Post-COVID marketing – everything to know
Ready or not, it’s time to plan your post-COVID marketing campaign! The COVID-19 pandemic brought many unprecedented changes to our lives, and people had to adjust their behaviors to suit these uncertain times significantly. One thing is certain, though: you have to keep meeting customer needs and making profits!
It’s fine if you cannot make sense of all the changes by the COVID-19 crisis. We’ve had pandemics and economic downturns, but they never happened on such a scale before. Fortunately, this article will show you all the latest consumer and marketing trends that can help plan your next marketing campaign!
We will have to start by discussing how people are now acting and thinking because of COVID-19. Then, we’ll recommend the strategies you’ll need for your next marketing campaign. You’ll also explain how your company may work with these insights.
Consumer behaviors due to COVID
Countries closed their borders and implemented public health guidelines to manage the spread of the virus. As a result, we’ve seen the world become more digital.
People have switched from office roles to work-from-home jobs. Students continue their education online, so they’re also spending more time on the internet.
Because the whole family’s spending more time at home, everyone’s doing more online shopping. Here are the other trends right now:
- People buy more essentials nowadays, with non-perishable groceries and household supplies topping the list. The recent supply chain problems caused a lot of delays in shipping, so you can’t be sure if stores will have enough groceries.
- People choose products based on quality because they want to get the most out of their money. They’re more willing to ignore brand loyalty if others are offering better alternatives. This is great if you’re a small business since it’s an opportunity to attract new customers.
- Folks are spending more on entertainment because they simply have so much time. You have to pass the time while at home, right? That’s why they’re using online streaming services like Netflix more than ever.
What’s the best post-COVID-19 marketing strategy?
Companies have been using digital marketing strategies even pre-COVID, but it’s now more important than ever. Customers are on the internet, so you should be there too.
Yet, this trend also transformed their needs, and you can summarize them in one word: customer-centricity. As the name suggests, customers should be the center of your campaign.
This means you should look into consumer sentiment as much as you can. Right now, people expect brands to know what they want.
This makes sense once you look at how the internet works nowadays. The websites use algorithms, so their computers can recommend content automatically.
This allows social media platforms and search engines to give you content that you might like. People have been satisfied with the results, so they became used to this feature.
What’s more, the websites have been making it easier for people to get what they want. Type whatever you want on Amazon, and it will show you hundreds of relevant products.
Similarly, your brand should deliver satisfying customer experiences quickly, and people should be able to purchase from you with just a few clicks or taps.
You must also know what they want, so you will have to use tools that let you do this quickly. Digital marketing is the only method that can provide such speed and convenience.
Read More: Digital Transformation For Businesses
How can I start post-COVID marketing?
This method is much more accessible for people nowadays. Even local businesses can do so much with just the free tools and services out there.
Of course, you can’t just settle because you must compete. This means using all the methods available. There are a lot of options, though:
- Brand website
- Blogs
- Sponsored content
- Social media marketing
- Social media ads
- Google ads
- Influencer marketing
- Email marketing
- …and many more!
Let’s say you already have a business, but you haven’t adopted the needed tech yet. You may build your post-COVID strategy by adding the following:
- SEO-ready website – SEO stands for “search engine optimization,” It means tweaking your online content to make sure it shows up on top of search results. When people look up terms related to your brand, they are more likely to choose your brand.
- COVID banner – Your homepage should inform people that you’ve adjusted to the COVID crisis, so you’re ready to work with them. It should be short and straight to the point, but it should link to a longer version on your FAQ page.
- Delivery – People have gotten used to getting stuff delivered to their door, so your brand should do the same. Decide if you’ll build an in-house service or pay for an outsourced one. The latter is much cheaper and faster to use, though, so it will allow you to adapt quickly.
- Online ordering – Once you’ve chosen a delivery method, you must provide a way for customers to use it. This means your website should have a shopping cart option. Creating a platform from scratch is not an option for most people, so you might want to try Shopify or other similar options.
- Update your business listings – Make sure you register for Google My Business, so people can easily learn about your company from search results. After that, have listings on other websites like Facebook and LinkedIn. If you’re already on those sites, make sure the details are up-to-date.
Post-COVID marketing for startups
If you’re starting, you have a lot more steps to follow. After all, you will have to build your strategy from scratch, so you won’t have these features ready yet.
Still, you have ways to jumpstart your digital strategy. You can find so many free resources right now, and there are affordable options too. Here’s what you’ll need for post-COVID marketing:
- Homepage – Even small businesses have homepages nowadays because all their online content should link back to those. What’s more, it will represent your brand on the internet. It should look great, and it must also introduce your business effectively.
- Blogging – Businesses publish online articles to provide useful tips to customers without selling products and services outright. Eventually, people grow to rely on the brand for handy info, so they’re more likely to buy from it. You should post them on your website, but you should ask other sites to feature your content.
- Social media profile – Your brand should have a social media page, so more people can find out about it. This means you must appear on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
- Email outreach – Start sending emails to your customers. Make sure they fit each type of customer, so they’re more likely to read them.
What’s more, you will need a customer relation management (CRM) platform. This will link to your online content, so it can gather personal data from customers.
These will help you improve your strategy. See what worked and what didn’t then change it as needed. You will need even more than just strategy to compete nowadays.
Other post-pandemic marketing tips
Your new marketing strategy shouldn’t just be about having the right tools for the job. You must have the people with the right skills too. After all, they will be using those tools too.
This means helping them learn how to use these new methods. You might even have to get new IT staff to manage all these features and fix them when needed.
You will have to make a lot of changes to your business, perhaps down to its operating model. This shows the kind of changes you will have to manage!
Many are worried about the Omicron variant, but the buying behaviors are likely to stay the same. People are getting used to COVID news, so they may just keep up what they’re doing.
Also, the new ways of buying stuff are here to stay. This means you will still need to go digital, More importantly, stay tuned to the latest on COVID and how people react to it.
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Final thoughts
Other companies will be planning their post-COVID marketing, too, so you will have to adapt. Still, you may not be able to pull this off. After all, business isn’t just about marketing.
You will have to deal with the other changes that COViD brought. Sadly, you might not have enough time, funds, or even staff to do it. Luckily, there’s another option!
Let LeadAdvisors take care of your marketing needs. That way, you and your staff can focus on other parts of the business. Click here to learn more.
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