When a four-month-old baby is hungry, he calls for his mom. He may cry, fuss, and do all things to get what he needs. Surely, the baby has not read any books on marketing; but he is doing some marketing. And as soon as he gets breastfed, you know he’s doing a great job.
Ever since man walked the Earth upright, marketing is an integral part of his everyday life. The techniques may have changed over the years. But the principles have stayed the same. An idea has to be marketed, if not it will wither and die. You may have a wider choice of media to market a product today: radio, magazines, televisions, and mobile phones. And yet, the goal remains the same: growing demand.
No doubt, experience is the best teacher. It’s no different in marketing. By trying different strategies, marketers become more adept, aware of what works and what doesn’t. But the pandemic interrupted such luxury of learning. It became the greatest marketing challenge ever — separating the best marketers from the so-so. Those who are able to adjust their marketing in time, thrive. While those who fall short were sidelined. One thing’s for certain, key talking points on marketing in COVID-19 times have surfaced, showing everyone a better way to sell.
Trusted relationships are pivotal
The first marketing lesson from COVID-19 is the importance of relationships with customers. That means making sure that they can trust you should be top of your priority. In the process, you build greater brand loyalty.
An interesting fact is that customers now put a premium on trust rather than price, as unbelievable as that may sound. For many customers today, a trusting relationship is far more valued than the low prices of products. This means that despite the economic downturn, people value trustworthiness even more.
This is reason enough why Unilever is investing capital and effort in making products more trustworthy. For instance, the giant firm is making sure its products are as transparent as can be, putting all the ingredients on the label. Hidden ingredients only serve to invite doubt and sow suspicion.
This doesn’t mean that price doesn’t matter and you should pump the price of your products. Survey shows 43.3% of customers during this pandemic stated their unwillingness to buy products at the usual price. A little adjustment on the price should be wise.
Going digital pays off
In times like this, you can’t afford not to go digital. You simply have no choice. It’s go digital or die. Since the pandemic hit the town, more and more people are online. Pew Research detailed more than half of Americans are convinced the internet is an essential tool during the pandemic
And it’s understandable. As lock down measures are in place, the internet became the go-to marketplace. Small wonder, Amazon and other e-commerce companies in America are exploding in growth. Consequently, Jeff Bezos reached his peak worth during the pandemic, becoming the first-ever centibillionaire on the planet.
Digital marketing allows you to reach your prospective buyers anywhere on the planet without spending too much. Not using it could be largely disadvantaged.
It’s important you keep your brand consistent when you go digital. In this regard, exploring the services of a quality printing service company to come up with your brand’s logo is wise. Further, these experts should ensure your message stays true to your branding online.
Even better, a good online support company also offers a whale range of online marketing tools: website design, flyer designs, logo designs, and many more. As a whole, they make your company branding spotless, and at less cost.
Turning outward for problem-solving
The norm before when it came to problem-solving was turning inward. Talk about talking to top management, team members, and the sales team. More often than not, they could be your crying shoulder. But during the pandemic, such a method may not be so popular after all.
When you’re dealing with a virus that’s spreading with wanton abandon infecting millions, turning outside for help instead of just inside can be a lifesaver. This can give you a lot of good.
Referring to your inside team can lead you to blunders. Rather taking outside input when you need to decide can be timely. This is what happened to HEB, the Texas grocery-store giant. The retail enterprise reached out to various Chinese retailers to get a better grasp on how to handle the virus.
Need for experimentation
Another lesson learned during the pandemic is the importance of experimentation. Gone are the days when you can take the risk of putting out new products without experimenting. ; This is akin to doing the A/B Testing in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). You change a marketing action and see its results.
Fortunately, many marketers in the tech section are doing a great job experimenting. Data show 45% of these tech marketers are experimenting with their marketing to come up with better results. Other marketing teams are not as prolific.
Target new customers
For many marketers, at the start of the pandemic, the goal has been keeping customers. No doubt, this is very important. But one lesson learned from this pandemic is the importance of targeting new customers. In this regard, you should devote a healthy amount of your talent and time to creating new leads.
Most marketing teams today are on the defensive. Finding themselves largely marginalized by the virus, retaining current clientele is the main focus. A greater way to thrive is to look for new customers. It means you’re going on the offensive and gaining new grounds in the process. It widens your reach leaving the competition behind.
