The pandemic compelled businesses to implement changes in the way they connected with their market. Traditional marketing strategies were not effective since people were staying home to avoid the virus. Due to this, businesses that are struggling to reach their customers and increase revenue should focus on marketing strategies that are suitable situation.
And with the continuing release of the coronavirus vaccine, it’s only a matter of time when the country will enter the new normal way of life. This means businesses should modify their marketing efforts to fit a post-pandemic world. Here are some things businesses should do to allow them to connect with the customers after the pandemic ends.
Focus on Your Current Customers
The first thing businesses should do is to focus on their current customers. Since businesses may struggle in getting the attention of new customers, they should continue their connection with the ones they already have.
They should focus on providing new products and services that meet their needs. Additionally, businesses should also monitor if they have new needs, so they can work on meeting these requirements as well.
The current economic downturn due to the pandemic is similar to the financial crisis during the Great Depression. Due to this, businesses can offer to refund customers whose accounts were on auto-pay. This may affect the short-term cash flow of the business, but the customers will appreciate the gesture and will likely patronize the business in the future because of it.
The important thing is that the business will show that it cares for its customers and is willing to sacrifice profits just to help them. This will create loyal customers in the future who may even advertise what the business did on their behalf. This word-of-mouth marketing is beneficial for the business in the long run.
Adapt to Customer Needs
When the pandemic ends, people will still find it challenging to get back on their feet. Some of them may even have lesser buying power compared to the time before the pandemic. This means the customers are going to be selective with the businesses they will support and will not respond to marketing ploys of different businesses.
With this, businesses should evaluate their marketing strategy and focus on making it suitable to the needs of its customer. It should avoid ploys that only frustrate the customer. The marketing strategy display sincerity in meeting the needs of the customer.
Go Online
Going online is one of the things businesses should do since their customers have also gone online. The start of the pandemic saw many businesses going online for the first time. A web hosting platform even reported that there was a 48 percent in the number of new accounts between February and April. This shows that businesses were aiming to connect with their customers.
But going online isn’t the only thing a business should do. It should increase its online presence to get the attention of its target market. At this point, hiring a digital marketing agency is ideal to help market their store. These agencies can guide businesses in promoting themselves online, so they will connect with their customers.
Additionally, the business should focus on social media marketing (SMM) and search engine marketing (SEM) to reach its target market. It can set up an automated email communication system and use artificial intelligence together with machine learning to provide an automated customer service feature for their website.
It can also use Facebook ads to connect with its market through social media. This means it should create a social media page to allow it to showcase its products and services to its customers.
Offer Deals and Promotions
Businesses should also offer deals and promotions to catch the attention of potential customers. They can offer it through their social media platforms or even send promotional emails. But the promotional emails should not look spammy or else its recipient will block the email address of the business.
The deals and promotions can allow the business to get new customers. Some deals and promotions can be exclusive to new customers. But businesses shouldn’t forget their old customers. They can offer discounts to them, so they will continue buying from the business.
Deals and promotions are effective in different industries, including those that were severely affected by the pandemic. They provide an incentive to customers who will buy the products the business offers. Additionally, these deals and promotions allow businesses to increase their revenue and expand their customer base.
Businesses should start preparing marketing strategies suitable for a post-pandemic situation. This allows the business to increase its sales and allow it to continue to thrive after the pandemic ends.