Best Digital Marketing Strategies During COVID-19

The pandemic has completely changed the structure of marketing across the world. What used to be the norm until 2019 no longer worked that well amidst the unprecedented circumstances of COVID-19. However, marketers have come a long way since then and have introduced robust digital marketing strategies that cater to the current market trends.

Take a look at this guide to know more about how the pandemic affected marketing and learn some of the best strategies to market post-COVID.

How COVID-19 Affected Marketing?

COVID-19 had locked both marketers and consumers in their homes. Both were left with their digital devices to access the outer world, leading to several new consuming habits.

For instance, while people used to look forward to the official theatre release of movies, they now rely on paid media applications, like Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, etc. Because of this, even movie makers have started releasing their movies on such OTT platforms instead of waiting for the theatres to re-open.

The same phenomenon is taking place all across the market. Recently, OnePlus released a new phone and offered its customers to assess the phone through AR (augmented reality), negating physical contact requirements.

So, if you are trying to put your business out in the world, it is important that you substantially incorporate the latest digital marketing strategies.

How Has COVID 19 Affected Marketing

Digital Marketing Importance in COVID-19

The pandemic has made consumer behaviors extremely unpredictable. A survey by Search Engine Journal stated that out of 4500+ digital marketers from the USA and Europe, about 63% had reallocated their budgets to strategies that bring short-term results.

Since online marketing is devoid of physical contact, people can access it from anywhere. And as it shows a better conversion rate, it has become the most sought-after tactic for garnering customers.

The Importance of Digital Marketing in COVID-19

Moreover, the pandemic outbreak also increased the use of mobile phones, which further gave rise to an increased influx of social media users. Therefore, digital marketing strategies post COVID-19 have become a crucial part of businesses.

How to Market Post COVID-19?

By the end of 2020, the average mobile screen time spiked by 25%. What used to be around 4.9 hours per day has increased to almost 7 hours! So, if you want to bring your product into the public eye, you need to show up where they are looking.

This means you need to be at the top of the SERPs, especially for the keywords your potential customers search the most. Also, it would be best if you had substantial exposure on different social media platforms and other directories as well.

To achieve that, you need to implement specific digital marketing strategies COVID that would seem natural under these circumstances.

Best Marketing Strategies during COVID-19

The following are some basic strategies that you should incorporate in your digital marketing plan to create a successful online presence. Of course, you need to understand that there are numerous other possibilities for online marketing, but these are some fundamentals that you should certainly include in your plan.

1. Shape Your Marketing Goals According to the Situation

Unrealistic goals never get fulfilled, and that will only demotivate you from focusing on your marketing practices. Instead, see how the people are reacting to different brands and frame your goals based on that.

Shape Your Marketing Goals

Among the 4500+ digital marketing professionals surveyed by Search Engine Journal, 28% experienced a decrease in traffic while 27% actually gained more visitors. So, see what situation your particular industry is facing and frame goals to improve your journey from there.

For example, if you are from the fashion sector and see most eCommerce fashion websites are not getting enough sales, setting a goal to even generate as much as you did before COVID-19 would be unwise.

2. Start Selling Online Instead of Bringing Customers to Your Shop

Online retail has gained exceptional popularity across the world over the past few years. However, in 2020 (when COVID-19 broke out), this popularity peaked like never before. In the US itself, online sales increased by 32.4%, and it increased further in the first quarter of 2021 (when COVID-19 slightly came under control).

Start Selling Online Instead of Bringing Customers to Your Shop

Even though people are now gradually starting to venture outside, they are still choosing to order items to their doorstep. So, like any smart web marketer, you too should hop on to this trend and sell your products directly from your website.

However, this doesn’t mean you are removing calling customers to your shop from the list of digital marketing strategies. Rather, you just need to prioritize online sales while still facilitating those who choose to visit your store.

3. Pay More Attention to Your Website Content and Posts

When it comes to online marketing, relevance is the key to success.

And during these difficult times, showing that your brand is sensitive to the situation is the way to go. The senior managing editor of WordStream, Kristen McCormick, also emphasized this fact in one of her articles about marketing during COVID-19 and urged marketers to “think contribution, not conversion“.

Pay More Attention to Your Website Content and Posts

Every individual had to face some sort of inconvenience due to the pandemic, irrespective of their status. By addressing this fact, you are becoming a part of their experience. Also, ensure that you do not communicate something ignorant or incorrect through your content, as that will project a negative image.

So, you must pay excessive attention to your content marketing strategies as well.

4. Step Up Your Inbound Marketing Game for COVID-19

There are several ways traffic can reach your website. For example, individuals can actively research your brand or get impressed by your SERP ranking. If you are still unsure how your audience usually comes across your site, it is time you step up your inbound marketing game.

Step Up Your Inbound Marketing Game for COVID 19

To be prepared for all these scenarios, it is crucial that you test-drive all the elements of your inbound marketing strategy. This includes chatbots, brochures, website videos, etc., for numerous search journeys.

This is a great time to update your website FAQs to include queries related to the pandemic and how your business is handling it. Not only will it cater to your customers’ doubts, but it will improve your organic search rankings as well.

5. Leverage the Audience in Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms are a great way of expanding your brand’s presence while setting up direct communication with your audience. Hence, social media marketing should also be an undisputed part of your digital marketing strategies post COVID-19.

Leverage the Audience in Social Media Platforms

As per the American Marketing Association (AMA), about 54.3% of marketers have said that they used social media platforms for customer retention during the pandemic. The impressive part is that most of them also believe it has paid off with positive results.

6. Focus on Paid Advertising Channels

While stringent SEO-rich pandemic marketing has its benefits, almost every other marketer is applying them to gain traffic. So, if you want to grab the attention of your target audience before your competitors, paid advertising service is also required.

Focus on Paid Advertising Channels

However, there are several platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Google, etc., that allow paid advertisement, and balancing all of these PPC ads together can overwhelm you. So, instead, find out which platforms your target audience uses the most and develop advertisements specifically for those.

For example, the potential buyers of fashion and makeup are most likely to be on Instagram, while professional businesses use Google more.

7. Run Exclusive Deals and Offers

Since people have just begun to re-explore the market, a great way of instilling interest in them is through offering exclusive deals and offers. This will also give off the feeling that you provide these discounts and sales to help your customers during these difficult situations.

Run Exclusive Deals and Offers

About 70% of the marketers from the Search Engine Journal survey mentioned earlier agrees with the fact and have used different methods to attract customer attention. Some of them being in developing anti-crisis plans, offering discounts, providing a few free services, etc.

You must incorporate this aspect in your digital marketing strategies as this will bring new customers and hold the older ones too.

8. Focus on the Customers You Already Have

If you are wondering why it is necessary to hold on to old customers, it is because the longer a customer uses your products or services, the more habitual it becomes for them. After a certain point, they turn into loyal customers who, no matter what, only opt for your assistance.

Focus on the Customers You Already Have

Hence, send newsletters, promotional emails, exclusive custom discounts, etc., to your existing customers and make them know that you care. Even if they have forgotten about your company, ping them to remind you are back with better deals and products.

9. Build Trust and Form Strong Customer Relationships

All these effective content writing, exclusive deals, and personalized promotional emails are basically different efforts towards one main goal – to build a stronger customer relationship. Customers like to feel heard and reward the brand by availing of their services or products.

Irrespective of the pandemic, the customers’ focus on reliable relationships has increased by 47%. Hence, you must pay attention to how your customers perceive your brand and try more actively to become their trusted brand.

Build Trust and Form Strong Customer Relationships

A great way of doing so is developing your CSR (corporate social responsibility). For example, according to AMA, about 79.1% of marketers believe that their customers monitor their outreach, social activism, etc., regularly during the pandemic.

10. Analyze How Your Efforts Have Performed

As a business owner, you need to understand that simply incorporating all sorts of digital marketing strategies will not take you to the success heights you want to reach. That is only possible when all these tactics are applied according to the requirements of your business.

Analyze How Your Efforts Have Performed

So, it is necessary that you thoroughly analyze the performance of all the different plans you have implemented. Check whether they are generating the kind of results you were expecting or not. If they are indeed faltering, tweak them according to your business, and you will see improved results.

Conclusion

Digital marketing and online platforms have always remained a crucial part of the business. However, it has become even more important due to the pandemic as there are hardly any other options left. Thus, it is time for business owners to understand its advantages and actively incorporate them into their marketing plans.

While these above-mentioned strategies will significantly boost your website, they can also backfire if not done with accuracy. Hence, we suggest you seek professional assistance if you are struggling with Digital marketing services.

Is there anything that you’d like to add?

Let us know in the comments section below.

Ashwani has been actively involved in SEO services since 2005. His expertise and distinctive work approaches have made him one of the most experienced and trusted SEO experts in the industry. He is a certified SEO and Google Ads professional. He also has strong business development skills in advanced SEO, PPC, and digital marketing strategies.

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