Preparing Your Post-COVID Digital Marketing Strategy

The world and the economy are changing. Your digital marketing strategy needs to change with these challenging times.

As we mentioned in our post “Why A Digital Marketing Plan Matters,” a comprehensive, cohesive marketing strategy gives you a distinct advantage over your competition. A digital marketing strategy also helps you make the best use of the resources you already have at your disposal, saves you from duplicating effort and wasting time and money in the process, and addresses the specific needs of your target audience.

COVID-19 has changed the way consumers and business leaders think and act. Consumers are doing more shopping online and looking for contactless deliveries. Business leaders have been forced to make quick decisions, problem-solving under unfamiliar and constantly shifting conditions. Many have pivoted their business models to address safety concerns. According to Google, 10% more have invested in local ads. By updating their digital marketing, they keep their target market informed about options like new hours, product availability, curbside pickup, delivery, takeout, and teleconferencing services that replace in-office consultations.

Like businesses, digital marketing strategies are also changing. It’s important to dedicate time now to evaluate and take action. What parts of your digital marketing plan are pandemic-specific and what needs to be updated for the post-COVID world? Consider these strategies:

Review and update your buyer persona
Understand your target audience as they are right now. What are their new expectations? What do they need that may not have been on your radar before?

Monitor and follow trends
Do keyword research and look for trends. “Delivery” and “virtual meeting” were quite popular in the spring months. Check Google Trends. Pay closer attention to social media where your target audience spends time.

Do competitive research
Take another look at your competition and their online presence. What have they changed in response to these challenging times? What can you do better than they are doing?

Be clear about what differentiates your business
If you have never determined your business differentiation in the market, you need to do so now. Do you stand out for product, service, price, availability, reputation, etc.? If you did so earlier than last month, you need to take another look and see if it still makes sense for your current business model (and the pivoting you may have done).

Determine if your goals are still valid
Re-examine your goals for your digital marketing. Adjust them to reflect where your small business is now and where you see it going in the post-COVID era.

Monitor your customer journey
Use analytics to see how your prospects and customers are interacting with your online presence and your brand. Discover what, if anything, is causing them to abandon their carts or depart from your website. Nurture their actions with helpful high-quality content, engaging social media, and clear calls to action.

Adjust your content mix
Some people like to read. Others like to view videos and webinars. Still others learn best with a combination of videos and transcripts. Know your target audience’s preference and then add some variety to your content on your website or blog.

Evaluate existing and new channels and paid advertising
Look at what digital marketing is already working for you. Consider new channels that have attracted a following among your target market. Experiment with targeted paid advertising where you can analyze your results.

Invest in organic traffic (SEO)
Search engine optimization is still your friend. Good SEO, applied to your website or blog’s high-quality content, can provide long-lasting results. This is especially important because Google’s algorithms and patterns of paid ad placement change on a regular basis.

Leverage your databases
Regularly track the insights that matter most to your business. Use this information in your decision-making process.

If this sounds overwhelming, Tate Design can help. Call us at 610.725.0702 or e-mail [email protected] to review your digital marketing plan and get started on one or more of the strategies listed above. Now is the time to prepare your post-COVID digital marketing and advertising.