The pandemic of COVID-19 has caused the whole world to change significantly. People are affected in so many ways. Apart from the health problems, we are experiencing changes in other segments of our lives – social, business, etc. This situation has affected companies around the world in different ways too. Some of them have experienced serious troubles and had to shut down, while others had the opportunity to adapt to the current situation and continue working. Digital marketing is one of the industries that has gone through some changes and adapted to the current atmosphere in the world. Therefore, if you’re running a business and want to see what to do with your marketing strategy, learn how the pandemic affected digital marketing and ways to deal with the changes.
Adapting to the consumer of 2021
The global pandemic has changed the lifestyle of most people. Spending more time inside, working from home, and more and more things going online have also made digital marketers wonder. Businesses need to adjust to the current situation and rethink the way they see their target audience. The way you imagined your target customer may have changed now, so be sure to reconsider that idea. Maybe there’s a need to change some of your services and adapt goods to the consumer of 2021.
Social media is more important than ever
As people were spending more time at home and generally had more free time, social media networks have become more popular. These networks welcomed many new members, and old users were spending more time online. That’s why digital marketing has shifted its focus to social media, and introduced new social media marketing trends, finding new ways to interact with the target audience and sell products/services. However, social media have changed drastically recently, so businesses need to stay up-to-date with the current trends. Creating new, exciting content, trying out new networks, live interaction, and promoting products through social media influencers have become some of the primary means of marketing a business.
Video advertising
One of the things that boomed during the pandemic is video entertainment and live online streaming. As people spend more time at home, they watch YouTube videos, TV shows, and other video entertainment a lot more. This is the opportunity to shift the focus of your marketing campaign to these sources. Ads targeted to people who watch certain types of videos may be the right way to attract a new audience.
SEO updates
Search Engine Optimization is constantly evolving and it’s essential to keep up with the latest SEO trends. It is affected by many factors, and browsers are continually making new ways to rank their results. This is where we can see how the pandemic affected digital marketing. People are using internet searches differently now, which is why optimization of content needs to be adjusted to meet these changes. Searching for pandemic-related content, using online shopping, and focusing more on local businesses are just some of the things to know to gain an advantage over the competition. Following the SEO trends is a must in these challenging times, so you can be sure that you’re doing everything you can to improve your SEO score.
Search ads
Even though the whole advertising budget has seen a drop over the past year, we can expect investing in search ads to be more common. Search engine ads are a great way to drive traffic to your website from the search results. As people spend more time online and use search engines a lot, it’s logical to start thinking about advertising opportunities there. Invest more time in creating relevant search ads by using the right keywords and optimizing them to reach a broader target audience.
Balance is the key
The pandemic has brought about something we have named the ‘new normal.’ Some people expect brands not to ignore the current situation. Informing them about the current situation, offering ways to help out, and adjusting services/goods to the new lifestyle is something businesses are supposed to do. An eccentric, humorous strategy is not accepted well by consumers. Therefore, there should be a balance between the rather negative and challenging atmosphere and staying positive in the whole thing. A certain number of people are looking for a getaway moment in some brands, expecting their daily dose of positivity and encouragement. Forgetting about the pandemic and staying optimistic is important, but there should be a balance between those two. Depending on your business type, try not to be oblivious to the current situation but also be supportive and keep a positive attitude. Professionalism is the key to success.
New opportunities due to low CPM and CPC prices
Since many businesses haven’t survived the adverse effects of the pandemic, the prices of CPM and CPC have dropped. Also, the lack of competition has made more opportunities for businesses that are still running. Combining low competition and low prices in advertising is a great chance to gain a new audience and spend less money. Therefore, you need to see this situation as an opportunity, not an obstacle that prevents you from growing your brand.
Importance of digital marketing strategy for small businesses
From all the stats mentioned above, we can conclude that businesses need a digital marketing strategy. Even if your business doesn’t include online shopping, an online marketing strategy will help attract more visitors to your store. A high-quality digital marketing strategy helps bring new users to your website, locate your business on the map and make them visit the premises. Therefore, researching how the pandemic affected digital marketing and applying all the necessary adjustments will ensure the growth and success of your business during these challenging times. Finally – never stop looking for updates. This pandemic will not last forever. This means that even after it ends, some new changes will be introduced. Thus, businesses need to stay up-to-date with what’s going on in the world to be able to respond to their customer’s ever-changing needs.
