6 Ways the Pandemic Has Affected Marketing

Covid-19 has changed the way we do almost everything – including marketing. Some of the changes, like the shift away from in-person toward mostly digital interactions are not a big surprise. A few of the changes, however, may not be as obvious. Here are 6 ways the pandemic has changed marketing, and what you need to know to keep up:

Sayonara seminars, hello webinars

While some live events are being cancelled completely, many event organizers are opting to switch to an online format. Seminars are being replaced with webinars, tradeshows are moving from real conference halls to virtual ones, and meetings and demonstrations are happening over laptops instead of conference tables.

Let’s get digital, digital

It’s not just events that are moving online. With people staying home more, traditional outbound advertising methods like billboards aren’t getting the eyeballs they used to. Direct mail is also something that has taken a dive – as of April this year mail volume was “down by nearly a third compared with the same time last year.”1 In contrast, online marketing channels such as social media are continuing to thrive. In their Q2 2020 earnings report, Facebook cited over 2.7 million monthly active users.2 Interestingly, however, digital ad spending is expected to “decline by 4.9% worldwide this year”, which is in part due to the “a huge decline in travel-related search queries.”3

Hey you, yeah you

Getting a consumer’s attention has become more challenging, at least for most businesses (if you happen to manufacture disinfecting wipes, hopefully you have repurposed your entire marketing budget toward making more product). The amount of mental space that worrying about COVID-19 and all its implications on health, job security, childcare, etc. takes up is overwhelming, so unless your marketing efforts are providing a welcome distraction or genuinely useful information, people aren’t going to pay them any mind.

Additionally, since so much marketing has suddenly shifted into the digital space, companies are not only competing against the pandemic for attention, but all the other companies who are now optimizing their online presence.

Point, click, buy - repeat

eCommerce is stronger than ever. According to Cambridge Retail Advisors, “56% of C-level executives feel that the pandemic will permanently change the way people shop…most consumers will move exclusively to BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store) or BOPAC (buy online, pick up curbside) shopping.” 4

Please hold, recalculating…

COVID-19 hit like an unexpected road closure on GPS, having businesses and marketers all frantically recalculating the way forward. Things are continuing to change daily, and companies are having to learn to adapt faster and improve strategies for communicating these frequent changes.

Service with a smile, sort of

Customer service teams have shouldered their unfair share of mounting tensions during this pandemic. In a study that concluded around April of this year, over 20 companies reported that the number of “difficult” calls they received doubled in the span of 2 weeks.5 While some industries, like travel, have been hit especially hard, nearly all industries have been impacted by factors that lead to diminished customer satisfaction, such as delayed shipping and slower order processing.

 
 

 

Where do we go from here?

So how can we use these insights to update and strengthen our current marketing strategies? Here are 3 actions that businesses and marketers can take set themselves up for success:


1.     Get down with digital, but don’t neglect direct mail
Inbound marketing is very effective, and with so many people flooding the social media channels and browsing the web lately, it would be wise for you use these channels. Traditional outbound marketing tactics such as tradeshows and billboards are not where you want to spend your marketing budget currently - however, direct mail may be worth trying, as you’ll likely find some price cuts and reduced competition due to its current drop in popularity.


2.     Embrace change and focus on what you can control
You can’t control what COVID is going to do, but you can control how it affects your marketing. By keeping an eye on current events and leveraging digital marketing channels that are easier to make changes to, you can give yourself more time to adjust your strategy and messaging to accommodate the current consumer climate.   Remember, most people are overwhelmed with right now, so taking the time to recalibrate your messaging will give you a better chance of making a meaningful connection with your audience.

 

3.     Support your service teams
A big piece of providing good customer service is setting appropriate expectations. That has never been more important than right now. The influx of online orders combined with worldwide shipping and processing delays and an elevated baseline level of agitation have created a perfect recipe for customer service “haterade”. The good news is, you can help support your customer service team by using frequent and clear communication with customers to set their expectations appropriately. Adjusting messaging on your website, social media channels, and in your post-purchase email campaigns to let people know that things may take a bit longer, but it’s all being done to ensure their safety, will go a long way in maintaining customer satisfaction.

                     

Looking to up your marketing game? 

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References:

  1. Fandos, Nicholas, and Jim Tankersley. “Coronavirus Is Threatening One of Government's Steadiest Services: The Mail.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/us/politics/coronavirus-is-threatening-one-of-governments-steadiest-services-the-mail.html

  2. Hutchinson, Andrew. “Facebook Adds 100 Million More Users, Reports 11% Revenue Growth Amid COVID-19.” Social Media Today, 30 July 2020, www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-adds-100-million-more-users-reports-11-revenue-growth-amid-covid/582653/

  3. “Global Digital Ad Spending Update Q2 2020.” EMarketer, www.emarketer.com/content/global-digital-ad-spending-update-q2-2020   

  4. “Covid-19 Impact Study – Retail And Restaurant Market Analysis.” Cambridge Retail Advisors, 18 Sept. 2020, https://cambridgeretailadvisors.com/covid-19-impact-study/  

  5. Matthew Dixon, Ted McKenna and Gerardo de la O. “Supporting Customer Service Through the Coronavirus Crisis.” Harvard Business Review, 19 June 2020, https://hbr.org/2020/04/supporting-customer-service-through-the-coronavirus-crisis

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