Combating the negative response and economic slowdown takes flexibility, innovation, responsiveness, and empathy. As consumers' routines are adapting to staying at home, marketers must proactively reach out to them where they are.
Here is how you can change the direction of your marketing strategy.
Anticipate Consumer Essentials
Social distancing can lead to stress, boredom, and anxiety. This makes it crucial to distinguish individual buyer needs and tackle them before it becomes a problem area.
For example, with schools and offices closed, it is challenging for parents to work from home and engage their kids. In response to this need, companies like ABCMouse offer free or significantly reduced pricing on their platforms to keep children entertained and educated.
During this unparalleled time, as consumers' buying behaviors and media consumption change, it's so important for marketers to recognize these developing patterns – as well as to anticipate consumer essentials. Real-time insights and technology that anticipate consumer interests and needs are essential for marketers and brands to create meaningful, supportive engagement with consumers. Brands have an opening to deliver real-time reassurance and a feeling of connection.
Leverage Technology
Now is the time to think about the most effective was to serve customers with reduced resources and social distancing constraints. Transition practices and services to a mobile platform if you haven’t already. Mobile apps are the key component to communicating with consumers in their own space at their own time.
Utilize the analytical power of SaaS software. Knowing what consumers are currently interested in, where they are, how they are using your app, and where your shortfalls are it the only way to get in front of the changes ahead. Use these analytics to:
Provide products and services that matter to consumers now.
Real-time customer support with back and forth communication.
Location-based communication for the most relevant information sent directly to consumers.
As you can see, delivery apps specifically are on a steady incline. They cater to the current needs of consumers and keep customers informed of changes such as contact-free delivery methods. Other industries are following suit to provide more immediate value with mobile offerings.
Center Your Brand in a Digital World
The more time people spend in their homes the more time spent on their mobile devices, and mobile app use is already on the rise. They are spending more time on streaming platforms for entertainment, social media for connecting with the outside world, retail apps for shopping, and so on. Although COVID-19 has disturbed marketing and advertising initiatives, we can expect marketers to keep their plans fluid and tweak their marketing strategies to reach consumers where they are.
We're at the beginning of a major behavioral shift, and as a result, merchants will see the majority of their profits come through digital means. That said, brands must reallocate budgets to reach consumers on a digital front. Social media ad-spend, mobile app campaigns, and update digital services to include the gaps previously filled in-store.
Does your restaurant use its app for reservations and menu offerings? Update mobile offerings to include take-out ordering or interactive links to delivery options. Transitioning services and ad spend toward digital service is what is going to matter in the new market.
Emphasis on Customer Experience
In nerve-wracking time likes these, brands must focus on imparting confidence in customers, by providing them with the means to cope with the situation, furnishing the right information, and going above and beyond to help customers. Being empathetic and prioritizing customer experience will help your brand stand out and help you build a loyal customer base.
Many businesses are going to suffer financially because of this. Rather than deteriorate in front of your customers, show how you're there for them through thick and thin. They shouldn't notice an interruption in the way they've always done business with you. That may mean you can't cut in all the places you want to cut. You may even need to intensify your efforts to ensure you deliver the best experience.
Customer service seems to be a huge facet that people are seeking efficiency and clarity. Many businesses are choosing to use push notifications to reach consumers with updates in information and two-way communication opportunities in regard to support consumers need. This gives consumers the power to reach brands from their homes in real-time from their mobile devices.
Adapt and Move Forward
The world is going to look different on the other side of COVID-19 as teams strengthen their muscles for creating engaging, targeted digital experiences for their buyers. CMOs that spend this time building end-to-end, personalized digital strategies are going to come out the other side with a huge competitive advantage. Additionally, we're seeing marketing teams adapt rapidly to customer retention and expansion strategies using mobile platforms.
No one can predict what's next in the global pandemic and when it will end. But, to survive and rise, we must stay sharp. And for that, you need to:
Understand, anticipate, and go above and beyond to fulfill customer needs.
Leverage the right technology to stay ahead of the challenge.
Be agile with your marketing and advertising spend.
Activate purpose-led marketing messages and focus on helping customers.
BoardActive offers a platform that assists businesses with getting a leg up on their mobile communication efforts and data collection. We have custom onboarding practices that get you moving forward as quickly as possible. Schedule a free demo today.
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