Two years have gone by since the global pandemic has started, and businesses had their fair share of adjustments in the shifting environment of marketplaces around the world.
Despite the massive decrease in customers’ numbers, some enterprises stayed on the surface, yet some failed to keep up and remain on the surface. On the other hand, some businesses grew out of the strict and tight limitations in the middle of the alarming health crisis.
Together with their respective teams, business owners planned new tactics to meet and reach their customers while abiding by the new health rules and protocols and quarantines and lockdowns. These changes in business marketing were brought by the still ongoing pandemic threat and will most likely be the new normal as the world continues its adaptations to everyone’s needs.
FACTORS THAT SHAPED MARKETING IN A PANDEMIC ERA
No one would have foreseen how significant the impact of the pandemic would be, especially to the market and the mass. And due to the demand for contactless services, digital marketing became the most prioritized responsibility during the pandemic.
Last 2021, 58% of marketing budgets were all for digital marketing, showing a 15.8% growth rate from the previous year and is forecasted to increase by roughly 14.7% this year.
The top investment areas of digital marketing included mobile marketing, search engine marketing, social media marketing, and video marketing since businesses and consumers migrated to the digital platforms to adapt to the contactless way of doing transactions amid the COVID-19 global crisis.
Search engine optimization grew in demand as well, and it has been reported that 68% of online experiences were from search engine searches. As people are now more getting versed in technology, that even the elderlies now know how to use social media platforms and search engines, consumers are now being utilized to look for answers to the questions they have. Searching for specific products or services has been easier nowadays since internet users can type simple descriptions and browse through results to see if what they are looking for would appear. Hence, seo services in the Philippines are also growing in numbers.
At the same time, social media sites have become more influential to people. As stated by Beroe, a procurement intelligence firm, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter had a direct impact of about 40% on consumers’ buying power. Meanwhile, 25.3% of purchasing decisions were affected by user-generated content on Facebook.
It is also worth noting that consumers are more likely to engage and be swayed through visual content as it is more attractive than just plain written texts. In a recent survey, approximately 68% of respondents said that the COVID-19 pandemic had influenced the amount of online video content consumed. It was also revealed that 96% of consumers had increased their online video consumption.
Proven by these numbers and surveys, the shift in marketing campaigns was inevitable. Although other businesses are still using traditional techniques, dependency on these old tactics isn’t likely enough to survive the current crisis.
THE FUTURE OF MARKETING BEYOND COVID
It is still unknown when this global threat will end, but the changes in the marketing field brought by it will undoubtedly stay in the post-pandemic age.
Businesses, on the other hand, should still be prepared for any situation and must take note of the following to adapt to shifts that may happen in the future quickly:
- Have a flexible marketing strategy.
- Keep an eye on consumers’ behavior and changes.
- Strengthen online presence.
- Utilize social media platforms.
- Include video marketing in campaigns.
As the old saying goes, changes are inevitable, but the pandemic indeed brought unforeseen changes that resulted in massive shifts in how things are done in the business world. Companies that learned numerous things from this situation will likely keep their adaptability to survive any challenges that may occur once again. New normal is out in the open, and enterprises are moving forward with their new marketing plans like outsource seo.
If you want to learn more about marketing in post-pandemic age, you can read this infographic from Digital Marketing Philippines.
