Never before in our lifetimes have we seen such a situation with a catastrophic combination of a financial crisis and a humanitarian crisis happening together on a global scale. COVID-19 pandemic has affected every industry and shaken the marketing budgets of every company on a huge scale. But now, countries around the world are slowly emerging from lockdown, and businesses have to plan for a future much different than what they thought at the beginning of the year.
Whatever the scenario may be, one thing is crystal clear – The post-coronavirus situation will be for the digital marketing professionals! With an environment where physical interaction will be minimal for an extended period, digital marketing options will now be more relevant than ever.
So let’s have a look at the kind of changes you should undertake in your digital marketing strategies to thrive after the pandemic ends.
- Ways of content curation
There is a huge shift in the kind of blogs and articles that people are consuming nowadays. Health, wellness, remote life, stress, social distance behaviors – all these topics are being searched the maximum. The end consumers of all industries are willing to spend more time engaging with digital content.
There is a surge in social media users and the time spent on social apps. Thus, it would be best if you were more aggressive about your social media content schedules. The volume of publishing needs to be increased, and message-based digital marketing should be focused on.
- Local SEO
More than anyone else, local businesses have gotten badly hit by COVID 19. The ones ranked for their keyword + ‘near me’ are losing their position, and Google map search results are going down. Now, virtual product experiences are becoming a thing.
Try to develop virtual product tours to attract more visitors to your website. Show how you are practicing social distancing norms and safety guidelines by uploading videos on your GMB profile. Adopt digital platforms to run promotions, provide better customer experience and after-sales service, and nurture leads through various omnichannel interactions.
- Focus on customer loyalty
For too long, digital marketers have been considering their customers as prey instead of partners. The language that brands use while running digital marketing campaigns reflects this reality: tripwire, target audience, or lead capture.
Like the old times, there is no point in tricking your prospects into a sale. Instead, focus on gaining the trust of your customers and establish a level of respect. Creating a foundation on which customer loyalty can be built is now more critical than ever. You can do this by listening to customer issues and providing them value beyond the sale of your products and services.
- Build connections
People don’t have money, so they’re not making any purchases other than essential items. For businesses that sell non-essential products, it is the right time to build connections instead of focusing on hard selling. Make the best out of social media to make those relations and remind your potential future customers that you exist and care about their well-being.
Build your social media posting strategy on what’s working right now – be kind, show concern, and be empathetic. Ask what you can do for your people. Offer to help them in one or the other way to build a deep-rooted network.
- Cut through the clutter.
Content is the king, but post-COVID 19, it will be more of a clutter. As people have abundant time to create and consume, companies are racing to push out the maximum content. There is a competition to see who can earn the most impressions while everyone’s eyes are glued to their smartphones. Thus, have a close look at what your competitors are doing. And don’t do the same!
Prepare a digital marketing strategy that is nowhere similar to your competitors. You might be offering the same product but present it uniquely. Be creative with call-to-actions and have an exclusive value proposition.
- Focus more on video-based content
Podcasts and other voice-based content have currently hit the skids while video content is experiencing a bonanza! Till the widespread Work From Home reduces and gymnasiums work like before, audio content will not likely bounce back. So, you have to focus more on creating captivating and crisp videos that entertain and educate.
On the other hand, using voice to perform general searches on Google is at an all-time high. Thus, working on SEO-supporting voice searches will provide you with massive growth post this pandemic.
- Make your website mobile-friendly
This goes beyond saying! Mobiles had officially replaced desktops a long time ago. But now, the percentage has increased dramatically. People prefer to move forward with mobile devices to perform a majority of their tasks. Thus, to ace your online presence, your website needs to be mobile-friendly. Optimize all the pages so that they can be navigated easily on smartphones and tablets too. Keep the contact buttons always visible and minimize the loading time of pages to retain visitors.
- Adopt the use of Artificial Intelligence
The incorporation of AI will prove to be very helpful when the pandemic ends. Personalizing communication based on prospects’ interests and actions will be much more successful and cost-effective. Reaching the masses using a generic message will no longer turn out to be fruitful. Marketing automation will convert more leads with customized content, automated campaigns, and tracked results.
Due to the massive amount of consumers relying on digital marketing, better customer service satisfies consumers’ needs. Many people prefer chatbots because it is super responsive 24/7 and can answer queries precisely and promptly.
The bottom line
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change” – Stephen Hawkins
Brands across the board are revisiting and modifying their digital marketing strategies to deliver a sense of safety and trust amongst their community. This crisis is going to cause a long-term psychological shift in how we market products and services. This makes it crucial for marketers to lead with sharpness and adapt to change to win consumer’s trust.
The post-pandemic era will test the true flexibility of brands and their ability to escalate. Those who build communication around fundamental messaging and align strategies swiftly will pierce through and witness enduring growth!
