We’ve heard it before — we just have to get used to a new normal. As the nation pieces itself back together after the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are making permanent changes to how they do business, including marketing. With recent shifts in consumer behavior, organizations need to rethink their marketing strategies to resonate with current and potential customers.
Here are five tips to adapt your marketing strategy to the post-pandemic world.
- Make it personal. Many people felt isolated and are craving personal interactions. With COVID restrictions lifted, customers are eager to lift their spirits with in-person connections. Remind them that while you can still interact with them through digital outlets, your company is ready to welcome them back with that personal touch.
- Refresh and renew. It’s time to review and renew your marketing strategy and focus on your brand messaging. Highlight new services, emphasize new online shopping options and present a fresh new message and look.
- Engage through content. There has never been a better time to communicate with your customers through meaningful content. The type of content people want has shifted. Engage customers with content that highlights your brand’s community focus and new technologies, products or services that emerged from the pandemic, as well as your tried-and-true offerings. Consider starting a company podcast. According to Forbes, an estimated 100 million people listened to a podcast each month in 2020, and that number is expected to reach 125 million by 2022.
- Go live with your events. The pandemic brought virtual events to the forefront of business culture, and according to research conducted by MarketingCharts.com, they will likely continue to be popular. But as people now desire personal connection, consider adding live events back into your marketing strategy. Host client events, offer live classes or seminars, and if you continue hosting virtual events, engage attendees by investing in high-quality sound and lighting. Also, consider recording sessions that can be viewed and repurposed later and create networking opportunities such as virtual breakout rooms for individuals to mingle.
- Boost your digital marketing strategy. Digital marketing has become vital to success for many businesses, particularly e-commerce. Amazon says it anticipates a permanent shift in consumer behavior toward online shopping and reported a record-breaking $88.9 billion in sales in the second quarter of 2020. Businesses can take advantage of this trend by revamping their digital marketing efforts with refreshed Google Ads campaigns, sponsored posts, paid social media advertising and optimized products and services pages on their websites to draw search traffic. Consider a new look for your social media pages, and make sure you are consistently interacting with your customers. Email marketing continues to be on the rise; is it part of your marketing strategy? A consistent email campaign can ensure you are engaging with your customers regularly and with a uniform message.
If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is that we, as companies and as individuals, are adaptable and resilient. We know that whatever is thrown at us in the future, we will handle it with grace and flexibility and will come out stronger.
Kelly Borth is CEO and chief strategy officer at GREENCREST
