Is Remote Networking Dead? Not Quite …

Meeting people digitally is not exactly new. Gamers, car enthusiasts and beer aficionados have entire online communities. Even pre-pandemic, dating apps and algorithms accounted for nearly a quarter of all new relationships.

But can remote networking work in the business world? Absolutely yes!

Hear me out …

Back in March 2020, I was two weeks from running my first conference breakout session about content marketing for financial institutions. My girlfriend asked if I was nervous.

“Not at all,” I said. “It’s not going to happen.”

Two days later, my team’s flights were canceled. Our whirlwind tour of client visits, conferences and bootleg offsite happy hours was put on hold indefinitely. We met over Zoom to discuss what would come next.

It was the first of many lengthy video conferences. Each was somehow more stressful and more boring than the last. But at least we weren’t alone. Everywhere, webinars increased in prominence. Organizers of ersatz digital versions of conferences and trade shows did their best. The term “Zoom fatigue” appeared in publications until we got as tired of reading about the calls as we did of sitting through them.

Meeting, engaging and entertaining clients, partners and internal teams was challenging.

Fortunately, those setbacks bred creativity and innovation. Over the last five or six months, digital events have actually been kind of fun. Here are a few of my recent favorites, plus one on the horizon.

Strategies for Engaging New and Future Clients

For entertaining: Ever felt trapped in a Zoom call? Our friends at the SaaS consulting firm Hypershift have, but it gave them an idea. They hosted a virtual escape room for a couple dozen of their friends, clients and prospects.

Over the course of an hour, the groups searched for clues, solved puzzles and worked together to “unlock the door.” Friends and families were invited to attend, making for a casual and fun “no sales” event to entertain current and potential clients alike.

For introductions: Recently, we moved away from credit union marketing automation and partnered with fintech software company Total Expert to provide that service. But they didn’t know as many people in the credit union space as we did, so …

We hosted a wine tasting with them! We shipped a few bottles of wine to about four dozen credit union executives. The winery owner guided attendees through a virtual wine tasting, complete with production notes, stories and an open forum at the end.

Strategies for Building Teams and Communities

For team building: The CU 2.0 team pivoted quickly into remote work in the early pandemic. Work/life balance flew out the window, and we all felt a little disconnected outside of the office.

For a few months, we set aside time on Fridays to crack open beers and play “Quiplash” and other collaborative digital games. After a couple of meetings, we noticed an improvement in communication. We got better about updating each other about progress at work – and asking for help when we needed it.

For giving back to the community: Each year, statement vendor Xpress Data, Inc (XDI) hosts a charity event for credit unions. For years, it was chili cook-offs. Then, it was cornhole tournaments. But with lockdowns in place, they moved everything remote.

Last year was their first Credit Union Trivia Challenge event. Credit union teams from across the country met on Zoom, answered tricky questions, and competed for a chance to donate prize money to a charity of their choice. XDI was thrilled to find a new way to help credit unions give back to their communities even more – and they’re ready to expand the event this year.

Strategies for Professional Networking

For meeting new people: We’ve hosted several webinars and events throughout the pandemic, both casual and formal. The number one piece of feedback we always receive is that there’s just not enough time for networking. Now, we deliberately build in a minimum of 15 minutes of open-ended time to chat after every event.

We’re also looking forward to the upcoming Fintech Spring Meetup, a financial services networking event. It consists only of one-on-one, double opt-in meetings – no speakers, no distractions. Just networking with peers, discovering new technology providers and talking strategy.

We’re hoping to use this opportunity to build the same kinds of relationships that we used to in our offsite happy hours. And, although I suspect substituting an old fashioned for a webcam may make the one-on-one meeting format less comfortable than before, I’m sure it will keep things more productive!

Will Remote Networking Disappear?

Even as things start to open back up, we expect elements of the Zoom era to stick around. Countless major corporations are going remote. CU 2.0 plans to stay remote indefinitely. We’ve spoken with many credit union departments that are already exploring remote and outsourced positions for non-location-based roles.

We’ve also heard more than a few people express relief that they don’t have to travel so often. Time away from family is nice in small doses, but too much is too much!

Finally, COVID variants and vaccine skepticism may keep the virus around for years. Flare-ups may continue to impact travel and large in-person events in the future.

Finding ways to connect, entertain and network remotely will be an ongoing part of our lives. We’ve already gone from being trapped in Zoom calls to entering virtual escape rooms. It’s possible that, like our watches, phones and loan origination platforms, some networking will stay digital, too.

Zeke Hudson is the Creative Director for CU 2.0, an Ashland, Ore.-based digital strategy and marketing firm serving credit unions and fintechs.