The COVID-19 pandemic has left many entrepreneurs in a cold start position. It is undoubtedly the most difficult time to run a business, as most entrepreneurs rely on physical operations to drive business growth. Some have to step back to adopt new business models and digital resources to resume their business affairs. One of them is the use of digital marketing strategies for demand generation.
Digital marketing comes in different forms: social media marketing, search engine optimization, content marketing, and marketing analytics, among others. At the core of these initiatives is the digital storefront of your business—the website. To reap the benefits of a successful marketing campaign, entrepreneurs invest in improving their website’s accessibility to ensure a convenient customer experience.
The rise of digital marketing strategies has allowed businesses to minimize the damages and uncertainty caused by the pandemic. While things are slowly going back to normal (in some countries), it’s important to upscale your marketing tactics for your post-pandemic recovery. Knowing these strategies will help you identify other sales opportunities to boost your sales.
Focus on customer retention
Businesses are always finding ways to attract potential customers. While there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s best to focus on existing customers since acquiring new customers during a pandemic will only cost a lot. In this case, your marketing efforts should cater to your existing customers before and during the pandemic.
Start by understanding shifts in customer loyalty during COVID-19, and identify methods to stop customer attrition. These include the customization of existing loyalty schemes to prevent losing customers in the process. Use this time to redesign your loyalty programs that don’t involve conversion. We’re talking about “spend-and-get” offerings and other services that will make customers feel that you appreciate their relationship with you.
Another trick is to reassess the customer’s pain points through a post-pandemic viewpoint. This means your marketing tactics should focus on different buyer personas or the latest customer segments to develop a refreshed set of marketing initiatives applicable to your post-pandemic recovery.
The buyer persona, also referred to as customer segment, helps you understand and relate to your customers based on actual data (e.g., gender and age) and a few educated assumptions. It also involves strategies that consider their individual values, situation, and problems, which make your business relevant to the target audience. These elements serve as critical foundation tools in crafting successful post-pandemic marketing campaigns.
Marketing should focus on buyers’ journey
Customers lie at the center of the buyer’s journey. Remember, marketing is only the beginning of a buyer’s journey with your brand. The customer has to undergo different phases before, during, and after availing of your product or service. In other words, their need for information about your existing offerings will shift over time once you have captured their interest.
Think about your experiences when dealing with a chatbot or a customer representative. Some people assume all customer agents don’t have access to similar customer data in retail stores. Thus, every buyer has different experiences with customer care and sales department, making your communication inconsistent.
Buyers look for a smooth buying experience. To make this possible, businesses should address the flaws in sales pitches and post-purchase services by providing the sales and customer care departments the same amount of information, training, and knowledge.
This explains why business owners should reevaluate their value-chain maps or operating models. It also involves reviewing company processes, policies, talent, KPIs, and technologies. Allowing your business to keep up with the current trends helps you rediscover other ways to reach out to your customers.
Customer relation is everything
Establishing trust with customers is critical to the success of any business, even if the initial transaction has been made. There are plenty of ways businesses ruin their customer’s trust based on how they treat them. The pandemic has brought unique challenges to businesses, particularly B2B enterprises, such as virtual sales and capitalization on positive relations. This is a perfect chance to reassess the frequency and quality of your touch-points concerning your customer base.
Whatever the industry, businesses today should focus on the selling solution rather than their products or services. Use the time to start a social listening campaign to discover new customer insights to develop a new marketing strategy that fits their shifting needs.
The pandemic has affected each industry at different levels. Whatever the state of your business, now is the time to look forward. Relying on digital marketing strategies can give your business a stronger foothold in the post-pandemic marketplace. These initiatives will help you focus and invest in areas critical for the success of your business.