Marketing Post-COVID: How To Adapt To Today's Normal

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, but the world needs to secure economic recovery as quickly as possible. For all types of companies, plenty of changes would have to come about to maintain customer engagement and selling. Marketing strategies will have to be different post-COVID; companies will need to implement new techniques in getting people interested. Here are things that can help companies navigate the new normal of marketing today.

1. Prioritize Connection

A return to empathy will be the driving force for many companies today. Marketers can help drive sales by showing how the brands respond to the changing realities people are facing. Instead of a hard sell or strong bottom-line message, more people will appreciate knowing that the companies responsible for products and services have the end-user in mind.

2. Cultivate Familiarity And Closeness

Since people crave connection, you must minimize the separation between you and your audience. Allow customers to glimpse vulnerability and provide a human touch through your brand. Sales reps can initiate calls through Zoom or Google Meet, create social media posts that tackle the issues of the day, and create content that pulls customers in.

3. Match How Customers Are Moving

You need to understand how the pandemic has changed your customers' lives so you can create campaigns or modify products to fit their new normal. Speak to key clients or customers about how they're coping during COVID lockdowns or how they're rebuilding after months of little or no income. You will need to have an empathic ear and keep their concerns and fears in mind when creating marketing content.

4. Prioritize Omnichannel Marketing

Digital marketing is no longer relegated to the sidelines. Today, you need to have an omnichannel approach to your marketing. More businesses will use digital methods to conduct outreach, and B2B companies will benefit from staying present in online platforms just as B2C companies do.

5. Ensure You Provide Unique Virtual Experiences

Your audience will appreciate having meaningful and unique virtual experiences. Since companies cannot have in-person or face-to-face events yet, they will need to improve how they conduct virtual events. Organizations need to look at ways to build engagement remotely. Video conferencing and marketing allow salespeople to engage in activities that reduce travel time.

6. Use Data To Inform Your Content Strategy

Data-driven storytelling was already a rising trend before the pandemic, and the COVID lockdowns just accelerated its adoption. B2B marketers need to use social listening and analytics to create content that their audiences want to see. Doing so provides audiences with a sense that the company really listens to them and pays attention to their needs.

7. Get Teams Used To Distributed Work

Get teams used to working from home. Many workers have expressed the desire to have all or most of their workweek in a distributed work setup, and optimizing this will bring you more savings and efficiency in the long run. A work-from-home setup enables people to shape their schedule while training them to be more accountable for tasks they must accomplish.

8. Keep Things Simple And Understated

Many companies are leaning into simplicity these days. The pandemic has taken its toll on people in more ways than one. When you keep things simple, it is easier to accomplish projects, especially during a global health crisis. Also, simple and understated is better for mental health. Your clients don't need yet another challenge or issue to confront.

9. Ensure That You Have Full Digital Pipelines

B2B marketers have engaged in full digital pipelines because of COVID-19. Since traditional and in-person methods are unavailable at the moment, B2B marketers need to step up and think outside the box. Account-based marketing will help accomplish digital outreach; your current network can introduce you to more clients.

10. Use Educational Webinars To Provide Value

A B2B marketer does not have the luxury of time to network with buyers. If you want to keep prospects interested, you need to find a perennially popular topic and create high-value content about it. Live webinars, training sessions, and workshops are all significant ways of helping a brand build its base.

11. Enable Other Teams To Amplify Content

Marketing is not only the job of the marketing and advertising teams. The company needs to have everyone on board and telling the world all about their brand. If your other teams amplify your content, especially through platforms like LinkedIn where connections are less social and more professional, you will find people interested in your posts about your brand.

Conclusion

The new normal will be different in meaningful ways, and some of these changes will not be apparent until after a few years. Keep your company's marketing tactics fresh by incorporating these methods, all while keeping your core values and goals in mind. If you put customers and employees first, you will always ensure that you’re moving in the right direction.

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