How Does COVID-19 Help with Digital Marketing: 5 Ways the Pandemic Gave a Boost to eCommerce Brands

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has remained even today, not only in terms of health but also for business owners. Although business owners and entrepreneurs are used to handling various ups and downs, the coronavirus has brought unprecedented challenges, and nearly every industry has been affected.

However, while there are negative aspects of the pandemic, such as loss of lives, salary cuts, layoffs, and business losses, let's look at the other side of the coin. We have seen how new businesses have flourished during this period, and that people started relying on digital media to stay connected. We will discuss the positive aspects, but before that, let's talk about the trends and patterns seen in digital marketing during the COVID era.

Trends in Digital Marketing During and After COVID-19

Although the global recession has made so many businesses close their doors after the pandemic hit, some brave business owners willing to take risks can find countless opportunities, especially in the online marketing sector. Here are the latest digital marketing trends you can check out.

The Emergence of New Buyer Personas

The government-enforced strict locations and social distancing norms have changed market demands and consumer habits. Buyers are becoming more self-sufficient and are easily adopting the new digital shopping trends and technologies.

Starting from work-from-home modes to shopping or booking movie tickets online, people have implemented digital channels quickly to fulfill their day-to-day needs. In fact, today consumers expect quick information about their favorite brands, products, and services online via different digital solutions and applications.

Consumers are Careful About Their Spends

After the pandemic, consumers have become stricter regarding their purchases, and hence, they are spending mostly on discretionary categories rather than luxury goods. With a high number of layoffs and salary cuts, we have faced constant economic change and a rise in unemployment rates. So, people are naturally more worried about losing their jobs and future earnings, so they have realized the importance of saving.

Offering Higher Value to Customers

In response to the limited spending habits and changes in preferences and buying patterns, digital marketing efforts are focusing on delivering higher value to their consumers. eCommerce brands are curating their content and marketing messages across multiple channels to create a greater impact. This is why we have seen a rise in social media ad spending across industries as small to large-scale businesses are working on boosting their social media presence.

The Rise of Influencer Marketing

The pandemic years also accelerated the growth of influencer marketing, in which brands recognized the huge market size and ready customer loyalty these influencers have built on various social channels. Micro-influencers have interesting brands, as they can provide value for money by targeting specific audiences in their particular niche.

5 Ways COVID-19 has Impacted Digital Marketing

Industries across the world have felt the ravaging effects of the pandemic, and digital marketing is no exception. However, in some cases, the pandemic has impacted online marketing positively by giving rise to new trends and technologies. Here are 5 ways COVID has impacted digital marketing favorably.

1. Going Digital

The social distancing norms and government-enforced lockdowns gave rise to the increased usage of digital media to stay connected with one’s friends and family, and also to make online purchases of their daily essentials. Gradually, online shopping norms started entering mainstream shopping habits, giving eCommerce brands the opportunity to boost their reach. They have started experimenting with multiple digital touchpoints to capitalize on their traffic on every platform.

2. Social Media Advertising

After social distancing norms were implemented globally, the average screen times saw a stark rise. Businesses took this opportunity to create impactful social media ads and reach a wider audience base.

As a result, social media marketing saw rapid growth during the pandemic and continues to be a vital aspect of online marketing even today. In fact, many companies even made a switch to full-time social media advertising to expand their market size across diverse platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and more.

3. 1 on 1 Marketing

Brands have started realizing the importance of having a loyal customer base, and hence, they are devising effective ways to implement 1 on 1 marketing or customized marketing approaches. Maintaining one’s existing customers and delivering higher customer experiences have become crucial for eCommerce brands. Rather than having flying customers, companies have realized the importance of converting them into long-term clients, thus building a loyal customer base.

Moreover, modern-day consumers are smart enough to choose their ad exposure by filtering out the irrelevant ones that are not appealing to them. This is why marketers are implementing strategies to stand out and create an impact through personalized marketing approaches. They are monitoring the specific consumer needs and market demands and creating personalized ad campaigns, rather than going for the one-size-fits-all marketing methods.

4. eCommerce is Going to Stay

This is not even a new thing! Each of us has seen a growing dependence on online shopping portals and eCommerce merchants for its convenience. While various other sectors have received a huge blow, the pandemic has definitely been a boon for the eCommerce industry. Since online shopping aids in breaking the virus chain by limiting social contact, it is a safer choice.

However, eCommerce merchants still need to plan and implement unique marketing strategies to beat the competition. Conducting thorough market research, competitor analysis, and keyword research would aid you in making smarter marketing moves and decisions based on accurate data. But above all, you need to determine your marketing objectives to ensure your online marketing approaches and campaigns are well-aligned with your goals.

5. The Mobile-First Approach

Mobile searches skyrocketed during the pandemic, and hence, digital marketers need to design a more mobile-responsive website. In other words, the mobile version of your web portal should be interactive and easy to navigate.

Traditional website designing norms focused on starting with a desktop-based design first and then adapting to smaller screens. But given the rising number of mobile shoppers today, web developers should design with a mobile-first approach, and then proceed towards adaptation to larger screens. In other words, ensure that your web developers are prototyping the web portal’s design from the smallest mobile screens first and then gradually working towards larger screen adaptations.

Final Words

The pandemic era saw the rise of new trends in the business environment, work culture, and society, including social distancing, remote working, restricted traveling, lockdowns, a decline in the capital, and business discontinuity. In short, the pandemic has influenced business owners and entrepreneurs to adapt to changes on priority.

However, the COVID-19 outbreak has worked in favor of digital marketers and eCommerce merchants. We hope the above trends and patterns help you make intelligent decisions and create more personalized and targeted messages. Happy marketing!