Business houses and organizations had ample scopes to promote their business online and
offline in the pre-COVID-19 world. There were options to travel and take part in exhibitions
and trade fairs. Brands could also plan grand product launches, hoardings, and billboard ads.
They could also go all out on meeting new clients for business development meetings.
However, the pandemic has affected business houses, organizations of all scales. Since
social distancing and lockdowns are the current reality, businesses need to find another way
of operating, expanding business, and making the necessary sales. Sustaining your business
has become more important than attaining massive success.
The COVID-19 impact on businesses
The pandemic has led to the closing down of the majority of offices, other than the essential
services, such as media, healthcare, and FMCG. Even though the government and other
authoritative bodies are trying to curb the virus attack, so that the world can resume its
normal course of life at the earliest, still there’s ample uncertainty.
Business houses and established organizations have realized that they need to change their
business and marketing strategy. Else, it might be challenging to thrive during and after the
pandemic.
Grow your business during and after the pandemic
Brands that are still fixated on traditional marketing procedures will have to rethink their
strategy! Even when the government and other authority bodies declare that the virus curve
has flattened to a vast degree, people might still be reluctant to move out with their N95
masks and hand sanitizers. And these people are your clients and customers. Hence,
thinking of a massive brand launch at a top-notch venue and inviting the media isn’t a smart
idea. Instead, you need to shift all your marketing communications and strategies online.
Digital marketing is the ideal solution in such times.
How can online marketing help in this pandemic?
There are business houses and organizations that might or might not have estimated the
crisis beforehand and invested in online marketing before COVID-19 became such a
pandemic. And these are the companies that are reaping the advantages now and will also
receive the benefits later. They have specific online visibility and can reach their target
audience online successfully. They can use their website and social media channels to
promote a new endeavor, service, or connect with people to sell the existing services and
products.
Online marketing proves to be beneficial for many brands because of its cost-effectiveness
as compared to traditional marketing. Owing to its one-time visibility, conventional
marketing tools such as newspaper ads or exhibition offers a short-term brand recall. But
when you do the same online, through online ads and online videos, customers can avail of
these communications whenever they want to. And since most people are at home, the
online discussions and content prove useful. Your customers can read through the same
intently and know more about your brand. Once the situation is stable, they might want to
make a purchase as well.
The tools you can use
Brands and business houses that have used digital marketing before sporadically, know the
tools that come under it. It helps companies to make business promotion tactics using paid
and organic resources. Some of the best tools are:
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
It is the oldest online business promotion process. It helps to optimize a corporate/business
website for increased visibility to a vast section of the audience, searching for
services/products to cater to their needs. The online strategy allows the business houses to
enhance the brand recall value, and it is free. Digital marketers need apt technical know-
how to ensure that your business can outshine other competitors. Furthermore, SEO is an
ongoing process and is a gradual process. But if you can wait out the process, it will bring
you the best results. There’s no need for companies to pay anything to get buyers or
attaining conversions. You simply need to join hands with an expert SEO professional or
agency. - Google Ads
If you want to choose a smart paid marketing tool, opt-in for Google Ads! Here you are
required to pay when a user clicks on the website link for visiting your website. And this is
where you should choose a PPC (Pay Per Click). It provides you the ease and flexibility for
business promotion to particular geographical regions. Google Ads is one of the most
preferred tools for companies and leverages the benefits of paid marketing. - Google Remarketing
Google Remarketing allows companies to showcase ads all through the internet, to users
who have visited your website before! It is a useful tool that provides ample reach to the
target customers. It brings you beneficial scopes for lead conversions. The Google
Remarketing tool is easy to use and a potent tool for all your brand building activities. It
enables you to measure the brand and online marketing performance based on your
campaign. - Google Interest Marketing
If your company has decided to use Google Interest Marketing, you can reach out to the
target audience via the Google display channel. Here the ads get shown to those who are
frequently searching for content, which is your business, or other marker players provide.
Furthermore, Google Interest Marketing allows business houses to showcase their ads to
prospective consumers who visit the competitor website. - Social media marketing
Social media has a broader reach and hence used by several brands to promote their
business! It can enhance brand recognition and recall value. Your customers can engage and connect with you through social media channels. Your business can also leverage scopes for better and higher lead conversion. Today, Instagram and Facebook can provide paid marketing packages that brands can select based on their campaign requirements and
brand objectives.
COVID-19, the global pandemic, has resulted in massive uncertainty and business loss so far!
Even though the world seems to be at a standstill, there’s still hope and useful ways to carry
out business. Digital marketing is the respite in such challenging and testing times that it
might have uncertain circumstances later. To operate optimally, now and in the future, it is
necessary to opt-in for an apt online marketing strategy.