Our Quote of the Day: "Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity." — R. I. Fitzhenry
Consumer Routines
In general, Americans have had their routines upended, which leads to a degree of uncertainty and insecurity, primarily because of the threat of financial hardships. In this environment, it is critical to understand that shopping, product searching, and product comparison tend to land at the bottom of the to-do lists, unless it falls into an essential category, such as medical or groceries. The change in consumer routines has a definitive effect on how business strategies align with those changes. Moreover, in the absence of re-thinking marketing strategies, the probability of expanding and growing could juxtapose the business against consumer interests.
We know that internet usage is up, and is probably going to grow over the next few weeks as the number of outbreaks reaches new heights and may require a second complete lockdown. Therefore, an active digital presence right now will speak volumes. The bad news for the internet and digital communications is that 24/7 web traffic will make it more challenging to create and produce timely content that generates acceptable response rates using pre-pandemic budgets for online marketing.
Therefore, brands should determine how to create better online marketing campaigns that generate higher response rates and engagement rates. One method is to point consumer targets to specific online destinations from outside of the digital environment. Direct mail answers that challenge. According to Direct Marketing Consultant Craig Simpson, "If you want to build your online business, research shows that one of the best ways to do it is to use direct mail to drive prospects to your site. It's the combination of direct mail with an online presence that packs such a powerful marketing punch. Even Google, probably one of the iconic internet businesses, sends out direct-mail campaigns."
Further, adding personalized direct mail as the driver to online marketing destinations, ensures the targets who have read the offer, are directed to the online content to fulfill product purchasing.
Key Marketing Trends
Key marketing trends, which tend to be driven digitally, for the most part, are made up of marketing tools that are considered the most efficient and effective, as rated by several data-mining organizations. All of these marketing tools based on recent trends are still viable during this period and include:
Facebook and Instagram - These two social media destinations lead the pack with response and engagement rates. However, Facebook is facing advertiser boycotts because it allows fake news and hate speech to continue on its platforms. That means that brands should proceed with caution when spending ad money on the platform during the boycott. On the other hand, posting free positive content that demonstrates the brand cares about people and their communities can go a long way in the consumer's mind while remaining present. We contend that marketers should keep a watchful eye on the changes the platforms make that could place the platforms back in good stead for paid advertising.
Video - Video marketing is a critical piece of content, especially live video. Not all brands can perform live videos; nevertheless, engaging video content is a winning marketing tool. A quote from Digital Marketing Institute: "In a mobile-mad world, people are watching more video than ever before, using smartphones to watch and share videos about everything, learning more about brands, and what they have to offer." Think about these stats from ImpactBND:
- 70% of consumers have shared a brand's video.
- 52% of consumers claim that watching product videos makes them more confident and guides their online purchasing decisions.
- 72% of businesses believe video content has improved their conversion rates.
Email Marketing - As you may have guessed, email marketing is still useful and is here to stay. This communication channel is responsible for over 230 billion messages per day! Email marketing contains many disciplines that use this tool, including commercial, non-profits, personal, industrial, scientific, transportation, legal, and academic purposes. During this pandemic, it is vitally important to create personalized email messages geared toward specific communications. Automated email responses driven by AI is highly effective. When a user is searching or browsing for a particular product or service, an automated email response that follows up with a promo price or explanatory video in a personalized email can be a game-changer.
Interactive Content - When users can engage with and interact with online content, the marketing world at large gives the engagement high marks, especially as an effective method that can educate potential buyers. Now and throughout 2020, more organizations will look to create interactive content, including quizzes, polls, 360-degree videos, and augmented reality ads.
Omnichannel Marketing - Omnichannel marketing is the execution whereby you publish content across multiple platforms. These platforms can include direct mail, email, apps, social media channels, websites, web blogs. Omnichannel marketing is no longer an afterthought. This undertaking allows brands to connect with prospects and customers across various touchpoints, thus increasing and improving the user experience.
Leveraging Marketing Trends
In a sense, leveraging the top marketing trends during a pandemic will improve a brand's overall reach. In all likelihood, prospects who see marketing messages across a range of channels tend to respond much better. Besides, keeping the brand's name and content in front of folks in an ongoing fashion across a myriad of customer touchpoints will reap the benefits of establishing brand visibility over the long term. The other critical aspect is that brand messaging should be solution-based and built around caring for the needs and wishes of prospects and customers. When a brand says, "We feel your pain," and have solutions to ease that pain, is when the brand magic happens.
The Net-Net
While the nation is learning how to co-exist in the short term during this pandemic, the business will continue, and new opportunities will arise. Every time a door closes, a new one opens. That's life! And to that end, re-focusing and reimagining new opportunities will significantly aid in creating new marketing strategies and tactics. Thanks for reading "How To Leverage Key Marketing Trends in a Pandemic."
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