While 2021 has brought us a fresh start, the harsh reality is that while 2020 ended, the global pandemic hasn’t. Businesses are still facing obstacles as restrictions are occurring ad hoc and consumers have changed their behaviour to suit the current economical and environmental climate. The best thing that came out of 2020 was our ability to learn how to adapt and use the current climate to pursue growth instead of implementing damage control.
When it comes to digital marketing, it has always been a game of staying ahead of the curve and taking advantage of the latest trends to produce results, and the pandemic has made this so much more important. The worst thing that can happen in this pandemic is complacency. Not just in our social distancing behaviour but how we strategise digital marketing to adapt to what consumers want and, most importantly, need during a time where uncertainty is a constant threat.
Today, we’re giving you a few pointers to help you ensure you’re thinking ahead with your marketing strategy and how you can use digital marketing to adapt to the current environment and beyond.
Focus On: Retaining Existing Customers
When new customer acquisition seems impossible in industries that were hit hard by COVID and continue to be, reaching out and connecting with your existing customer base has never been more important. The first step is to analyse where your customers are from and who they are. Understanding their purchasing habits and/or decision-making processes (for B2C and B2B) will help narrow down which digital marketing channels you should really be investing in.
Consumer habits have certainly changed over the last 6 months alone. Even with eased restrictions, people are less likely to leave the house like they used to and have had to well-and-truly embrace quarantine behaviour. Understanding the new reflexes of convenient options and where your customers may be lurking online are key to finding out which marketing channels are actually relevant to reach your target audience.
Adjust Messaging Accordingly
This section is full of questions for you to ask yourself and to do your research. The core of your messaging should always be after understanding your target audience.
What are they looking for? When and where would they likely be looking for your product or service? Are they even looking for it or should you be using digital marketing to put yourself on the map?
Understand the thought processes of what your customer may be looking for and what would actually grab their attention right now. Not to mention that relevance and having updated messaging is more important than ever as regulations and things in general are fast-changing.
How relevant is your marketing messaging during a pandemic? Does your copywriting explain your product or service properly within the current context? Ask yourself the important questions and adjust accordingly.
Embrace (If You Haven’t Already) & Maintain Social
Even as restrictions have eased in Melbourne, people are still spending way more time on social media as many still work from home. Facebook even mentioned how unprecedented the increase in social media consumption has been that they were breaking usage records daily throughout 2020 (hyperlink to: https://www.insil.com.au/post/significant-increase-in-social-media-usage-under-covid-19-heres-what-that-means-for-businesses/). This has made social media even more valuable, not just to users in quarantine, but for businesses who can utilising this great opportunity.
To take advantage of this, go back to understanding your audience and find out what platforms they use to identify the best channels to market to. Not everyone in your target market is lurking on every social media platform and many have a very specific audience that they cater to. Use the appeal of online services to influence your messaging and what your customers are seeking. Convenience is still the number most wanted feature of any product or service from a business, especially when some physical stores are still temporarily shut down and shipping delays are still occurring.
Plan Proactively
Although life seems to perhaps be going back to some sort of normal right now, staying proactive and swiftly planning marketing strategies if the worst were to happen is crucial, not only to survive but to unlock growth in a time where it may seem impossible. Even if you didn’t implement adapted strategies in 2020, it’s never too late to do them now as the digital environment is constantly changing. Staying ahead of the curve and confidently trying new things in digital marketing is the way to maintain and achieve further success as we continue to ride out this global pandemic.
