Ideas to Enhance Your Digital Strategy During the Pandemic

Your Digital Strategy is, or should be, your primary focus for marketing your business during the pandemic, here are ideas on how to up your game.

The ongoing pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives. Every day, people face new challenges, but they are not alone, as businesses also feel the pandemic’s pressure. Every industry has faced drastic changes in light of COVID-19, and as the pandemic continues, companies must find new ways to adapt to the situation or face being left behind. Companies without a digital strategy in place have suffered greatly.

Some industries have coped and adapted; these industries are now an example others can follow.

Businesses can look to other businesses that have handled the pandemic well for new ideas on how to alter there digital strategy to better reach customers. Speaking of, businesses can also look to their customers for new ideas.

There is no denying we are all facing uncertain unprecedented times, but by looking to other companies, customers, and using the best available information, your business can revamp your digital strategy during the pandemic. 

Let’s take a look at some proven ideas on how to update your digital strategy during this time.

Learn From Others And Borrow What Works

Every industry has been fighting to find a new regular operation amidst the pandemic as pre-pandemic operations are mostly unavailable. While the unique challenges each industry faces are different, businesses can learn from watching each other. 

The telehealth industry is one such success story other businesses can learn from. Telehealth lets patients see their therapists over a video or voice call since in-person appointments are restricted. A slew of telehealth apps popped up to fill this new service. These apps are more than just quick cash grabs; they are designed to be HIPAA compliant, focus on security, and work with practice management software to make the transition easy on both patients and providers. 

While telehealth might not be directly applicable to every industry, you can look at the methodology and apply the lessons to your industry. Telehealth ultimately solved a problem to keep services running even if the traditional form changed. By using modern technology, looking at customer needs, and the limitations they had to operate within, the telehealth industry could find a solution; these are the ideas and methods other industries should copy. 

Understand Your Customer’s Challenges

Every business seeks to solve a problem, typically a problem their customers are having.

Customers are facing an unprecedented number of problems and challenges right now, even if the problems are brand new. Instead of flooding customers with sympathetic messages about the current crisis, look at what is actually affecting your customers, and find a way to solve their problem.

What is a problem your customers are facing that you can solve?

If you can find a way to solve a problem, customers will happily pay you to provide the solution. Understand your customers to see the direction you should go. Only once you know which new problem you will solve can you move forward with your marketing tactics. Your marketing tactics and content should follow with your product as marketing before you know which direction you are going, is a waste of resources. 

Digital Marketing Content

Digital marketing is the primary avenue for marketing content.

Most of the world has gone digital and more people are browsing on their mobile devices than desktops. Digital content is easy to push out through a variety of platforms. Social media, blogs, your company website, and more are all places you can publish your content. Getting your content out there isn’t the hard part; making your content valuable, informative, helpful, relevant, and high-quality is the hard part. To make your content stand out online, do not use the same marketing content you used before the pandemic, as it is no longer relevant or appropriate. Making new content in light of a pandemic might seem daunting, but by breaking it down into small elements, the idea becomes less scary. 

Many brands defaulted to kind messages of solidarity in marketing content once the pandemic hit, but didn’t offer solutions or assistance to customers. Warm wishes and sympathetic messages are nice, but empty words are not what customers want or need. Do not use your precious marketing space to say or do nothing. Your marketing content should always provide something of value to your customer, whether that is letting them know about a new program, limited time sale, or a new service you are launching. Even informational content is a form of marketing. Adding a user section to your website to help the customer troubleshoot common problems is an excellent way to drive website traffic while still supporting your customers. 

You can incorporate charitable work into your marketing content as well. When everyone is struggling, giving back is one of the best things your business could do. Partner with a local or community charity through donating, volunteering, or collaborating to contribute towards the greater good while generating positive marketing content. 

Summary

Everyone, businesses, and customers alike are going through hard times. Some industries, like telehealth, have found solutions, and other industries should follow their lead. Look for new ways to help your customers and solve problems. Once you have a new direction in mind, create a new digital strategy for social media, blogs, and any other publishing platforms you use. Create content that provides value for your customers, not just empty words. Also, make sure to adapt your business to the new e-commerce realities and to offer 3rd party shipping insurance to your consumers. By following these tips and tricks, you can get your new digital marketing strategy up and running, even during the pandemic.