The coronavirus epidemic has drastically changed the way companies operate worldwide. Today, there is no doubt that we will not even return to the pre-pandemic world order. Over time, however, it has become clear what marketing tricks are really helping to get over the difficulties.
As a result of the pandemic, digitalisation has accelerated and this is true even of companies that have previously shown a distrustful attitude towards this trend. The competition for attention is intensifying, as is the pressure on consumers with the start of the second wave.
A good digital marketing strategy will help companies to operate effectively during this period as well. Listed below are some of the trends that have been shown to be effective so far during the coronavirus.
Referral marketing to gain new customers
Today’s consumer isn’t driven by flashy Facebook ads or discounted shopping opportunities, as there are more and more of these, and in recent months, the advertising medium that surrounds social media users has become quite suffocating. They are much more likely to make decisions driven by experience, theirs, or those around them. Referral marketing can help a lot in reaching potential consumers in this mood, especially in segments like online grocery stores, ed-tech, FMCG and fashion / retail.
It is important, however, that we never openly ask for a recommendation. The ThinkAdvisor marketing referral surrounded with Article highlights the fact that no recommendations, only a list of names can be obtained with this method. Consumers feel embarrassed when they have to recommend a product or possibly forward it to someone on social media. Therefore, a much better solution is for brands to “reward” the recommendations in some way. This does not necessarily mean a monetary reward, it may also be appropriate in some cases to remind the consumer only several times to appreciate his help.
Campaigns led by microinfluencers
Micro-influenza has been a great help to smaller businesses in the past, as it has been much cheaper to get the message across to each consumer group. Flu marketing is an expensive thing, especially if you have well-known profiles with many followers hurt advertisers ’teeth. Many times, however, a less well-established profile is less effective, as the more followers someone has, the harder it is to create a personal atmosphere that builds trust in consumers. This is why we are witnessing a kind of shift within social media, with the involvement of micro-influenza, towards advertising types that focus on smaller groups.
For example, if e-grocers want to address their audience in a specific area of the city, one of the largest smaller communities, e.g. a housing broker mom, a popular newsagent, the president of a housing association allows them to connect better with potential customers in the neighborhood. When communicating with influencers, companies should focus on creating advocacy rather than promoting their products. This content can be achieved through the intelligent use of their campaigns.
Plenty of articles on the effects of micro-fluids are published every day, but perhaps the most interesting recent example is the case of the Singapore cosmetics brand, which came out just at the time of the coronavirus closures. Instead of delaying the launch of the brand, the company changed the plan and began to take advantage of the opportunities offered by local opinion leaders. Because followers of these flu drugs are much more committed to the niche that the brand represents, even though there are fewer of them, sales numbers are higher.
Using social media
The popularity of different platforms is still changing dynamically. While email marketing is hard to work wonders these days, it pops up from time to time as new players appear, such as TikTok . We may be inclined to believe that over time, Facebook will decline and media that support video content will become increasingly popular – but in reality, it’s not that simple.
According to VisualCapitalist , Facebook, Youtube, or Messenger still count far more users than newly infiltrating social platforms. They are becoming more commonhowever, there are also channels of Chinese origin (not just TikTok), so these may be worth paying attention to – especially if Chinese people are also part of our target group. It is important to observe which channel is used by which audience and when. In addition, each of these platforms requires experimentation with tools and tactics. Experience shows that if brands are not creative and flexible in their use of social media, the essence of their message is lost, even if they multiply their spending on digital marketing driven by exploiting increased attention.
Companies have been using advanced big data analytics tools for a long time to customize consumer information. Due to the increased traffic, there is an increasing need to do this as much as possible with the help of technologies based on artificial intelligence. Companies in the e-commerce segment use these tools to gain insight into consumer behavior and also MI-based tools to customize content and marketing for each customer. When a prospective customer visits the app or website, they see the content that is relevant to them, and that underpins their previous relationships with the company.
Content is still king – but who is the king of kings?
Although marketers are paying more and more attention to content marketing as a modern marketing tool, real, unbiased research is rarely done in the business world about what content is still worth producing. According to a study published in 2019, there is a complete lack of comparison of content marketing with other forms of content, namely sponsored and user-generated content, even though these types of content are also very important to a company’s marketing strategy.
Whatever we do to achieve the goal, it is difficult to build a strong strategy without good foundations. The poor quality of research is often due to a lack of resources. This is somewhat understandable, as research always requires a lot of energy and time, and if it is really objective, it is very difficult to predict whether it will be effective. In addition, most companies are not worth maintaining their own team of analysts, as it is much cheaper and easier to outsource this task when needed.
However, it does not matter how much time and money the client devotes to this, as no professional research team will be able to provide relevant results if the time frame is tight or the financial resources are insufficient. As there will be an increasing need to create as large, high-quality databases as possible in the future, it will become essential to develop this area properly.
In addition, at the time of the coronavirus, not only authentic and high-quality data, but also adequate sensitivity is needed, the Content Marketing Institute points out.. It’s a bit like walking in a minefield, as you never know which consumer was affected by the virus. Not everyone has a safe haven, a comfortable home, and not everyone lives close to their family, so even a seemingly harmless ad focusing on these symbols can bounce back. The easiest way to check the COVID consistency of content is to ask questions: How has the context of the brand message changed? How up-to-date is the information we want to use? In addition, aspects such as the fact that provocative claims are out of place in the current situation or that terms such as “reopening the economy” may give consumers a feeling that the company is too opportunistic and only waiting for the occasion
