With the COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in December 2019, many businesses were forced to close down. In fact, around the world, there were over 200,000,000 people unemployed. While many sectors were adversely affected, retail and brand marketing were no exception. In times like these when so much uncertainty surrounds us, it’s more important than ever before to have a clear strategy in place.

For decades, marketing has been predominantly focused on retail and brand awareness. However, in today’s digital world, marketing is evolving to become more specialised and, in some cases, even more tactical.

Traditional retail marketing, which ranges from radio advertising to billboards and magazine spreads, simply adjusted to the new reality. Radio advertising, for example, became podcast sponsorships. Billboards and magazine spreads became website banners and social media content.

While businesses had to dramatically adjust how they marketed and advertised their products and services, they also had to rethink the way they thought about marketing. They needed to understand consumer behaviour in the age of Covid-19 and develop marketing strategies accordingly.

The good news is that, with some minor adjustments, marketers can continue to thrive and flourish during this time of crisis and, indeed, beyond.

In this article, we will discuss five ways that marketers can continue to market their products and services online, without relying on social media. These five tactics are;

1. SEO

SEO, or search engine optimisation, is the practice of getting your website to show up on the first page of an online search engine’s results for relevant searches.

SEO is performed with the help of a few key words or key phrases that describe your product and the content on your website. When someone types in these keywords or phrases into an online search engine, your website’s content should display.

There are several reasons why SEO is an important tool for marketers.

• It is free. There is no cost associated with optimisation, so long as you are not breaking any rules.
• It is flexible. You can tweak and manage your SEO activities easily with the help of online tools.
• It is easy to understand and implement. Anyone can get started with SEO fairly quickly.
• SEO covers a wide array of marketing activities. From getting people to your website to increasing your website’s engagement and conversion, SEO addresses all of these areas.
• SEO takes into consideration all types of devices and browsers that your target audience uses.
• SEO is measurable. You can track the results of your efforts regularly using various tools and platforms.

2. Email Marketing

Email marketing, similar to SEO, is the act of sending marketing emails to your target audience. However, instead of using keywords or phrases to attract people to your site, you are doing so to encourage them to take action and, in some cases, make a purchase. This action could be entering your site, signing up for a newsletter, or making an enquiry.

To get started with email marketing, you will need a list of potential customers who have opted in to receive marketing emails from you. Depending on your niche and the industry, you may also need a list of influencers who could promote your business.

You will then use your list to send out email campaigns regularly. Here is where things get a little bit different.

For decades, mass emailing has been the preferred way to reach people. However, during the pandemic, people have had diminished desire to be in contact with other people as much. As a result, email marketing saw a drop in open rates and click through rates.

Luckily, during this time, people have been more engaged with the content that they receive via email than ever before. As a result, businesses have had the opportunity to experiment with email marketing strategies and learn from these results.

Emails still perform well during times of pandemic. In fact, according to HubSpot Blogs research, email marketing saw significant growth during the pandemic. When comparing May 2020 to April 2020, click-through rates jumped by 27% and open rates increased by 22%.

3. Live Chat

Live chat, or holding live conversations with customers via online chat platforms, is all the rage these days. In fact, in 2020 alone, online chat platforms like Zoom, Teams, and GoToMeeting saw a 300% increase in user activity. This is because people want to be able to ask questions about a product or service and get quick replies from a real person rather than having to search for an answer online or ask a coworker.

While this may sound like an obvious choice, given that your target audience is online, you would be surprised how few marketers actually use live chat. This, however, is a mistake. By understanding the benefits that live chat brings to your business, you will be able to harness the power of this functionality.

Live chat provides you with the opportunity to answer questions, provide customer service, and even sell your product or service.

The major benefit of live chat is that it provides you with real-time feedback from your customers. This allows you to tweak your products and services and get feedback on whether or not these changes are effective. You can also use this opportunity to see how others are performing and what you can learn from their interactions.

For instance, if you notice that a certain product or service has a high bounce rate (i.e. the percentage of visitors to that site who immediately leave after viewing just one page), you can determine whether or not this is a good trend and work on eliminating it. You can also use analytics to track what is attracting people to your site, what is driving them away, and what you can do to improve the experience for future visitors. This level of analytical control is not available when working with A/B testers or surveys.

Even if you already have an established customer base, you should consider setting up a live chat platform with your contact details and instructions on how to get in touch. Not only will this provide you with an additional communication channel, it will also create an opportunity to provide more personalised customer service.

4. Blogging

Blogging is a fantastic tool for online marketing. Not only does it provide you with the opportunity to create and curate content, it also gives you the chance to build a community around your business. When people subscribe to your blog, they receive regular content curated from various sources that may interest them. In turn, they are likely to recommend your blog to others.

What is more, when other people comment on your blog posts, you gain credibility with your audience. Finally, when your audience sees that you are actively engaging with other people on social media, they may think that you are an authoritative source for your industry and they may come to you for advice or information.]

Blogging is a fantastic tool for any marketer, regardless of whether or not you are a business. If you are looking for ways to gain more awareness and engage with your audience, consider setting up a blog. In addition to the advantages that we just mentioned, you can also use your blog to establish yourself as an expert in your industry. In today’s world, people often turn to the internet for information and guidance on a wide range of subjects. If you want to achieve certain SEO rankings, establish yourself as an industry expert first.

You should also set up a blog for your website. Not only will this provide you with additional content, it will also drive more traffic to your website, especially if other businesses and experts are guest blogging on your site. In addition to the advantages that we just mentioned, you can use your blog to establish yourself as an expert in your industry. In today’s world, people often turn to the internet for information and guidance on a wide range of subjects. If you want to achieve certain SEO rankings, establish yourself as an industry expert first.

5. Video Marketing

Video marketing is all the rage these days. Consumers love video, and, as a result, video marketing is a fantastic way to connect with potential customers. It is also a great way to engage with customers who already are part of your audience. When someone views a video and subscribes to your channel, they will receive regular video content curated from various sources that may interest them. In turn, they are more likely to recommend your channel to others.