Marketing In a Post-Covid World
Many things have changed since Covid-19, but what have remained constant are the fundamentals of marketing. While marketing strategies might have evolved, the goal has not. The purpose of marketing is to educate and convince your audience to purchase or utilize your products and services. You still need to find and examine how your target audience is interacting with the various online platforms available to them and then invest in the channels that are right for your company. And….you still need to show value and offer your customers a solution.
How to Market Taking A Stand
Sometimes the solution is taking a stand for causes that are important to your customers. The idea of brands supporting different causes certainly wasn’t a new concept pre Covid-19, but that strategy hasn’t drawn as much attention in the past as it is now. Last year we saw hundreds of companies and brands take a stand for racial equality, diversity, and inclusion, along with implementing new green practices and sustainability. Nowadays, consumers expect their favorite brands to become more socially responsible, and it will become even more common, as time goes on.
So, what does taking a stand look like in terms of marketing? Take LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton for example. Early on in the pandemic, this company switched from making perfumes and cosmetics to focus on producing hand sanitizer for Parisian hospitals. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton also donated 40 million masks to frontline health workers. This switch not only incited love from their current customers, but they also gained an entirely new set of customers, who had reexamined their opinion about the luxury company.
“Helping Hands” for E-commerce Marketing
E-commerce’s popularity has significantly increased with consumers ever since quarantine, and it make sense. People are still being cautious due to Covid concerns, and even when they begin to feel safe shopping in stores again, the e-commerce trend isn’t going to slow down. According to the 13 countries that were surveyed by McKinsey, 65% of people stated they have tried and will continue to shop online.
Marketing for e-commerce requires specific digital marketing tactics and strategies in order for you to achieve the best possible results. Some of these tactics have been around for a while like SEO, product reviews, content and social media marketing, and other digital marketing strategies.
However, with consumers shopping e-commerce now more than ever, these original marketing tactics may need a “helping hand”. These could be anything from adding a “buy” button to your social media posts, more detail to your Google shopping information, a more streamlined landing page experience and more.
How to Stay Customer-Centric
During the world-wide pandemic, consumers have been looking for comfort and understanding from the brands that they are loyal to. In order for brands to earn and keep consumers’ loyalty, they will need to walk the talk, not just talk the talk.
What does this mean? For some brands it means stepping up their personalized marketing strategies, offering AI programs that solve consumer problems quickly and effectively, or offering personal shopping sessions online or in store. For others it means offering timely blogs and vlogs speaking to consumers’ pressing needs, or having an educational landing page that is about specific topics they want to know more about.
Another strategy that could help to keep your audience loyal is to provide them with case studies or whitepapers. These allow them to see your success and help make a compelling case for why they should choose your product or service.
Now is the time to reacquaint yourself with your audiences’ needs, goals, and interests as well as explore new marketing opportunities. 360 Direct can assist you with developing a strategy to fit your audiences’ needs, and your business goals. Contact a team member today!
5 Steps To Keep Business Afloat During COVID-19
5 Steps To Keep Business Afloat During COVID-19
If we were told in February that we would be working from home and quarantined due to a virus, we wouldn’t have believed it. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, life hasn’t been the same. Some businesses have had to close their doors, festivals cancelled, no sports on tv, and you have to wear a mask just to go to the grocery store.
Fortunately for 360 Direct, we are able to work from home, but that’s not the case for everyone. Businesses, big or small, such as coffee shops, salons, and even gyms, have had to close their doors until this pandemic is over. For some companies this could mean closing their doors forever. Thankfully there are some steps businesses can take to help keep their doors open and their customers loyal.
Steps To Keep Business Running Smoothly
Step One:
Take on a “people first” mentality. What do we mean by that? A business’s first priority, whether big or small, should be to its employees. Making sure to communicate transparently with your employees and ensure their health and safety. Employees aren’t going to be able to work when they’re thinking about the health and safety of their families. Which leads us to our next step.
Step Two:
Invest or offer remote working stations. To help put your employees’ minds at ease, offer them a way to work remotely, if possible. This not only helps your employees stay safe and healthy, but it also helps to keep your business open so that you can still offer services to your customers. Having the option to work remotely in place transitions us into step number three.
Step Three:
Develop a response for disasters/pandemics. It’s no secret that many businesses didn’t have a plan in place when COVID-19 struck. But now is the time to create one. Having an already-created response will help make the transition smoother the next time a disaster or pandemic occurs. It also helps to reassure your employees and customers. Which brings us to step four.
Step Four:
Engage with customers. Stay connected with your customers. Let them know that you’re still open, or keep them informed on when you’re going to open again. Let them know if they can buy their supplies online, pick them up curbside, or order them through a third company for delivery. This helps to keep your customers loyal and lets them know that you’re thinking of them, which leads us to our final step.
Step Five:
Use social media. Keeping an online social presence not only helps your business but it helps you stay engaged with your customers. By using social media you can reach out via ads, boosted posts, or messenger. You can also take this time to reach out to new audiences. Now is the time to be on social media since the majority of people are stuck at home and are on their devices even more than usual.
Utilizing these five steps will help keep your business afloat during COVID-19 and will help you have a plan for the next time a disaster or pandemic strikes.
Need help setting up your COVID-19 marketing strategy or social media? Contact one of our team members today!