Utilize social media, SEO, and digital marketing to sell your products in ways that good customer service no longer can because 97% of people learn about local business online.
From physical interaction to digital interaction, Covid-19 has changed the game for how we do life. Personally and professionally, we have had to adapt and pivot in almost every area. Through this change, not everyone has adapted as well as others, and even with the reopening of businesses, we are still seeing indefinite closings. Why?
Branding and marketing since Covid-19 arrival has caused the habits and behaviors of small businesses to change rapidly.
Above all, shopping habits have changed drastically as well. With only some major online options available, many shops and local retailers that do not belong to an ‘essential’ category may be struggling to overcome this bridge from physical interaction to a digital platform.
To stop your branding and marketing post Covid-19 comes at a cost.
Yes, perhaps if you own a small business, consumers cannot access your products/services in person, and that's okay. This current digital world was coming with or without Covid-19, social distancing only sped up that process.
There’s only one answer to this: pivot.
Utilize social media, SEO, and digital marketing to sell your products in ways that good customer service no longer can because 97% of people learn about local business online. Also, when advertising is stopped, relevance is lost and brand awareness can drop by up to 39% in just six months. Another aspect of the brand that may also be harmed when you stop advertising is the loss of purchase intention. Without adapting to this new online world, in just 6 months, nearly 40% of your potential customers may forget or not see the value in your product/service. This probability decreases dramatically after eight months of zero advertising.
Now that we know how relevant branding and marketing are since Covid-19, small businesses must understand more than ever what consumers need now, and the expectation for businesses to respond.
It is important that local retailers adapt their campaigns to the current social and economic trends. Just to get started, that means:
Thus, local businesses have to adapt their branding and marketing efforts to the idea that everything is happening online.
These are the means to which businesses have experienced the most consumption in recent weeks in response to the needs of the population. In the near future, when we get back to whatever normality we may have, we will certainly look back at this time and appreciate what was done for this digital age.
So during these confusing and atypical times manage to stay relevant and try to be there for your customers. Pivot where necessary and utilize online resources to stay ahead of the competition.
