The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire world. Apart from our day-to-day lives, it has also significantly impacted global businesses and the economy.
Major events that affect millions across the world, and for a duration as long as this current pandemic, have the power to transform lives in many different ways. The transformation often is a permanent one that could change consumer habits and behaviors for good.
While the pandemic is still a significant threat to health, businesses, and jobs, digital marketing is all set to play a crucial role in the post-pandemic recovery. It is by adopting digital marketing and adjusting the existing strategies that businesses could better meet the new consumer expectations and accelerate their economic recovery.
Here are four digital marketing predictions that could shape the post-COVID business recovery-
1. Digital Marketing is Now a Must for Businesses
According to an Ofcom UK report, people are spending a record amount of time online in the UK. Similar trends can be seen across the world. With the pandemic limiting our physical movements, the internet quickly became our source for entertainment, shopping, communication, and accessing the latest news.
If you are not marketing online, your business is definitely missing out on a lot of potential customers. Post-pandemic recovery can be accelerated if businesses rethink their business models and aim for a marketing strategy that revolves around the digital landscape.
2. Need for Seamless Online-Offline Shopping Experience
While e-commerce platforms are witnessing record sales due to the pandemic, things might not remain the same in the future. The physical shopping experience is still essential for the consumers, and this might stand true in the future too. To prepare for post-pandemic recovery, retailers need to consider a shopping experience that combines the online and offline experience.
The BOPIS (Buy Online, Pickup In-Store) practice is an excellent example of how retailers can offer a seamless online-offline experience. Contactless payment options and self-checkout are some other services that consumers can expect from physical stores in the future.
3. The Growing Role of Social Media
According to a study by DataReportal, social media usage witnessed a surge of 10.5% in July 2020 compared to the same month in 2019. The stringent lockdowns in many parts of the world turned social platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, the go-to mode of communicating with friends and family.
The post-pandemic world will present a unique opportunity for businesses to use social media marketing and build meaningful connections with consumers. But amid the fear and anxiety, consumers don’t want to engage with brands that are only focused on selling. Listen to your consumers and provide all the help and assistance you can to turn them into loyal brand advocates.
4. Making Digital Strategies Work with Reduced Budgets
Reduced marketing budgets will only get more common in the next few months as businesses focus on recovery. In such a scenario, the marketers must ensure that every dollar they spend provides them with something valuable. Targeting the most valuable customers who are likely to convert can be an excellent strategy to implement when marketing budgets are running low.
Deep learning tools can be used for analyzing first-party and third-party data and identify such customers. Their potential conversion rate can also be calculated so that you can only spend your marketing budget on customers with maximum conversion potential.
Preparing for the Post-Pandemic World
The current pandemic is an event that none of us has ever witnessed in the past. Something this novel can transform the consumers in unique ways. This also means that conventional marketing strategies might not deliver the results you expect.
Businesses need to become more agile to keep up with the changing consumer habits and behavior if they want to accelerate their economic recovery and stay relevant in the post-COVID world. Tips like the ones discussed above can provide you with a head start, enabling you to make the best of this unique opportunity.
