The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the worst economic crises in the last 100 years. Many companies had to downsize, lay off their staff, or declare bankruptcy in the latter part of 2020. The businesses that survived had to modify their operations and marketing strategies to accommodate the change in market demand trends.
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Now that there is news that the COVID-19 vaccine will be available to the public soon, the competition will get more fierce. Therefore, every business must ensure they can stay solvent and ahead of their competitors. In this article, we will discuss some of the tactics used by digital marketing experts to help businesses in the coming year.
Updating Buyer Personas
Every business uses analytical tools to create a digital marketing strategy. However, the buyer personas they had used before and during the pandemic might prove useless once the vaccine is out. When the pandemic started, the shopping behavior of every company’s target audience changed.
People preferred buying things online, but their choice of products also differed. For example, the apparel orders went down a lot while the book demand increased. Therefore, in 2021, businesses should review and update the buyer personas they have been using. Customer service would be one of the best fronts to gather data.
Businesses can also get buyer information by interviewing existing customers through questionnaires and surveys. Understanding the target audience’s requirements and demands must be the first step to developing a sound marketing strategy in 2021.
Scoping the Competition
Competitors for most businesses must have changed during the pandemic. Some would have shut their business, while others would have developed efficient marketing strategies to meet their demands. The list of competitors will change once again once the vaccine comes out.
Many new companies would spring up with fresh marketing efforts and campaigns. Therefore, company leaders would have to continuously monitor their existing and upcoming competitors to foresee their business strategies. It will help organizations understand how to modify their marketing strategies to stay ahead of the competition.
Validate Differentiation and USP
The business world is changing dynamically and continuously. Therefore, every business must evaluate its unique selling proposition and differentiation to understand its current market position. The products or services used to set a company ahead of its competitors may not attract its customers once the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
Therefore, businesses must track the behavior of online visitors and identify their engagement patterns to look for changes. Or they can audit their website to understand if their target audience is searching for a new product or service.
Monitoring the Marketing Funnel
With all the changes made to the online marketing strategy, a business must constantly monitor a customer’s journey through the marketing funnel. That will help them understand whether customers are exiting the horn at some stage or are getting stuck somewhere.
It will also help them realize whether they need to take specific actions to make the customer’s journey through the funnel easier. Businesses can consider using automated marketing tools to help them score their leads as the potential customer enters the funnel and progresses downward.
Revising the Content
The pandemic has forced people to spend more time on the internet and social media, and it is unlikely that the habit will change when the pandemic is over. Therefore, businesses can use this opportunity to create and revise their website or social media pages.
Uploading new blogs on their website will increase customer engagement and help the website rank higher in search engines. Besides the website and social media pages, there are several ways to post content and improve customer engagement. Businesses should explore these avenues to understand how to revise their content to make it more engaging.
several more channels like TikTok have become famous during the pandemic, so businesses can utilize them to place PPC and other ad campaigns.Investing in SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) helps businesses get constant organic traffic to their website. Even after the pandemic, companies should continue to invest in SEO techniques so that their website traffic does not drop due to increased competition or other factors.
Utilizing the Current Customer Database
Customer databases have proved to be one of the most valuable assets for businesses during the pandemic, and they will continue to do so in the coming year. Companies must have a robust customer relationship management (CRM) system to leverage automation instead of sending random emails. The CRM system will map out the best-suited plan and send relevant and timely reminders to your customers to take the desired action.
It is natural for business owners to feel apprehensive about the coming year when the pandemic finally gets over. No one is entirely sure how the market will react to the situation. However, these digital marketing tactics can ensure that a business is prepared for almost any possible scenario that might come its way in 2021.
