One year ago, our lives changed dramatically, but we are now starting to see the light at the end of the dark tunnel.
We’re not there yet, but we will get there together. We’ve been with our clients through it all, and will continue to be here for you.
As we begin to hopefully emerge from this pandemic, it’s the perfect time to let your customers and clients know that you are still there for them as well. Increasing marketing efforts will reinforce your customers’ faith in you, your stability, and your services.
Signs of the Times
Because the pandemic has changed how businesses function, it has also impacted how businesses should market their brands. Effectively incorporating these modern-day changes into your business plan can help you remain competitive and efficient.
Most notably, many are talking about what workplaces will look like in the future. According to a post on Fortune.com, in a survey of 8,500 workers from around the world, 63 percent preferred to return to a hybrid office when the pandemic is over. Another 20 percent preferred a fully remote office, and 17 percent wanted to always work from the office.
Any way you look at it, the traditional 9 to 5 schedules for office jobs are likely history — and that was so even before the pandemic. With multiple people working in the same household while trying to manage their personal lives, employees have wanted flexibility in their schedules for many years.
Now that employers have been forced to offer remote working options, both they and workers have acclimated themselves to the benefits.
What Do the Effects of the Pandemic on the Workforce Mean for You — and For Us?
Being able to reach prospective customers in very traditional ways has become more difficult. Ever since the invention of Caller ID, in fact, cold-calling prospects has become less productive — if not impossible.
Today, when people are not in the office from 9 to 5, that throws an even bigger wrench into the fire.
We all have learned so much over this past year, both good and bad, and we’ll need to adjust for the changes that have occurred as a result.
We’re here to help you do just that, and here’s how.
Website Updates
We have always said that keeping your website updated with new, relevant content is critical for optimal website crawling. Today, your website is also a communication tool that will inform your viewers about, for example, special hours you may have due to the pandemic. You can also use it to directly connect with consumers through online messaging, allowing you to work remotely while still, in essence, keeping your eye on the phone.
Keeping your website updated on a regular basis not only lets the search engines know how responsible and capable you are, but it also keeps your consumers informed. And they’ll appreciate that.
In addition to general posts about your hours, you can also present yourself as a modern industry expert by regularly posting blogs, photos, videos, informative white papers, testimonials, and other relevant content.
Finally, updating your website to account for online ordering is essential to keep up with today’s consumers’ needs.
Email Marketing
The days of blindly contacting people just hoping that they will be interested in your product or service have been gone for decades, and that concept has never been as apparent as it is now that people are not in the office as often. The concept of email marketing is to reach people who are genuinely interested, and we can use various digital marketing tools to pinpoint this audience.
An outstanding benefit of email marketing is one that not so many people realize: Nearly everyone — of all ages and backgrounds — uses email. This opens up endless possibilities for reaching your target audience in your email campaigns.
Put it this way: Decades ago, there was one address and one phone number for a married couple, each of their children, and maybe a grandparent who all lived in one house. Today, all of the members of a household have their own phones and their own email addresses, so you can and should reach them individually depending on the products or services you provide.
Working from home during the pandemic created an even greater reliance on phones and emails, so this is clearly an opportunity you shouldn’t miss out on.
For global businesses, the need to adapt to today’s changing workforces is critical. You need to be accessible day and night to account for the various time zones, and effective website management, social media management, and email marketing is an integral part of doing so.
Email marketing is also a very sincere method of reaching your audience. If recipients opened an email, something piqued their interest. If they took an action, such as clicking on a link, that means they wanted more.
In fact, according to research from the Data & Marketing Association, email continues to deliver a strong return on investment. In general and on average, every $1 spent on email marketing equals a $42 return.
Furthermore, email marketing is ideal for B2B marketing as well as consumer transactions, especially as more people are working remotely. As a B2B company, you need to reach other businesses — and that requires reaching them on-the-go.
Social Media Marketing
Social media use increased significantly during the pandemic. We are online today more than ever. In addition to more social media use, people are opening their eyes to lesser-known but useful social media platforms and apps that they may have overlooked in the past — such as those for shopping and online fitness.
In fact, one study showed that Americans spent an average of 82 minutes per day on social media in 2020, which is 7 minutes more than it was in 2019. The average U.S. adult spends 38 minutes per day on Facebook alone, with the 16 to 24 age group spending 3 hours per day on social media. The overall use of any media for U.S. adults is an average of 12 hours 9 minutes per day.
It’s abundantly clear that social media marketing is essential in today’s climate. It allows you to be personable and real, showing people that you are empathetic and understanding about what we are all going through. It also makes your brand relevant and noticeable.
When you work with Basso Marketing Agency, we can essentially be your online presence on your behalf. We will also keep our eyes on what’s new and trending in the social media world, ensuring that you can be noticed wherever your prospects are.
Digital Advertising
The trend toward working remotely reinforces the need for a smart digital advertising strategy. You can still employ some print marketing strategies, as they are still effective. However, a more comprehensive strategy that includes digital advertising and print advertising can help you reach all audiences — no matter which form of communication they prefer.
According to a post on HubSpot, there were 8 million active advertisers on Facebook in 2020, the vast majority of which are small- and medium-sized businesses.
In other words, you’re not alone. You face immense competition. But you can beat it by being clever and deliberate in your advertisements’ word formation, designs, post timing, and more. It’s a complex system, so having the assistance of our skilled team at Basso Marketing Agency is an important first step in improving your digital advertising efforts.
For example, the Google Display Network reached 90% of Internet users worldwide as of 2019. You may think that’s a gold mine based on that statistic, but if you don’t know how to use the tool effectively, you could be throwing money down the drain. In many cases, it’s not only about getting a lot of attention for your brand; it’s more about getting the right attention.
In other words, we are skilled in identifying the who, what, when, where, and why of digital advertising, and we know how to use it.
Modern Marketing with a Foundation
Understanding what’s happening in the world is a key to effective marketing and business management in general. Our marketing strategists always have their finger on the pulse of current events, so we can push the right buttons to help grow your business the right way.
We have a long way to go in this COVID-19 pandemic, and we will likely feel its effects for years. It may even teach us lifelong lessons. How you use those lessons will make a difference in the success of your brand — today, tomorrow, and decades from now.
The main message is this: Don’t slow down now. You’ve come this far through these challenging months. Continuing to modify your perspectives, offerings, and marketing strategies will help you remain relevant for years to come. And if you happened to experience great success during this past year, keep it up.
Either way, we’re here to help — whether you need to revise and regroup or continue on the successful path you’re on.