Investing in marketing in times of crisis has become the key to winning new customers. Faced with economic uncertainty and declining advertising spending in the media, companies realized they needed to change their growth strategies.

It is important to remember that the rise of virtual stores has not only stopped physical trade. In the midst of many uncertainties, the behavior of new consumers was also an important factor in seeing digital marketing as a great partner in the search for stability and growth of many customers. Follow the post to understand more!

Digital transformation in marketing in times of crisis

It is no exaggeration to say that several businesses had to rediscover during the pandemic. Digitally transitioning to a whole new environment and adopting an overnight online sales strategy was a real challenge for many businesses. And it still exists, since the pandemic is not over yet.

Digital transformation has been accelerated, especially in the marketing segments. Professionals realized that digital marketing models have a great potential for earning in a scalable and sustainable way in terms of producing and communicating relevant content to the public.

In this scenario, those who did not use their digital presence during the pandemic lost their place. Processes Improved by Digital Conversions Promote sales processes to improve customer engagement and improve public relations through technology.

During the pandemic, there was not only the need to speed up response and open up communication channels but also to use data to better understand its listeners.

Playing at the waist needed to be creative and above all to establish new communication methods. 1 year ago, when the pandemic broke out, no prepared model was followed to deal with the situation. After all, we are discovering the best way to achieve and reach our goals in the controversial “new normal”.

Pre-pandemic scenario 

Before Covid-19, the trend has already pointed to the widespread use of social networks as channels of communication with customers. Some other strategies were also practically integrated, such as:

All these devices and changes were gradually integrated to enhance the customer experience with relevant content.

Thus, in times of crisis, the adoption of these tools and methods was only accelerated. Serving and satisfying customers online has become fundamental. And sometimes, perhaps, the only way to continue the business.

Pandemic 1 year: What has changed in digital marketing?

If marketing needs to change in times of crisis, consumer behavior has also changed during the pandemic. A survey found that more than 110 million Asians made their first online purchase between April and September 2020.

At the same time, more than one and a half thousand new online stores emerged, which, in addition to products, had to invest in advertising to reach their audience and stand out in the market. This means that the new demand of the customers can also bring changes in the supply of products.

Customer behavior is influenced by the new general

And how have customers of each generation behaved? Everyone will stay connected for a longer period of time considering the reduction of retirement options.

The Millennial Survey research made by Deloitte shows that the changes were perceived more strongly by younger generations, as Millennials (Generation Y) and Z generation. These were already the people who spent the most time online, and it just intensified. 

Generation X natives, for example, needed to learn how to deal with work on digital channels and started to use Facebook more. 

Generation Y, in turn, began to use more content on social networks. And this behavior has further enhanced social media as a big sales channel.

Meanwhile, the Generation Z platform has increased the use of streaming games and videos on YouTube. This shows that indigenous peoples are more concerned with entertainment than with online advertising.

What has changed in paid advertising?

As digital sales have become key to tackling the crisis, companies need to come up with new ways to operate this market.

Pre-pandemic online advertising spending in 2019 has already surpassed offline spending for the first time in history. At the moment, they accounted for 50% of global advertising spending.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, a study by the WARC (World Advertising Research Center) found that a few online-offline ads and foreign marketing have declined dramatically, with online advertising at high levels.

In social media, the global investment in paid media in 2019 was around 20% of the companies’ budget. Now, this investment represents 9%. The driven videos also had less money, falling from the same 20% to just 5%. 

Among the traditional media outlets whose investment in advertising has already declined, this was only declared. This new approach is now due to the awareness that the number of subscribers to the online channel is now the highest. Reaching out to older audiences is now more strongly offline with these new digital channels.

The crisis in the sales sector is a reflection

The general solution was online sales because malls were closed for a limited time during epidemics and street shopping. Both the shopkeeper and the customer had to adapt to the new experience.

A survey by E-commerce UK showed that 53% of buyers declared that they were buying more during this period. The sectors that stood out the most were:

According to Social Miner, 7 out of 10 should continue shopping online after the pandemic, as they are satisfied with the experience. 

What has changed in the events area?

As every aspect of human life became digital, such as work and study, events had to adapt at the same time. In the first month of the breakup, several life promotions on YouTube and Instagram were sponsored by influencers and brands.

They need to keep in touch with their audience and continue to watch and remember in addition to live shows. The same thing happened with the conference, the Congress, which was able to bring people and organizations together in the same environment without risking anyone.

The key challenges are adapting to new realities and making quick decisions to enable new strategies and overcome difficulties.

Part of dealing with this crisis is changing the position of some brands, trying to be useful to consumers in difficult times. Providing some incentives through educational and engaging content can help companies refine and keep customers.

It is very likely that users will come closer and expect more from humanization initiatives. The one who started is on the right track and will stand.

What are the post-pandemic expectations for digital marketing?

The core expectation relates to multifaceted and universal channels with the growing demand of customers for around 24 hours of digital experience and service. These tools not only help you get closer to your customers but also make your shopping and relationship experience easier.

Building relationships with your clients through a consistent and engaging content strategy is one of the keys to working on the “new common”. Because, when customers can come back to your physical store, they will already have more knowledge about your brand and more proximity.

Given this context, reviewing content strategies becomes a necessary task. Because it will continue to be the main means of attracting and retaining visitors and leading them and even converting fans of your brand.

The major changes in digital marketing are of course related to new technologies, close relationships, content creation, and location. If you’re not ready yet or don’t know how to get started, rely on !

We know that the main difficulty is to come up with content ideas. That’s why we’re here and we want to help you in this endeavor. If you want to get started, check out these content creation tips in this post!