The entire marketing world has shifted completely post-pandemic, some effected more than the others. However, there were a lot shifts in favour of digital marketing; a unit generally put on the back seat of the car is now the driving the vehicle marketing. Many businesses lucked out and some thrived in the market. What we have learned early on is that the priority of the consumers have shifted, goods that are primary like food and medicine have been prioritised over non-essential goods like say, a baseball bat. So let us try to understand what role digital marketing has played in this current situation and thereby discussing some of the digital marketing lessons, we learnt in 2020:

Importance of loyal consumers

This pandemic has taught us that brands with loyal consumers have thrived in this pandemic, not saying that they were unaffected, however, we realise the importance of building a strong base of customers, albeit slow and disheartening at times, the fruit of the seeds we sow are bountiful.

Businesses that had already planted this seed i.e. building loyal consumers have benefitted and stayed consistent in the market while their competitors suffered loss after loss.

People like brands and they want to identify themselves with it, people are also hesitant to try out new things especially on the internet. Moreover, with the rise of scams, consumers want to stick themselves to a brand they trust which they have been using for a long time. The pandemic has gained new consumers like the older generations who have more or less stayed away from things like ordering grocery online, who have now been forced due to circumstances to have that as their only source to buy grocery in some cases.

So how do we gain this loyalty?

One can generate this loyalty by integrating loyalty programs in their business, this includes rewards, discounts, coupons etc. to consumers who frequent your online shop.
Older methods involve asking costumers to sign for newsletters through mail and email and the newer methods include Social Media, wherein one can directly engage with consumers through comments, messaging, retweets, likes and so much more.

The importance of adapting

As previously discussed, the pandemic brought on instability to the market, companies that were able to accommodate those instabilities have somehow stayed afloat. This is important because the pandemic, which is still continuing, will also continue to fluctuate.

Some big and obvious changes are as mentioned, priorities of consumers, the general shift of mobile users to desktop users, the decrease in attention span, the viability of social media and most importantly, the shift in how advertisement is marketed; we went from billboard advertisements to Youtube advertisement.

We have to adapt to the customers and not the other way around, before the pandemic, the sellers manipulated the audiences and told them what they need, but now consumers know what they need. Customers want fast delivery, products that are nearby and they prioritise essential over non-essential. The sellers have to adapt to where the consumers are looking, there are more eyes on the Youtube ads than on a billboard sign in the mall. This is the importance of adapting.

Websites with latest news, social media accounts that are currently viral, these are prime advertisement spaces because they will have millions of viewers. If one is able to plant a seed of information about their own company in the comment sections, you will gain lurkers who may become consumers/customers.

Mobile friendly websites

We already know the significance of websites, they are the first step into the digital marketing world . They are free and easy to access all year round, people can bookmark your site, your products and most importantly, you can track these information and turn into a strategy. Only those who learn to understand this amazing world of data that Google and other web browsers have allowed, only then we can harvest major investments from viewers.

Therefore, what this data has shown is the importance of mobile friendly websites. It seems like an obvious thought that any website you can view on your laptop/desktop should be available on your phone, well it is available however there are a lot of issues in it.

There may be problems with graphics and text alignments; this is a rookie mistake because research shows more mobile users access the web as compared to the desktop user. A wonky website is unappealing to consumers, they will abandon that website and so will the algorithm, it will not be SEO approved and therefore, will lose a lot of market.

For students and the majority of people, mobiles are cheaper and are therefore, their first introduction to the internet; this is a big market of unaided consumers who have no loyalty yet to brands.
Making websites that are friendly to them will bring you new customers, especially in this pandemic where people are exploring the internet more due to more "free" time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have learnt that people are more open to the digital market, both consumers and sellers. We have also learnt the importance of adapting ourselves to new situations and there are some things, which will have more priority than others no matter what the circumstances will be. Markets have to learn to adapt to what is trending and viral, they have to align their steps in tune to that of the customers' steps.

These are vital information which are crucial to the growth of your company, if you felt like these were helpful then we here at Kolkata School of Digital Marketing have much more in store for you. We are one of the best digital marketing institute of India offering short term and long term courses to prepare you for this ever shifting digital world. Join us to be at the top of the game!