Digital marketing has taken a new meaning in the COVID-19 era. Where some businesses relied on digital channels as just another estate, the current health problems have made it the most important form of marketing now. These days, having a digital footprint can be the reason your business continues to exist and thrive.

Assess Your Digital Channels

The first and most important step in implementing an effective digital marketing strategy is to audit your digital marketing collateral. Know how many active social media accounts you control and decide how and when to share content across the channels. You should also understand where your traffic comes from and know where you source the most promising leads for your products. With social media algorithms changing at irregular intervals, understand whether you would need to increase your ad spend to reach the same number of people.

Redefine Your Business Goals

It is not enough to create business accounts across the various social media channels. With so many brands out there on the internet, it is important that you have a concrete idea of what you want to achieve with each digital marketing channel you operate.

For example, is it your goal to redirect brick-and-mortar customers online? Do you want to improve brand awareness or is sales your most important metric? What about your social media marketing? Is it more important to maintain engagement on, say, Facebook, without worrying too much about click-through rates to your website? Answering some of these questions can help you draft a working digital marketing strategy so your business thrives despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Test and Implement Inbound Marketing

Driving traffic to your business website should be high on your digital marketing strategy. This is because a business website is yours to tweak and upgrade while social media pages leave you at the mercies of social media companies whose algorithms can affect your campaigns.

With so many people online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, your organisation needs to be in the best shape to attract some of that audience to your website. Update your FAQs page to keep potential customers aware of what to expect from you. Most importantly, analyse data from customer representatives, sales, etc., to know what your clients’ needs are.

Use Business Blogging

If you are not doing it already, then you are missing out on a huge opportunity. A business blog is one of the most important starting points of a consumer journey. People who land on your blog are already looking for a solution similar to what you are offering. This makes them easier to convert.

In building an effective digital marketing strategy, you should include a call-to-action in your business blog. This could be a discount code if the client would be willing to subscribe to your email list. With the right pixels on your website, it would be easier to tell who are recurring visitors, making it easier to direct the right type of ads at them to increase return on investment.

Ramp Up Your Social Media Marketing

Now more than ever, social media is attracting a lot of users. Boredom and social distancing rules have made online platforms the go-to spaces for conversations and collaborations. As an organisation looking to exploit all possible avenues, increasing your engagement on these platforms is a critical digital marketing strategy you should not ignore.

Use Relevant Communication

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a lot of people stressed. The deluge of information from businesses going online can also become a burden for clients. For effective digital marketing, it is important to only send out relevant communications. Don’t spend email resources on messages that don’t add value to your potential clients. The last thing you want is for your email address to be blacklisted for spamming uninterested clients.

Show Empathy

While you are trying to turn a potential client into a customer, understand that many are going through a very tough time. Jobs have been lost, loved ones have passed away, and the outlook looks quite bleak for some. The last thing such persons want is another business looking to rip them off.

Rather, show empathy to your clients. Let them understand you feel for them and that you are in it together. Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools in digital marketing. Your organisation can use it to make an audience feel at home following your brand across all your platform. The longer they stay, the easier it is to build trust for the future.

Conclusion

While the coronavirus pandemic is raging on, it is important for organisations to be selective in what types of content they use to attract customers. Effective digital marketing strategies prioritise the clients and empathises with them. It also involves putting your best foot forward by sending out only what is necessary to those who need it most.