POST-COVID DIGITAL STRATEGY: WHY YOU SHOULDN'T DITCH DIGITAL IN 2021
We’re all ready to move on from the insanity of the pandemic, but a great shift happened in the marketing world as a result. The importance of digital marketing came to the forefront and businesses that weren’t prepared scrambled to jump on board.
This great awakening showed many businesses where they were weak. Maybe they had a heavy dependence on foot traffic and their website’s checkout was clunky. Maybe they weren’t connecting much with their customers via social media. Whatever the case, the pandemic made businesses upgrade where they needed to.
What happens when things “go back to normal”, though? Ditching what you’ve worked so hard to put in place to reach your customers would be detrimental to your marketing. Here’s why:
PEOPLE STILL LIKE CONVENIENCE
Have you heard of this company called Amazon? It skyrocketed into a behemoth because they were consistently reinvesting in strategies to become more and more convenient to consumers. Convenience is key and is not going away anytime soon. The ability to go onto a website or social media and find out exactly how to purchase from someone in 30 seconds or less is invaluable.
There is something to be said about the fact that some introverts certainly rejoiced at being able to order everything from home. A lot of people already had or did develop social anxiety from being at home for so long, so the thought of returning to “normal” might take some time for people to get used to. Don’t alienate these people.
KEEP YOUR SALES MIX DIVERSIFIED
In this context, I’m talking about the sources of sales in your business. A lot of people were heavily dependent on physical visitors, so when that wasn’t a possibility, their sales suffered. You should have a healthy mix of revenue sources from foot traffic, online sales, social media sales, and other sources. It would be dangerous to revert back to the mix you had before the pandemic hit.
Keeping a strong focus on digital sales also allows you to cater to different personality types. Maybe previously certain customers didn’t find or go into your business because they didn’t frequent the area of your business or don’t purchase your specific product or service in-person. Don’t alienate customers who want to only interact with you digitally going forward.
EXCITING FEATURES
It was definitely annoying for those who were not used to digital marketing to try to learn about all of the features and how to utilize them. However, a lot of very creative features were born during the pandemic. Such as:
E-gift cards (not born during pandemic, but certainly more widely utilized)
Shoppable Instagram stories that integrate with your sales software
The ability for consumers to purchase food and gift cards through Instagram stories directly (my personal favorite)
Guides & Reels--another way to get creative with selling & connecting to your audience
If you still feel that you are not up-to-speed with all of your digital marketing, consider hiring a consultant to help you build the foundation. Right now it might be difficult to consider another expense, but if done correctly, your improved sales over time will cover the current cost.
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about what I covered here! I would love to hear your thoughts.