Digital Marketing Ideas to Consider During and After the Covid-19 Pandemic

As governments around the world have taken strict measures to control the spread of the Covid-19 virus in their respective countries, businesses have been forced to reconsider age-old assumptions, marketing strategies, and business models. The world of digital marketing is no exception. It too has been affected in a major way by the global upheaval caused by the coronavirus.

However, as social distancing and other safety measures force people to stay indoors and limit interactions with other human beings, in-person marketing and sales are becoming harder than ever before. With face-to-face contact between buyer and seller becoming increasingly rare due to the risk of the virus, the marketing industry has had to make some adjustments and adopt some new strategies for survival.

The Rise of Digital Marketing

These are some of the factors that have led to a rise in the popularity of digital marketing across a range of industries. While the digital space had become important to marketers long before the pandemic hit, now it is almost the only remaining venue for profit-generation for many businesses.

Until effective medication for the virus can be found and disseminated widely, the limitations placed on physical interactions between people will likely remain in place, in one form or another. Therefore, digital channels have now become more important than ever to marketers across nations and industries. Internet traffic is surging amidst the lockdown as more and more people are forced to self-isolate at home. Businesses and companies that are able to make the most of this growing digital marketplace will thrive, both during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

To meet business objectives and maintain profitability in this new global environment, companies will have to change their marketing strategies in a significant way. Digital marketing and a robust online presence are a must for businesses that want to retain and expand their customer-base during the pandemic, and after.

Digital Marketing Ideas for the New World Order

Some steps that businesses and marketers can take to minimize the impact of the pandemic on the bottom-line are as follows:

1. Online Rebranding

A thorough reassessment of business goals and marketing strategies is the need of the hour. In the context of the pandemic, a new set of messages must be developed and disseminated to ensure that your brand stays up-to-date and relevant to global trends. A customer-focused approach that emphasizes their needs and desires during these uncertain times will help businesses earn the loyalty of old customers and the interest of new ones. These messages of empathy and solidarity should be conveyed through various online and social media channels for optimal reach and visibility.

2. Omnichannel Offerings

Government-mandated lockdowns around the world have forced marketers to direct customers away from physical storefronts to digital e-commerce platforms. Identifying the strong points in your company’s omnichannel offering and leveraging them to attract customers is a must during the pandemic. Marketers also need to ensure that marketing automation tools such as geo-fenced triggers are not encouraging physical store visits. Campaigns to reward online shopping with deals and discounts need to be formulated instead, to convert offline customers into online ones.

3. Control Outbound Communications

Customers today are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information they are receiving on an hourly basis. Messages from the local administration, the workplace, their children’s schools, and from concerned friends and family members are crowding out their inboxes. Therefore, businesses must conduct a thorough audit to control the tone of their automated marketing messages. Unless you have really important news to share, such as a canceled event or a new service offering, stay out of people’s inboxes. Overt and insistent selling might annoy customers during this time of crisis.

4. Social Media Connections

While sending your customers unnecessary emails might not be optimal, you can show empathy and compassion to those affected by the pandemic via social media. Businesses need to leverage the power of social media to help their customers whenever possible and show them that they care. Being sensitive and kind – instead of pushy and sales-oriented – will help your brand stand out on social media and draw potential buyers to you with little extra effort.

5. Reviews and Local SEO

Travel is at an all-time low with most people preferring to stay home when possible, only venturing out to buy essential supplies from nearby stores. Therefore, all businesses should make optimal use of local SEO strategies, optimizing their website and other online platforms for ‘near me’ searches. Online reviews are also highly important, as the pandemic has prompted people to search for businesses they can trust with their health and wellbeing. Therefore, companies should strive to use the Internet to attract potential customers living in their immediate vicinity.

In Conclusion

For the best results and maximum profitability, businesses should hire the services of a trusted digital marketing agency such as B3NET Inc., which has years of experience in the digital marketing space and can, therefore, help clients adapt their marketing strategy for the new, post-coronavirus world.