The year 2020 proved to be very challenging for most businesses. With the pandemic wrecking havoc all over the world, many business owners are left with three choices. For one, they can choose to try and survive the pandemic. Second, they can pause trading or three, give up their business altogether.
According to Statista, those in the arts, entertainment, and recreation industry were badly hit by the Covid-19 crisis. About 82% of these three industries are currently closed. On the other hand, only 3.5% of health and social work companies have closed in the UK.
Are you one of those business owners who continue to survive the pandemic? Or maybe you have plans to start your brand after the pandemic is over? Is this is the case, what steps are you taking to make sure you get ahead of competitors as early as now? The following are three strategies big businesses are doing as a preparation for the post-pandemic world.
Make Your Website Stand Out
The crisis accelerated everyone’s need to do virtually everything online. Now, more people are spending more time on the internet and experts believe people will continue to depend on the internet after the world health crisis. This only means no business can deny the fact that promoting their brand online is now a need.
If you want to stay on top of your competitors, make sure you have a solid digital marketing plan. It starts with having a professional website that is fast, updated, mobile-friendly, responsive, and user-friendly. Did you know that 94% of your website visitor’s first impressions are design-related? This only means your chances of turning your site visitors into paying clients increase if you can make a great first impression with your website.The good news is, you can readily hire a local agency that specializes in website design. This way, you can be sure that your visitors will be enticed to stay and navigate your site. The more traffic and site visitors you get, the better your chances of establishing brand awareness, trust, and confidence with your users. Your target audiences will easily understand what your brand has to offer and why you believe your products are the exact solution they need for their problems.
Offer your products to a new market
Many businesses chose to narrow down their target audiences and only focus on their current client needs. But then, many believe that life will never be the same after the pandemic is over. It may take a few years before we can all go back to our normal routine. If you continue to limit your demographics, then you could already be missing out on improving your brand’s profitability.
Now can be the best time to start expanding your brand by tapping on a larger target audience. Of course, this will require thorough planning and budgeting. But by providing solutions to a bigger number of audiences, you can substantially grow your business and be more competitive. The good news is you can do this by offering your business at a distance.
Engaging with a larger target audience is made easier thanks to the internet. You can increase your reach, introduce your brand, and start offering your products to consumers you did not pay attention to before. Now, social distance is never enough reason not to cater to a new market. You can reach consumers in other markets by researching on your new target audiences and competitors. Partner up with other businesses in the same niche to complement your brand and step up your digital marketing game.
Become a purpose-driven brand
The pandemic has lots of lessons to share for both consumers and businesses. The pandemic taught consumers that there are other ways to avail of the things they need while maintaining adequate distance to the outside world. It taught us that we all have our own social responsibilities to play.
According to a study, 77% of consumers prefer purpose-driven brands. Good quality offers and customer service are not enough to satisfy the needs of your post-pandemic customers. They want businesses to be the solution and meet their needs as well as their expectations. They expect businesses to be eco-friendly, support good causes, and identify with things that showcase their values and beliefs.
You can show your customers that you are a purpose-driven brand by aligning your marketing campaigns with your company values and policies. Affirm your brand’s mission and allow participation from your employees and customers. Start with a single but laser-focused cause. Choose to speak up and stand up for what your brand believes in.
No one knows for sure what’s in store for businesses once the pandemic is over. But if there is one thing that is for sure, it is this. Businesses have no other choice but to think ahead and find ways to thrive after the crisis. Start planning now so you can gain a competitive advantage early.