Almost a year after the first reported case, the COVID-19 pandemic is still causing significant disruption to businesses worldwide. Consumer behavior has changed almost overnight, and businesses are now rethinking their bottom lines, profit projections, and revenues. The need to realign marketing strategies is needed and fast.
How is COVID-19 Impacting the Marketing Industry
COVID-19’s impact on consumer behavior cannot be understated. Many of the things we know about our target audience are different now. People are homebound. Daily routines have likely changed completely. Some may have lost their jobs and others are risking their well-being to keep services going.
In times like these, adopting a solid marketing strategy is front and center. Here are 5 tips you can take to reevaluate and re-focus your marketing plans.
#1 Be Proactive in Monitoring Changes
Monitor changes to customer behaviors and purchasing needs while the crisis is unfolding. Now more than ever, it is important to know what customers feel and do, and why. Use social listening to monitor customer discussions about information relevant to your brand. Ask your sales team what they hear from the front lines. Evaluate customer care emails, phone calls, and service chats for changes in concerns or sentiments.
#2 Move Your Brand Online
Because of the lockdown restrictions, people are now spending more time online to stay connected. Hence, you could gain more by trying out digital marketing.
Focus on paid ads, search engine optimization, and content marketing on social media platforms. Keep your website up to date and focus on establishing yourself as a thought leader through blogs and videos. Keeping your business in front of consumers could improve their perception of your brand even if they are not buying right now.
#3 Reevaluate Your Advertisements
The COVID-19 outbreak has undeniably caused a massive cultural shift. The strategies and ad copies that you abide by before may no longer be suitable now.
Assess everything you currently have in the pipeline. Evaluate your creative assets and messages. Try to infuse empathy in your messaging. Reassure them that your business is here to stay even with all the uncertainties. Try your best to keep an upbeat attitude, but at the same time, be wary of minimizing the scale of the pandemic and appearing insensitive.
#4 Make Customer Experience a Priority
A customer’s interaction with a brand can trigger an immediate and lingering effect on their sense of trust. Hence, good marketing in these times of crisis must include a deep understanding of your customer preferences and how they engage with your brand safely and conveniently.
Enable your team to really understand your customers and act based on timely insights. You need to assess your end-to-end sales processes. Redefine your marketing goals and focus on giving care and building connections with your audience.
#5 Focus on Customer Engagement
One metric of a solid marketing plan is how well it translates to sales, but the current situation forces many businesses to focus less on pushing sales and focus more on building trust and awareness.
From your website to your social media posts, create strong messaging and try to make an impression within your target market. Be keen to listen and reciprocate. Consumers will remember how your business resonated during the outbreak. The goal now is to create a brand attachment that will deliver sales into the future.
The Bottom Line
COVID-19 has required businesses to rethink how they market and engage with customers. The ones who can combine resilience and agility should be well-positioned to navigate ongoing disruptions. One must learn to leverage digital, social, and trusted relationships. If you have any questions or would like some guidance, ask Maquiraya and Associates, Inc. We will work collaboratively with you to understand your marketing goals and help recreate new strategies that will enable you to navigate in the new normal.