During the COVID-19 pandemic, the marketing industry was forced to shift dramatically, and it will continue to change until a “new standard” emerges that takes into account our lives post-pandemic. Although difficult times necessitate agility from marketers, they also necessitate an actionable strategy for the way forward in order to maximize marketing success. Organizations and entrepreneurs that are not agile will have a hard time remaining successful in a post-pandemic world.
As stated in Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it is human nature to first think about the basics of food, security, and protection during a crisis, as we do in situations of crisis. Unfortunately, the coronavirus also exacerbated the greater desire for belonging. As a result, users are turning to technology to reclaim a sense of community and connection that has been missing. The adjustment that much of the world made to the use of technology is key for marketers as one has to reach their audience where they are currently consuming online content in record numbers.
Critical product manufacturers and distributors, especially those in the health and safety sector, are in leading industries now due to the needs brought on by the pandemic. Unfortunately, luxury brands and other sectors affected by economic and physical restrictions (primarily fashion, transportation, and tourism) should expect a longer recovery. As travel begins to peak, it will become more immersive in the future, drawing on augmented and virtual reality. This will be an opportunity for augmented and virtual reality options to really take off in the mainstream as people look for new ways to experience life.
Even as people get vaccinated and begin to go out more and more, loneliness remains a real problem for those who live alone. Consumers are cooking and dining at home now more than ever, which is fantastic for food and delivery but bad for eateries in the short run, if not permanently. Over 10% of U.S. restaurants have closed permanently since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, according to Datassential research. This equates to 79,438 shuttered restaurants out of the 778,807 in operation since the onset of COVID-19. The data does not include restaurants that have opened during the pandemic according to Restaurant Dive.
The amount of time people spent online is one of the most important developments. With more people living remotely and spending more time at home, online use has risen. People have invested 20% more time in apps during this pandemic than they did during the same timeframe last year, according to Social Media Today.
As recent as last fall, no one could have predicted the worldwide, all-encompassing digital experiment we have undergone. A whopping 16:06 hours a day are now being spent with digital media by the average U.S. adult, up from an already unfathomable 12:24 hours a day pre-pandemic. Just to be clear, these hours include overlapping activity: If people are working while streaming a movie for two hours, that adds up to four hours of activity. In our analysis, all these activities are counted separately, which would make for a 31-hour day rather than just the regular 24.
It’s important for marketers and communicators to meet customers where they are. And right now, consumers are on the internet. Whether it is physically on one of their devices or listening to Alexa, technology is playing a key role in the life of many. These new behavior trends are expected to persist even when the environment returns to “normal.”
*Now, you may say…” What about those without access to the internet?” To that, we say stay tuned as we are going to talk about reaching those that fall on the other side of our digital divide. The pandemic highlighted some much-needed issues that we need to address globally as many were left behind by not having adequate access to broadband.
For companies, content management has often been one of the most important tools used to strategically reach their audience. As the COVID-19 pandemic struck and internet use skyrocketed among Americans, these digital touchpoints (blogs, infographics, videos, and case studies) became much more important for attracting and maintaining consumers, as well as gaining their loyalty during a period of instability. Online shopping isn’t recent, but the pandemic made it a necessity in daily life, hastening the shift to digital-first living.
The aim, however, stays the same: to raise brand awareness, generate leads, build customer loyalty, and eventually expand and scale our companies.
Oftentimes, firms aim to cut communication/advertising expenses during periods of crisis, but this was not your typical crisis (if there is any such thing as a typical crisis). Despite the fact that research has demonstrated that contact in times of recession favors national brands, advertisement, especially in the mass media, has decreased significantly. There has been a global fall in advertisement spending of around 10% with television advertising expenditure falling by 25%. Most businesses are paying more attention to their loyal clients than they are to attracting new customers. Research says that it will take close to 2 years for advertising to return to regular spending.
The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant effect on the future of marketing, especially in SEO and paid quest.
Public behavior is evolving as a result of the global health epidemic. Since customers were not able to rush to the store for any little product they need, most shoppers have became used to the idea of searching for items online rather than risking exposure by searching for different products in person.
SEO has always been relevant since it is basically free web traffic after a limited initial setup investment. With the introduction of the coronavirus and improvements in customer behavior, SEO is now more relevant than ever. This applies to both local SEO and local marketing in general.
Unfortunately, many companies would be unable to survive the pandemic; therefore, shoppers continue to search online to ensure that the products or services that they are looking for are still accessible before venturing out into the public.
Many new companies will open, and consumers will want to look for and find which ones are worth visiting in person, emphasizing the value of SEO, local SEO, and paid search.
If an organization had a doubt about going digital-first, that has changed now. It is now more relevant than ever for companies to take a digital-first approach to all aspects of their marketing, such as branding, user interface, and so on.
Although more vaccines are getting into arms, social distance must be preserved. Big cities are said to hit saturation. As a result, migration to mid-sized cities is expected to take place globally. The travel industry was hit especially hard and has a huge hill to climb. Carefully crafted Covid-19 statements are on just about every website, app, and promotional item utilized by businesses that are directly in or that touch the travel industry.
Many people have begun to rely on social media for socializing, and as a result, they are now more familiar with the various social media sites, such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and others, all of which have seen a significant rise in use.
YouTube and Facebook continue to dominate the online landscape, with 81% and 69%, respectively, reporting ever using these sites. And YouTube and Reddit were the only two platforms measured that saw statistically significant growth since 2019, when the Center last polled on this topic via a phone survey.”
Even before Covid, a growing number of people preferred video over all other forms of media. Video marketing is already growing at a breakneck pace today.
Marketers have been pushed to think about new ways to communicate their messages as a result of the coronavirus. Marketers must be diligent about sticking to their goals and choose cost-effective tools when it comes to spreading the message about their goods or services.
To summarize, the secret to survival in such a rapidly changing world is to avoid being left behind. Stay on top of where your audience is moving to and do not be afraid of trying out new ways of reaching your audience. Testing out TikTok while it is still rising is a great use of your time because there is still time to grab a great piece of that audience as it ages up.
It can not be forgotten that we are still living in a digitally dominated environment, but the global coronavirus outbreak has intensified the pattern dramatically. Let’s enjoy discovering the new ways that we will reach our audiences.
We hope that you have enjoyed the first installment of our series ‘How Covid Changed Marketing.’ There is a lot to unpack here and we will do that over the coming weeks. Stay tuned to all of our social media channels and be sure that you have signed up to receive our e-newsletter. We send out bite-sized pieces of information that can immediately help you in your organization or business.
