Digital Marketing and its New Rules: Don’t Get Left Behind

When the whole world works from home, you market from home.

Digital marketing took a turn in the last few months because all of a sudden, it became a necessity, not a choice. It became the only way to reach customers. Consumer behavior itself changed; strategies had to be redone and goals had to be reassessed. When the majority of the world shut down, customer engagement could be achieved only online. 

And so, the time has come for all brands to go wide and go digital.

How did digital marketing change during the pandemic?

The marketing landscape changed dramatically overnight because it had to match the change in consumer behavior. Consumers only bought things that they needed. Which means, for the other brands to stay connected with its consumers and be present in their mindspace, they had to go digital. 

Relevance was decided by your digital space.

The pandemic also imbibed a sense of higher purpose in the minds of most brands. Empathy became a buzzword. And it had to be real.

Brands and influencers that pushed their offerings insensitively online couldn’t hold their own. In other words, crisis communication became an extremely relevant topic.

With digital marketing evolving like this, how do we use it to our advantage?

What are the new digital marketing rules?

Brands that refuse to embrace digital marketing might find themselves stranded and invisible. And that will be a very poor choice indeed. 

Consistent, frequent customer engagement: In the digital age, customer attention is a fleeting thing. If you don’t have them in the first one minute, then you don’t have them at all. To occupy their mindspace, be creative and keep them engaged frequently. Let them know you’re present. 

Be empathetic: Sensitivity towards what we are dealing with is not just a quality to be cultivated, it is necessary etiquette. Consumers can be unforgiving, and rightly so, if your communication is solely in self-interest. Show empathy in your messages; and if the situation warrants it, ignore marketing altogether and dwell only on the bigger picture. Consumers will love you for that.

Be present where it matters: During the pandemic, people stayed in touch with their brands through multiple digital touchpoints. We have to accept that going forward, this is going to be the new reality. If so, brands must avoid the silos across channels and create a consistent experience.

What are the benefits of adopting digital marketing now?

While it is imperative that brands go digital to stay relevant, adopting digital marketing now has long-term benefits.

You’ll be resilient: Brands that forayed into digital marketing and experimented with multiple campaigns have an unfair advantage over those that haven’t. These brands will learn to become resilient because they learned how to ride the tide. 

You’ll become industry leaders: Learning how to adapt not only makes you resilient, it has the potential to make you an industry leader. With the knowledge you gained, you’ll be in a position to set trends as well as be the voice consumers listen to. 

You’ll cut down on your spend: Digital marketing doesn’t cost as much as traditional offline marketing. Digital space is much cheaper than the real one. Your marketing budget will get more creative and less expensive.

A digital marketing strategy that speaks your language and resonates with your audience is the need of the hour. Note that digital marketing doesn’t just mean Facebook Ads and creatives; it is a wide spectrum of services that combine to translate a single idea to your consumers. If your inhouse team finds it too much to handle, hire an expert agency to do it. Econz Digital have been drawing up and executing digital marketing campaigns for a variety of clients, and we’re sure we can help you too.

So go digital, stay digital. And your consumers will feel your presence anytime, anywhere.