Doors are locked. Neon signs are dim. Streets are empty. Around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused businesses and other organizations to close or heavily modify their operations to comply with social distancing recommendations. Despite these challenges, many companies are finding ways to prevail even as the pandemic drags on. As we navigate the “new normal,” we discover new opportunities to connect with our audiences — and many of these new techniques are worth keeping around. Here’s how the pandemic will change marketing forever — and for the better.
Marketers will cultivate good conversation
Proponents of inbound marketing were already using strategies such as great content and word-of-mouth advertising to draw in customers. Now, this approach is ever more important as companies experience drops in sales and start shifting their focus to building a community of loyal followers.
Traditional marketing isn’t dead, but inbound marketing helps consumers feel connected to brands. With brick-and-mortar locations closed, compelling blogs, social media, and videos are now often the only way to connect with consumers. Thankfully, people are very receptive to this approach. A content-driven marketing strategy can help businesses succeed long after the pandemic is over.
Marketers will prioritize video content
Video marketing was already on the rise, with more than 80 percent of businesses using it in their toolkit. Now, as consumers are largely confined to their homes, video is the bread-and-butter of daily experience. Consumers are video chatting with each other, uploading video content, and watching videos way more than normal.
If your business isn’t producing video content, you’ll be left in the dust — even after the pandemic ends. Now is the perfect time to embrace video marketing as your key strategy. Whether you produce livestreams or edited videos, you can more easily connect with consumers by getting your brand right into their living rooms.
Marketers will emphasize subscriptions
As consumers increasingly prefer personalization, many marketers were using experiential marketing and highly customized experiences. Now, with limited in-person interactions, these tactics are unwise if not impossible. It’s time to emphasize personalization in a way that resonates with homebound customers: subscriptions.
Subscription-based business models offer personalization, convenience, and home-delivery options, all in one. They’re also great for marketers who want to highlight the brand’s resilience and responsibility during the pandemic. Subscriptions emphasize loyalty and connection, which are valuable to consumers these days. A strong marketing strategy will leverage this value to help sustain a subscription-based business model.
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Businesses are discovering new — and better — ways to connect with their customers. Even as we comply with social distancing guidelines and closures, we find ourselves growing closer to our brands’ communities. As it turns out, some of our old strategies may not be as powerful as the ones we’ve innovated in the face of COVID-19.
Need help with a content strategy and website that’s resilient in the face of Covid-19? At Dotlogics, we take a personalized approach to your success. Reach out to us to refine your brand and build your community.
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