COVID-19 has obviously made some enormous changes to the world at large. Everything from the way we live our day to day lives to the way we do business has undergone enormous changes in a matter of months. But how has digital marketing changed as a result of the current global pandemic? Here are a few of the ways in which COVID-19 has changed the landscape of digital marketing.
Marketing Budgets Have Been Forced to Adapt
We all know that money drives commerce. Without the right budgets, any industry will fail to keep pace with the demands of their own industry and the world at large. This is true of everything from client retention to reaching out to new customers. But in the wake of the current global pandemic, digital marketers have adapted their budgets to meet the needs of both their current clients and their new ones.
There are a few ways to look at the changes coronavirus has made on digital marketing budgets. But first, it’s important to recognize the shift that was already happening before the global pandemic. Businesses across all industries were already leading the charge to shift a great deal of their marketing and advertising efforts towards digital mediums. It’s not just enough to focus on client retention or social media marketing, either. In fact, the data showcases just how much of a shift toward digital marketing the world was making even before COVID-19 hit. For example, were you aware of the fact that ninety-two percent of marketers say that content creation is either “somewhat” or “very” effective when it comes to SEO?
So, how have changing budgets impacted digital marketing in light of the global pandemic? Well, in the past, lots of marketing budgets placed some percentage of their funds into physical events and in-person marketing pushes. Now that in-person events have largely been eradicated or radically transformed, digital marketers must take a new approach to everything from client retention to brand reputation. Their budgets now make much more room to play around on the digital front. This means there’s a greater demand and focus being placed on forms of digital advertising that may have otherwise taken a back seat to live, in-person events and campaigns.
Marketers Have More Time to Dedicate to Ad Campaigns
As we all know, the pandemic means that most people are working from home. As a result, employees who work in the world of digital advertising find their day to day schedules less cluttered. Sure, online meetings and emails are still an omnipresent force in their lives, but without their commute and other daily distractions that are present in the workplace, digital marketers have more time to commit to the sole purpose of creating excellent ad campaigns.
We’ve already seen some great examples of the superior ad campaigns that can be made from a surplus of time. Companies of all kinds are increasing their digital advertising efforts to enhance their client retention and their new customer acquisition alike. Of course, these kinds of things vary across industries and cultures. But one thing remains true: when advertisers have more time to invest in their ad campaigns, they can create even greater work for their customers.
Clients Are Having Fewer Face to Face Meetings
Looking at employees serves to showcase some of the major swings in the landscape of digital advertising. But you also have to look at the other side of things. How much has client behavior impacted digital marketing? Well, as it turns out, it’s quite a bit in most cases.
Clients are having fewer live, in-person meetings because of the coronavirus pandemic. This means that they may be more easily swayed to make a purchasing decision based on the web presence of a business. Not only does this lead to greater client retention in many cases, but it also means that businesses who have already invested heavily in their digital marketing efforts can now reap some of the benefits of “the new normal.” Similarly, professional digital marketers are able to provide website audits from anywhere in the world.
That isn’t to say that clients aren’t concerned about the lack of an in-person meeting. In fact, many clients are still eager to connect with a company in a virtual video conference to iron out details and establish needs. This kind of collaboration proves to be fruitful in most cases. But it will be interesting to see how digital marketing adapts once again when in-person meetings become standard once again.
People Are Spending More Time Online
Finally, you cannot have an honest discussion about the changing world of digital marketing without first addressing the foundational elements at play. The fact stands that people are simply spending more time online these days. As mentioned earlier, many quarantine and shelter in place orders demand that people work from their homes. This means that they are spending less time traveling to and from the office. This also means that they engage in more activities online.
Increased online activity is a boon for any product or service that plans to use digital marketing strategies to reach new customers, or as part of their client retention plan. With more and more eyeballs on websites and social media as the days pass, digital marketers get the chance to test and retest their ideas on a willing audience. Marketers may roll out one ad campaign in a week, only to see how people are receiving it and make adjustments in the coming days. This kind of real-time ability to tweak ad campaigns is something that has never existed before in human history. And it’s only possible because people are spending more of their time in front of their computer or smartphone screen.
The coronavirus pandemic has created changes in the world that will be felt for many years to come. Whether you look at client retention, new customer acquisition, or social media marketing, the changes are evident. For anyone who is looking at the world of digital marketing, it’s clear that the current situation has also impacted this field. By changing with the times and making the best out of the worst, digital marketers continue to adapt to the changing tides of the world.
