Digital marketing is a marketing strategy that makes use of the electronic devices connected to the internet to promote the services offered and products sold. The devices include mobile phones, desktop computers, and tablets. It also provides a channel for businesses to access the latest communication tools and technology platforms to interact and communicate with customers. With the most recent developments of Covid-19, the digital marketing industry has been affected in several ways.
Increased Online Purchases and E-commerce Industry
The Covid-19 pandemic forced governments in different countries to put in lockdown restrictions to curb the spread of the disease. The result of this action was a huge rise in the number of purchases conducted through the various online platforms. Various companies and businesses with physical store presence moved to these online platforms to keep their businesses afloat hence boosting digital marketing strategies. Businesses have become more aggressive on digital marketing platforms and social media tools such as Facebook and Instagram.
Increased Mobile Search
During the Covid 19 pandemic, there was a great increase in the number of customers conducting mobile searches for products and services. The effect of this is that the conversion rates for companies conducting digital marketing spiked since there were more interactions with the customers than before. Most of the orders that were made during this period came mostly from homes and not offices. This means that the customers were more individuals using their mobile devices as compared to those using desktops for searches.
In light of this, most companies shifted to mobile compatible applications by redesigning their interfaces to capture the increasing number of mobile users. The digital marketing strategies shifted to using social media platforms and networking sites to increase their interaction with the customers. Digital marketing agencies shifted to using messages through a single button click to communicate to the huge customer base regarding the products and services they offer.
Customized Marketing
Due to the numerous businesses and companies advertising online, businesses need to customize the products and services they are marketing to attract their target audience. Personalization helps in targeting those consumers who already know how to filter ads they do not like. Covid 19 offered an opportunity for businesses to offer searches that can narrow down to the user needs and identify their wants through the digital platforms. The common trend with consumers when you send messages to a large number of recipients is that they tend to ignore the messages. Covid 19 allowed the businesses to segment the market and target the expected customers directly.
Adoption of Flexible Channels
The Covid 19 pandemic has caused a shift among digital agencies such as Adquench Fundamental Marketing as they move towards cheaper and more flexible digital advertising channels. The companies offer digital marketing and account management services by embracing the use of programmatic advertisements, which offer more consumer presence and availability. Most businesses are moving towards avenues such as online videos and digital display ads in the marketing strategy as most of the targeted consumers are mostly found indoors.
Change in Audience
Consumer habits and trends have greatly been altered by the Covid 19 pandemic leading to a change in the consumption rates and shift in demand. Consumers have welcomed digital trends and channels around all their shopping needs. The surge in online shopping has greatly been influenced by the movement restrictions put in place and the convenience of shopping on online platforms. It is not certain that most of these consumers will go back to physical shopping as the shoppers can interact and order items online. The new audience may have different preferences; hence the businesses need to adopt, leverage, and curate different content and digital marketing strategies to accommodate the new consumers.
Before Covid 19, the world had started opening up to and embracing digital marketing. Due to the pandemic, the great shift in customer behavior to embrace online purchase has cemented the importance of digital marketing as a key tool for sales promotion. Digital marketing agencies need to create and implement strategies that will be instrumental in adapting to the changing consumer trends to function effectively. While some of these impacts may not last long, some of the changes the organizations will make may have to be permanent.
