In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s crucial for those of us in digital marketing to consider what the post-COVID world holds. The pandemic has sped up the shift to digital and empowered many online industries. Our reliance on platforms like Amazon and Zoom has reached unprecedented levels, presenting digital marketers with the opportunity to leverage this dependence.
This article will outline six strategies for achieving precisely that. We’ll explore:
- Effective marketing strategies for a post-pandemic world.
- Essential tools to maximize efficiency and ROI.
- Leveraging pre-COVID groundwork to build a robust system. Let’s begin. As things gradually return to normal, don’t miss these inspiring post-COVID marketing ideas!
1. Prioritize Existing Customers
If attracting new customers is proving difficult, shift your focus to those who have remained loyal throughout the economic downturn. This involves tailoring services and ad campaigns to their evolving needs. Additionally, consider issuing refunds to clients who maintained prepaid memberships or auto-pay during the lockdown. While this might impact short-term cash flow, the returned funds are likely to yield tenfold returns when the economy stabilizes and loyal customers resume spending.
For instance, Neil Patel began offering premium UberSuggest features for free. Although free trial signups decreased, he received immense appreciation from industry peers through emails and even paid plan purchases as gestures of gratitude.
The takeaway is to prioritize your customers, clients, and coworkers during challenging times, and they will reciprocate in some form. This approach often leads to growth in customer loyalty, brand awareness, organic traffic, social media engagement, and potentially even new leads.
The takeaway is to prioritize your customers, clients, and coworkers during challenging times, and they will reciprocate in some form.
2. Transition Everything Online
The pandemic’s lockdowns and travel restrictions have undeniably accelerated the shift towards online operations. Scott Jones, CEO of 123InternetGroup, revealed to Forbes a surge in companies seeking website creation or updates, social media campaigns targeting home-based workers, and a greater emphasis on e-commerce trends and channels.
Now is the moment to increase your online presence. While you likely have some business functions online (perhaps utilizing one of these 64 affordable online marketing tools), the pandemic has demonstrated the vast untapped potential of online operations.
Take, for example, automating email communication or even service delivery. iNECTA, a cloud-based ERP software for the food industry, now empowers customers to receive goods, track batches, generate invoices, and manage their entire food business through a fully online platform.
This trend extends to even the most fundamental aspects, like online classes. Preply, a language learning platform, experienced a surge in sales post-COVID-19 due to their early adoption of online solutions. Regardless of your industry, there are always more aspects that can be transitioned online. These capabilities will differentiate you from competitors and attract potential customers.
Here are a few ideas to consider:
- Investing in robust customer relationship management (CRM) software.
- Hosting informative webinars to build trust and engage new customers, or even train employees to enhance their skills.
- Providing support for employees’ work-from-home needs.
The essence is that migrating more processes online allows for enhanced engagement with customers and employees, a crucial factor for business resilience and growth.
The essence is that migrating more processes online allows for enhanced engagement with customers and employees, a crucial factor for business resilience and growth.
3. Leverage Facebook Ads
With people spending more time at home and on social media, the ROI on PPC ads has skyrocketed across many industries. This presents a prime opportunity to remind consumers that your business is thriving and poised to play a significant role in the “new normal.”
Image source Facebook ads, in particular, are highly cost-effective, even for local businesses. They offer a platform to showcase business adaptations and any COVID-19-specific discounts or promotions. Online ads have always been engaging, affordable, and effectively targeted, but now, more than ever, they hold the potential to significantly scale your business.
Facebook’s granular audience targeting capabilities allow you to reach customers based on factors like gender, location, interests, marital status, profession, and more.
For a comprehensive view of Facebook’s ad targeting options, check out our detailed infographic here. The pandemic has also reduced the CPM (cost per thousand impressions) on ads as companies operate with tighter marketing budgets. This presents a favorable opportunity to invest in a robust Facebook ad strategy, serving as a cost-effective way to generate leads and sales to boost revenue.
Advertising messages are most effective when they are consistent and repeated. This is what makes Facebook retargeting another valuable strategy during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Retargeting enables you to direct ads at individuals who have previously interacted with your brand. This aligns with the earlier point about investing in existing customers.
4. Implement Exclusive Deals and Offers
As businesses reopen, offering exclusive sales promotions or deals is an effective way to re-engage customers. These offers can be announced or advertised on social media platforms and through promotional emails.
Such offers attract new customers while enticing existing ones to return. While applicable across industries (theaters, spas, gyms, etc.), it proves particularly beneficial for those significantly impacted by the coronavirus, such as restaurants and travel.
Discounts, freebies, and similar savings can provide the incentive customers need to choose your business. Consider offering membership deals for customers who invest during a specific timeframe, helping to generate revenue even during challenging periods.
5. Revamp Your Communication Strategy
With shifting priorities and schedules, your previous communication strategy might require adjustments. Re-evaluate your newsletters, content, and overall customer approach.
This could involve revamping your content calendar or temporarily deprioritizing some blog posts. Instead, focus on articles addressing doubts, fears, and questions related to the current situation. This also necessitates taking the time to understand your post-COVID-19 customers.
One effective method is conducting an email survey with questions about their current priorities, pain points, and desires. Use multiple-choice or scaled questions for ease of response, but include open-ended questions to uncover valuable customer insights.
Utilize this information to refine your communication strategy and better serve your customers. Consider adapting your ads, emails, videos, webinars, and podcast episodes to reflect your customers’ current priorities. (For further guidance, refer to our post on marketing during COVID-19).
Mediavine, an advertising network for bloggers, effectively utilized regular emails during and after the pandemic’s peak. They provided helpful resources, updates, and supportive messaging. Demonstrating support for your clients during challenging times leaves a lasting impact.
6. Concentrate on Key Paid Advertising Channels
While PPC ads are currently highly effective, spreading your efforts across Google Ads, LinkedIn ads, Twitter ads, Facebook ads, and Instagram ads will yield suboptimal results. Identify where your target audience spends their time online and focus your PPC efforts on those specific channels.
For instance:
- If you’re a beauty business, your target audience is likely active on Instagram.
- For a more serious business, like an addiction treatment facility, Google might be more effective.
- If you offer a business-related tool or service, such as a keyword research tool, LinkedIn would be a suitable choice.
Thrive in the Age of COVID-19 with These Strategies
As the world stabilizes, relying on robust digital marketing strategies not only helps your business recover but also provides a competitive edge. Remember, prioritize your customers’ needs alongside your own.
Remember, prioritize your customers’ needs alongside your own. They are the foundation of your business and will drive its growth, regardless of your chosen strategy.