As India’s coronavirus and economic conditions continue to worsen, it has become hard for businesses to reach out to their target audience sitting at their homes, since ages. This ever-increasing crisis has forced brands to re-access their efforts and formulate new marketing strategies that would help them survive and if possible, flourish their businesses in these uncertain times. Another question that comes to mind is that should businesses continue to advertise? If yes, then what would be the best way to connect with consumers?

As governments- including both centre and state are slowly uplifting the recent second wave restrictions and businesses begin to reopen, there’s a brewing optimistic sense that we’re on the verge of returning to “normal.” But it seems, the normal would actually be a new innovating future.

For brands trying to build lasting relationships with customers, stringent monitoring of data and trends in consumer behaviour along with promising them a better tomorrow is crucial. Along with these methods, I will discuss some more effective ways through which you can assess the ongoing situation/trend and strategize the best marketing efforts for your brand.

1. Re-Analyzing Consumer Persona

Chances are that you might have had a crystal clear picture of your perfect customer before the pandemic happened. But if you re-examine it, you’ll find it no more relevant according to the current scenario. A lot of things have changed, including customer behavioural patterns. For example, have a look at the case of Zoom, before the pandemic no one knew about it but now it has become a necessity for every work-from-home corporate professional.
The new challenge for brands is how they can formulate new opportunities in the current climate. Many players have steered conveniently towards success in just a short period of time. The decision rests on you, whether you want to pursue a different business model or re-access your buyer personas, your brand will need to change its marketing message to gain an advantage of the moment.

2. Humanizing the relationship between your brand and audience.

The salesy message propagation of brands was at its last breath during previous years, until the pandemic made it dead completely. Consumers of today’s age and especially during this pandemic have come to value honesty and empathy. Successful brands always make an effort to “be human” and communicate to consumers their offerings without the mediocre promotional pitch.
Building long term trust, entertaining and creatively engaging your audiences to help your brand to pitch its value in consumers’ everyday life. Empathize and help your customers by communicating to them that you’re on their side in this pandemic battle.

3. Make Marketing Data-Driven

Although this practice has been implemented for years, during these conditions it has become more crucial than any other activity. Marketing especially through digital mediums should now be data-driven as they were in the past. Make sure your brand is using data to drive and reform its digital marketing strategies, it may be unwise to miss this step as you would be skipping out on the most valuable opportunities.
You collect data to generate buyer personas and formulate powerful online marketing campaigns using social media, promoted ads, and content. These activities can measure the results of each campaign to access the approaches that are working and make reforms to those that aren’t getting the desired results.

4. Purpose matters

It is 2021 now, India is struggling through a massive wave of pandemic and a looming economic recession. Consumers are now updated with the latest happenings going around across the nation and world. They not only expect the government and fellow citizens to take action, but also the brands they buy from. Recently many brands have pushed forward the idea of every complexion or body type is beautiful.
To give an example, consumers are more likely to buy products from Tata because they know it engages itself with many social initiatives that help our society a lot. Having a well-defined cause can bring your brand a favourable impression from the people you desire to target.

5. Focus on creating new brand experiences.

While building a long-term brand, experience is increasingly becoming an important part to take into consideration. For example – Safety & health have arisen as a key differentiator of brand experience in the COVID-19 scenario. Great brand experience stems from reacting to new consumer expectations and needs.
From fully sanitized hotel rooms to providing seamless e-commerce shopping experiences, to at-home make-up experiences, brands are keeping up with the situation around to provide consumers peace of mind. Before the pandemic, businesses especially brick and mortar, beauty and rental cars didn’t usually market themselves in health and safety-conscious space. But as the scenario changed, they too began formulating creative safely engagement strategies to become even more relevant to people’s choices and expectations.

6. Do more with less.

The pandemic has forced brands including its marketers to explore creative ways to do more with less. When it comes to broadcasting their products or services on various mediums, marketers are required to be strict with priorities and choose tools/practices that are cost-effective.
Brands need to look for technology solutions that help consolidate and progress quicker with less. At the same time, they need to save up marketing resources that could be applied elsewhere. This practice of doing more with less is confirmed to continue in the post-Covid marketing era as brands will continue to communicate messages & initiatives that bring the most value for their business. It will also help boost engagement with their existing customer base in order to solidify relationships.
Wondering where to get these advanced technological solutions from? Sampark Infoways – an all-round IT solutions provider based in Raipur and Mumbai can help you create highly effective marketing strategies by providing you essential services like digital marketing, SEO, design solutions, website development etc. Visit our site to know more. www.samparkinfoways.com

Summing it up

Although the way how a business would be conducted in these covid times will fundamentally change however the bottom line is, our goals would remain the same. While adopting these new strategies, whether marketing to individual consumers or large MNCs, the primary objective stays the same: to facilitate brand awareness, boost leads, generate customer affinity, and ultimately grow and expand our business.
Brands would find it difficult to achieve success if they don’t understand the ways how marketing has changed, what shift has been created, and adapting strategies in the short and long run.
So that was my few cents on what changes you need to do in your marketing efforts during the pandemic. If you like this blog, hit subscribe to get my regular dose of education right in your inbox.