines and the Swiss Federal Railways, for example, are coming under increasing pressure because of this. When something goes wrong, everyone is there and knows better. That's why we need clear crisis management. How do I deal with comments and postings? How do I react when a so-called "troll" lets off steam on my content? There are various strategies. Social media managers can keep an eye on things and possibly try to resolve any problems bilaterally by phone or e-mail. Overall, however, this new type of communication is an enrichment. We can learn from our customers and be more responsive to them.MK They lead to www.dallavecchia.ch your own blog. What is the idea behind it and when does it make sense for companies to have a blog?DALLA VECCHIA With the help of my blog, I position myself with my topics e-commerce, social media and online marketing. For example, I write about current studies, our training courses, presentations or trade fair appearances.The advantage of a blog is its topicality. If a topic such as "Big Data" becomes topical, I don't have to adapt my website, but can cover this in the blog. This can also be interesting for companies. For example, in the case of a rebuild, one could continuously report on the progress - preferably accompanied by pictures and videos. However, you have to keep in mind that a blog is a lot of work and needs resources accordingly!MK Which Swiss corporate blogs do you find particularly successful?DALLA VECCHIA There are quite a few successful corporate blogs in Switzerland. Particularly successful are those where companies manage to position themselves clearly with expertise and well-told stories, such as SBB Cargo, ABB, Swisscanto, Zühlke and Carpathia. Or which score with appealing content, such as Caritas Zurich, Travelhouse, Architectural Surveying HMQ AG or the Online printing company Printzessin. Raiffeisen creates a good mix between print and online with the Blog Panorama-Magazin.ch. Many good tips on the corporate blog can be found on Blogwerk.ch.

"Company blogs that succeed in clearly positioning themselves with expertise and well-told stories are particularly successful."

MK Together with your husband, you work for a publishing house and publish books. How do you see the future of print?DALLA VECCHIA When someone asks me about this activity, I always say: I make "old-fashioned things out of paper" (laughs). In the meantime, however, we also offer e-books. I think there will still be print products in ten years' time. There are still people who like to hold books in their hands.Depending on the field, digitization is progressing at different speeds. Young medical students, for example, often already work with e-books. They can easily search for terms, develop new filing techniques and take notes differently. In law, on the other hand, they mostly still work with books. In non-fiction, the trend will probably be more toward e-books in the future. But it's the mix that counts. For example, it is possible to supplement books with an e-book reference work, which can then be updated more frequently. The printing trade will not disappear, but it will have to change!

*Prof. Martina Dalla Vecchia is head of certificate courses and lecturer for Internet Business as well as Online Marketing at the Hochschule für Wirtschaft der Fhe University of Northwestern Switzerland FHNW. Her core competencies include social media, business networking and e-commerce. In addition to the Internet, she also moderates congresses and large groups (including the World Café method). As an author, she focuses on success in Internet business. Her blog: www.dallavecchia.chTogether with her husband Martin Dalla Vecchia, she has been giving since 2003 the Paperback series BPX out.Interview: Simon Wolanin