As Consumer Behavior Shifts, Pivot Your Marketing Strategy To Keep Up
Market forecasts suggest the “digital diaspora” of COVID-19 is here to stay, at least in part, as consumers scrap their old routines in exchange for the digital amenities they enjoyed during quarantine. For some consumers, having discovered how to do more online has changed their appetite for in-person experiences altogether. But for others, especially those suffering from severe cases of “Zoom fatigue,” the possibility of “reopening” the in-person experience is highly anticipated. The real test is for marketers trying to figure out which side of the aisle their consumers fall on and tailoring their marketing strategy to match.
But how? Ghosting traditional “tried and true” methods is often easier said than done. And after months of market fluctuations, strained budgets, and depressed demand, the last thing most businesses want to do is take a risk when uncertainty looms over the economy’s ability to recover.
It will recover, however, and it is those businesses who review, reassess, and re-imagine their marketing strategies now who will benefit later. Especially those who lean into digital tools.
Let’s take a look at four ways you can successfully transform your marketing strategy to reach and retain your audience:
Adopt Agile Marketing
In the past, sales cycles governed when marketing campaigns went live. The planning process was done months in advance, and campaigns deployed on time.
Now, with public policy swaying consumer sentiment, market trends, and an unchecked global pandemic, businesses are reacting instead of proactively planning.
This is where agile marketing becomes a value add. Much like it sounds, agile marketing simply means adapting with change, rather than sticking to a strict set of rules.
Agile marketing is rooted in incremental changes to your strategy rather than broad reform. This gives you the ability to tweak your marketing campaigns as you go and align them with the current sociopolitical climate.
This tactic also has the added benefit of streamlining your workflows and opening the door for innovative thinking.
Invest in Marketing Automation
Gone are the days when logging customer touch points required hours of manual input.
Instead of manually keeping track of prospect or customer data, marketing automation provides a digital vehicle to stockpile and program specific content to distribute to different customer groups at different times. Not only does this save you time but improves the customer experience because the content can be tailored to each segment.
Using automation, you can coordinate email campaigns and social media posts with customer actions, interests, or levels of engagement. Those interactions are tracked and reported, giving you a better understanding of your audience and the content they want to see.
Studies show that 77% of businesses report higher lead conversions after adding automation to their marketing mix.
To get started, check out this list of some of the top performing automation software programs on the market.
Increase Digital Engagement
Customer engagement is one of the most important metrics to track. Thankfully, digital marketing makes it easy to do so.
Consumers value engagement with brands much more than transparency, customer service, and content quality, according to Sprout Social’s Social Index Report.
In the wake of COVID-19, customers will continue doing business online. So, it’s imperative that your digital engagement efforts are just as strong as your brick and mortar’s. If not more so, because customers have way more options online than they do in-person. At a minimum, be sure to:
- Optimize your website for mobile. Consumers are most responsive to simplicity. So, maintain uniformity and ease of use as it will increase the likelihood of engagement.
- Make the customer’s buying journey interactive. Incorporate a chat feature, search bar, or dynamic content to engage the consumer.
- Decrease digital response times. Consider automating responses or including an FAQ on your website to reduce lag time and redundancy.
Create a Hybrid of Virtual and Offline Experiences
As lockdown restrictions lift and people trickle back into their daily routines, some will still opt to minimize contact.
Blending on and offline offerings can help your customers stay safe while shopping. And the minimal disruption to purchasing can also help stabilize your sales.
Consider offering digital appointments, online consultations, and webinars. Offer curbside pick-up or delivery. Show customers that their safety and needs are a priority and pivot your strategy to accommodate their needs. Doing so will also give them another opportunity to interact with and experience your brand in new and memorable ways.
Pivot Your Marketing Strategy
As we enter a new era of tech and consumerism, businesses who invest in innovative marketing strategies today will have a competitive advantage in the future. But transforming your marketing strategy doesn’t have to be overly complex. By leveraging new tactics like agile marketing and marketing automation, and integrating on and offline experiences, you’ll be able to reach your audience in powerful new ways while being a good steward of time and resources.
