The Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t the only thing that defined 2020. In the wake of the pandemic, companies had to rapidly shift their strategy and adapt to the new world that was formed. In the midst of this upheaval, many companies rebranded and changed the way they marketed and positioned their products. In line with this, many marketing departments switched to digital marketing and implemented new strategies thanks to the power of data and analytics. One such company that underwent a digital transformation was Nuwber, the leading provider of online market research. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how Nuwber successfully implemented online proofing in their marketing department and how you can use this technique to validate your strategy.

New Product Launches And Rebranding

Since the start of the year, hundreds of new products and brands have hit the market. Some of these products are commonplace, such as household names like Colgate-Palmolive, P&G, and Unilever. Others are lesser-known household names that you may not have heard of yet, such as Akzo North America (formerly Dulux North America), Bonjoro, and Neutrogena. The key distinction between these two groups is that the first two are launching well-known, established brands and the latter is an upstart brand, looking to establish itself in the marketplace.

With regard to established brands, many have launched websites, social media accounts, and sponsored content to drive traffic and gain brand awareness. Others have opted for traditional media, such as TV and print ads, to gain the same. Regardless of the approach, the key is to ensure that your marketing efforts are driving sales and securing the desired results.

Moving Online

Even before the pandemic, over 85% of American households were already online. This makes it the perfect playground for marketers. Not only do you have access to a large audience, but you can also target specific demographics, engage with your audience, and measure the results of your marketing efforts. Essentially, you can connect with and gather information from people even when they’re not physically in the same room as you.

Now, more than ever, marketing departments are moving towards online tools and tactics. This is due, in part, to the rise of big data, analytics, and the internet of things (IoT). These technologies make it easy to store, analyze, and find information about customers and prospective customers, even if they’re not physically in the same place as you. In 2020 alone, over 15 million people in the U.S. changed their primary residence to another state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. If you own a business in one state, this move can affect your marketing strategy. For example, if you’re serving customers in California, but your marketing efforts are focused on New York, you may want to reconsider and optimize your strategy to fit the new location.

Redefining The Way We Reach Consumers

Before the pandemic, getting people to physically come to your store to make a purchase was the only way most brands could effectively market their products. After the pandemic, people are purchasing online, as that is where they spend most of their time. According to HubSpot Blogs research, consumers have shifted their focus from digital media to physical locations such as airports, hotels, and restaurants, as those are the places people are spending their time. This trend will continue as people are spending more time at home, connected to their digital devices, and less time at the office or in public spaces.

Even if you do spend a lot of time in your store, doing your best to make it a pleasant, safe, and clean location for customers, you can still use the same digital marketing tactics you always have to reach them. The key difference is that you can now use technology to keep in touch with your customers even when they’re not physically in your store. With a few simple tricks, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are making a positive impact.

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Your Marketing Campaigns

If you’re not measuring the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, you’ll never know if you’re making progress or need to shift gears and try a new approach. That is why it is so important to track the results of your campaigns, whether they’re online or in traditional media.

Since the onset of the pandemic, marketing metrics have evolved to reflect this shift in consumer behavior. Many companies have shifted their metric for success from total sales to brand awareness, new vs. repeat customers, or total e-commerce revenue. As we’ve discussed, marketing departments are now more focused on digital channels.

In general, digital marketing campaigns can be tracked easily and presented in a simple to understand format, making them more accessible to non-marketers. With new channels and tactics emerging all the time, keeping track of marketing results is a lot easier than it used to be. This makes it much easier to assess the effectiveness of your strategy and measure the results of your marketing efforts. In many cases, you can even set up automated notifications when key performance indicators reach certain thresholds, suggesting that your strategy is on the right track and needs little to no adjustment.

The Evolution Of Digital Marketing

Over the last 10 years, the approach to digital marketing and social media changed dramatically. In the early days of social media, marketing on platforms like Twitter and Facebook was limited to sharing and re-posting content from elsewhere on the internet. The content could either be good or bad, but the goal was to gain more followers and make your page more noticeable.

As the platforms grew in popularity and marketers learned how to use them more effectively, the approach shifted from just getting attention to engaging with and growing an audience. In 2020 alone, social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat saw an average of 1.4 billion daily active users across the globe. In order to keep up with the demand, businesses large and small are turning to experts to help them develop a strategy, plan, and execute marketing campaigns. Marketing on these platforms is no longer limited to just posting and sharing content, but has evolved to include creating original content, engaging with users, and measuring the results of your campaigns. These tools and tactics provide businesses with the opportunity to evolve with the times and continue to grow even during a pandemic.