We slept and woke up into a new world.
Suddenly, we realized that we can’t move freely as we used to. We have to be careful so that we don’t get sick. We have to work from home..
Since travels, vacations, retail, and recreations are now to be avoided, more people are now online and we facetime now more than we used to.
The economy has been affected. Money is still circulating, but some industries have been badly hit.
As a digital marketer operating in some niches, a new strategy for new markets may be important.
Not all markets are down, and online spending has seen a surge. Though, this is on essential needs.
The new normal is upon us, and we have to adapt, in all aspects, to it.
Here are a few ways to adapt to the new normal.
Find New Markets
The pandemic has affected a lot of markets. Till the world sees the end of this pandemic, some industries may have to remain closed.
The world has reached a level of integration where digital marketing is employed to reach new and existing customers. Running campaigns through online ads, following trends, and investing in traffic sources are now part of everyday business.
However, with markets down, digital marketers who specialize in these markets may have to find new markets.
Thankfully, Adobe Analytics has released its Digital Economy Index based on digital consumer shopping during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This report analyzes the trillions of online transactions across 100 million product SKUs in 18 product categories.
According to it, there is a 20% increase in digital purchasing power. People now spend more money online in getting essentials.
Grocery saw a rise from 6% to 8% in its share of the digital economy spending, while apparel rose from 20% to 23%. It goes without saying that indoor apparels make a bulk of this increase.
Other items that have seen a jump in sales include 807% for hand sanitizers, gloves, masks, and anti-bacterial sprays; 217% for over-the-counter drug purchases (cold, flu and pain relievers); 231% for toilet paper; and 87% for canned goods and shelf-stable items.
Fitness equipment has also seen a jump in sales. The same is the case for desktops and laptops.
These are new markets that digital marketers can launch.
Tap into the New Traffic
Live is more active online than before. We have been able to substitute physical meetings with video calls and conferencing.
More people are active on social media and according to Twitter, there has been a meaningful increase in the amount of people using the platform.
Internet traffic is up generally as more people have turned to it as the window to the outside world.
You can employ this time to grow your online following and get people drawn to your pages and blogs. This may not automatically pay off in ROI now, but it will. The economy will recover and markets will be back.
This is the time to use good content to get people to subscribe to your email lists, allow your push notification, and keep in touch with you.
Be More Visible Online
Now is the time we will want to do the things we often neglected, like practicing yoga or getting that workout kit. We hope to find the discount codes we often neglected in the mail to make the purchase.
Purchases are still part of our everyday lives, but people want to know if a business is in operation. A search on Google for your business should not come back fruitless.
Here are a few things you should take note of:
1. Your Website
If you don’t have a website yet, get one. Movement is restricted and people still want to know if you are in operation. Optimize it for SEO and create useful content so that it can be indexed for search engines.
Run a blog alongside to provide useful content. You can create reads around what your business is about. Helpful tips, tricks, and engaging reads can help you get organic traffic.
2. Local Listings
Due to the pandemic and restriction on movements, have your business hours changed? Have you moved certain parts of your operations online? Do you still do deliveries? Has anything changed in your operations?
You need to let your customers know these. Provide accurate information on all these so that they can make decisions easily.
3. Social Media
Connect with your customers on social media by sharing updates and responding to their inquiries.
To let them know you are active, share posts from your blog and keep the promotional spotlight on your products.
Adjust to the New Environment
It may not be easy working from home.
Maybe you used to work from home, but now you may have kids and people around, and you wish the noise was down a little.
You may have to adapt. Developing flexible working hours may help.
Waking up early to work from 4 - 7 am can give you some extra hours when you are free from distraction.
Setting up your workspace at home will help you achieve more. Find ways of getting stronger internet service so that you are not cut off from work.
Constantly reach out to colleagues to check up on them and the progress they’ve made on projects.
Welcome to the New World
We are going to defeat the pandemic and our normal lives will be restored, but some things will change forever.
More people will find it more sustainable and easier to work from home. Retail can only see a continuous increase online. Online shopping has finally gotten everyone’s attention.
With things taking a new turn, you want to start watching market trends to see how your business can fit in nicely.
Grow your following and tap into emerging markets.
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