A few months back, Deloitte and Salesforce conducted a webinar that inquired into the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on Digital Marketing approaches and consumer behaviour (deloitte.com). While the top executives had agreed on a spike in digital sales and traffic, they also shared important advice for businesses to follow from now on. According to the experts, the ability to remain flexible and adapt to this new reality can keep businesses afloat in this like-never-before situation.
So, as we get out of the lockdown, we must acknowledge the major shifts that have occurred in the market and revisit our marketing plans accordingly. Since the need for digital marketing has never been greater than today, we are here to tell you how you can ace your digital marketing strategy in the face of current disruptions. Let’s start then.
Revising your digital marketing strategy in the light of Covid-19
Turn to SEO for organic results
Hit by the pandemic-induced recession, leading brands are now making the most of SEO and organic search to secure their online presence (gartner.com). Hence, to make your business as much visible as possible on the SERPs, research new keywords, target trending themes, and create fresh & relevant content to deal with Covid-19’s impact on new search behaviour. Most importantly, you need to re-analyse the buyer personas and understand their new needs to get optimal results from your modified SEO strategy.
Since good SEO work shows better results over time, businesses that have already launched their campaigns during the lockdown can certainly see positive gains in the long term. With that being said, we do not mean that you have run out of time to revise or launch your SEO campaign. However, the quicker you engage professional SEO services, the faster you can dominate local searches, drive organic website traffic, and get high-quality leads.
Ramp up your email marketing activities
Although the email engagement rates dropped off a bit after the pandemic hit the market, email marketing continues to remain important post lockdown for its power of empathetic messaging. While you used emails to share concerns and offer solidarity during the outbreak of the pandemic, you can now send emails to share the latest business updates with your customers.
Are you ready to reopen your store? Why not inform your customers with personalised emails? You can take a cue from Tiso, a Scotland-based outdoor specialist retailer that has announced the news of its reopening through a series of well-crafted newsletters.
Even if you want to continue your business virtually, you can always send a mail to thank your customers for their undeterred support during the testing time. Have any plans for a new launch, collaboration, or campaign reactivation? Share your thoughts through newsletters to establish connections and drive better customer engagement. But, you need to make sure that you are following the email marketing best practices to create the right impact on your customers without being too overbearing.
Social media for better brand building
Do you know social media usage has increased by 10.5% in the last one year (globalwebindex.com)? Of course, it tells a lot about the impact of the pandemic outbreak on consumer behaviour. But, do not think social media is going to take a back seat any time soon. With 64% of marketers hoping to use social media in their marketing strategies in the next two years, the demand for social media is surely going to push through the roof (econsultancy.com).
So, here is what you can do to get started. Along with posting stories on Facebook and Instagram, you can also try out the Messenger Rooms, a video chat feature by Facebook to meet your social media goals. Further, LinkedIn has launched LinkedIn Stories in France, Australia, and Brazil to facilitate easier communication within the professional community. When normalcy starts taking shape, focus on building connections with your audience and avoid being pushy with your promotional agenda. Bring out the human side of your brand if you want to make the most of your social media marketing campaigns.
Invest in key paid marketing channels
Throwing the global economy to a tailspin, the pandemic has hit the paid advertising channels and revenues quite hard. According to a survey, 69% of 237 brands decided to reduce their ad spend this year (influencermarketinghub.com). Coming to Google Search Ads, different industries have witnessed different levels of performances. While health, medical, and on-demand media have seen strong performance, real estate, travel & tourism, and live entertainment are the hardest hit industries.
Depending on your business nature, you may invest in PPC management services to drive a better visibility. Also, research and identify the location of your audience on social media to ensure optimal returns on your investments. That means if your business caters to Gen Z customers, investing in paid Instagram marketing becomes crucial and fruitful. And in case, yours is a B2B brand, leveraging paid LinkedIn advertisements could be the best move on your part. So, at a time when paid ads seem a luxury, focusing on a fewer yet most productive channels can be really effective.
Time to indulge in predictive analytics
Understanding the overall economic impact of the ongoing pandemic is important, but analysing the impact at an individual level is necessary to plan your bounce back strategy. To increase your readiness to rebound, you must turn towards predictive analytics to identify the latest market trends. From product sales trend and marketing effectiveness to customer retention and churn rates, you can use real-time data and collect ample information for smart decision making.
Also, keep in mind that your competitor landscape has transformed due to the pandemic. While some brands are struggling to survive, many new brands have come up. Hence, to gear up for the post-lockdown economy, we suggest you use tools like Hootsuite, SEMrush, and Google Analytics, and so on to keep an eye on your competitors and supercharge your digital marketing strategy for ROI-driven results.
Way Forward
There is a little debate on the fact that the global pandemic has changed customer behaviour and the marketing landscape in an unprecedented way. Amidst all disruptions, turning towards digital marketing with an all new approach is the most feasible option left, should you want to thrive and not simply survive in the post-lockdown era and beyond. Do you think that engaging professional digital marketing services is the ideal plan for a perfect rebound? We agree with you. With the industry-best experts assisting you through this journey, your business can emerge stronger and sustainable than ever before. So, all the best for your ambitious ventures ahead!