It is no secret that the world has changed a lot since the Covid-19 outbreak. And as society continues to adapt to the new normal, so must businesses. This is particularly true for marketing departments, which have to find new ways to promote business and engage with customers in a post-Covid world.
Not only that, but marketers are now under more pressure than ever to figure out new and creative ways to grab an audience’s attention.
New opportunities for companies
Despite the disruptive changes that the pandemic has brought to workplaces, there are some opportunities that companies can take advantage of to recover and prosper.
Related: How to Navigate the Changing Digital Marketing Landscape
#1: Build Authentic Connections
Gone are the days of cold selling without a carefully crafted message. The message really makes or breaks the brand. A generic approach, devoid of emotions like empathy, compassion, and warmth, will no longer suffice. People are getting better at distinguishing when a company is authentic and genuine, following a trend, or hype or fake. Spam or “sell” approaches drive potential and existing customers away, and it’s a luxury businesses can’t afford in today’s competitive landscape.
Also, considering the huge impact the pandemic had on people’s mental health, their purchasing behavior changed. People have learned to look for personalized approaches from brands that target their specific needs at any given time. This is one reason why social listening has become the catalyst for a digital marketing strategy.
#2: Expand the digital world
In October 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced his vision for the future of his social media empire, which revolves around the metaverse. This will become the successor to the mobile internet and will be an immersive VR/AR environment. As the Meta executives affirm, the metaverse will be a sum of interconnected worlds where users will be able to replace the physical environment. Meta has already created thousands of job offers in Europe for this specific purpose and has invested millions in technology companies to ensure that this project is “built responsibly”.
The Metaverse is expected to be fully developed by 2030. Prolonged lockdowns prompted millions of people to adjust to the new normal by working from home. After 2 years of lockdowns and restrictions, this is still the case for workers who rely on software and apps to get their work done remotely. So a space like a metaverse is opening up a lot of opportunities for the business world and connecting remote teams.
#3: Invest in influencer marketing
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the use of social networks has skyrocketed more than anyone could have imagined. New platforms like TikTok conquered the world, the number of social network users exceeded half of the world’s population in 2020 and content creators/influencers became the voices of the brands. Affiliate marketing and influencer brand partnerships have successfully become a primary source of income for many digital professionals. Consumers turn to social media platforms and others they trust to learn about brands before completing a purchase.
The number of followers used to matter more when it came to reaching a large audience. However, this is no longer the case, as algorithms get smarter and deliver more content to more people faster than ever. A partnership with an influencer can be a very effective advertising method. An authentic review from ordinary people carries far more weight than the cold corporate message. For brands with a limited advertising budget, deals with smaller social media accounts are often low-cost and offer significant brand exposure.
How to adapt your business to the post-Covid era
Keeping new opportunities in mind, business owners can use them to their advantage and design their strategies accordingly. Here are 10 key strategic points to consider to survive and thrive in the post-pandemic business world.
Related: 3 ways Covid-19 has changed the world of marketing
1. Your purpose is now a strategic priority
Simon Sinek is known for his book Start With Why . While he’s targeting his message at leaders, this applies to any business. The purpose of a business is no longer a small detail on the “About Us” page of a website. Leading brands in any industry stand out because they have a defined purpose, which they clearly communicate to their audience.
The “Why” of each business is the driving force and must now be a strategic priority. Why? Because it is more impressive than the product or service. In addition, it shows the values and culture of the company.
2. Know your customer segment
Until now, all marketing campaigns started with this concept: Know your Customer. This involved collecting data on the ideal customer and creating a marketing plan around their needs. Strategic focus now has to engage customer segments, which means there are multiple different customer profiles marketers need to address.
Companies must tailor their message to each segment, taking into account their buying behavior, their current needs and problems, their circumstances, and what is relevant to them. Understanding each segment offers valuable insights into media strategies and creative marketing approaches.
3. Deliver customer experiences
Companies no longer have to compete with other companies in the same industry. A brand has to compete with the latest best customer experience. Customers have gotten used to seamless digital transactions, so now their expectations are higher than ever.
A business needs to deliver experiences that match or even exceed customer expectations in order to close the sale. This is possible by acquiring customer data and investing in machine learning and AI. As a result, companies will improve their interactions with their audience and build stronger human connections.
4. Focus on the customer journey
Companies used to focus heavily on promoting their products or services to a wide audience and converting as many people as possible as part of their marketing strategy. Today, the marketing strategy must become a customer journey. If business owners take a comprehensive look at how their customers interact with them, they will be able to make the necessary adjustments to meet their needs. When people have a good experience communicating with a brand, they are more likely to come back and also become spokespersons for that brand.
5. Marketing is the heart of the growth strategy
While marketing was once considered a department that can be scaled back in times of financial hardship, it is now at the heart of growth strategy. Marketing has evolved to be much more than just a method of promotion. The marketing department is responsible for crafting the message, promoting the company culture, connecting with the audience to better understand and foster genuine connections, and much more.
For this reason, many companies have now integrated him to the senior leadership level to ensure continued growth and longevity.
6. Digital marketing is essential
Digital marketing is rightfully at the forefront of the post-pandemic business world. It has facilitated the integration of the digital space and opened up exciting new ways for businesses to communicate with their audience. Thanks to the plethora of new digital tools, content marketing has been one of the most cost-effective ways to increase organic traffic to business social media accounts and their websites.
Related: The digital marketing changes that will affect your business
7. Social selling is growing fast
Although e-commerce was booming before the Covid-19 outbreak, the number of digital shoppers has skyrocketed between 2020 and now. Online transactions quickly became a competitive advantage sought after by many retail companies.
Social media platforms like Instagram jumped at the chance to offer shopping features, and it was then that social selling became one of the fastest growing fields of e-commerce. The convenience of adding a store to a social media page has led to its tremendous growth. According to statistics social selling is estimated to reach $80 billion by 2025.
8. Invest in a multi-channel strategy
As customer expectations have increased, having a single channel to communicate and advertise a business is a thing of the past. Multichannel marketing combines traditional methods with new technologies to improve the customer experience.
There are many benefits, such as higher quality customer data, more detailed buyer profiles, and improved and personalized email marketing campaigns. However, it is important to have a consistent brand image across all channels and prioritize customer relationships to have an effective and successful strategy.
9. Optimize for mobile users
A digital business cannot ignore the growth that mobile devices bring to their websites. More than half of web traffic comes from mobile users. Therefore, it is critical that businesses also provide a seamless experience for mobile users, such as easy navigation and fast loading time.
10. Marketing agility is here to stay
Another fortunate result of the pandemic has been the different mindset of marketing’s permanent agility. This will be a crucial growth factor as it involves constant social listening, faster decision cycles, flexibility and adaptability to any new challenge.
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