With the UK slowly and cautiously transitioning to life outside of lockdown, it is safe to say that the business world has experienced a period of significant change, one that does not look like it will be returning to ‘normal’ any time soon.
Many different aspects of a business’s overall operations will have required change to some extent over the past few months, including their marketing efforts. Nevertheless, marketing was arguably the one way in which businesses could maintain communication with customers and their wider audience during lockdown, even if they weren’t actually able to operate.
Now that businesses are reopening and the UK public takes those next steps towards a new normal, how will marketing activity respond? I take a look below:
Communication is key
Customers and prospective customers are looking for reassurance that your business is running effectively, despite the challenges that the pandemic has presented. Crucially you should be doing this, not only through a great service provided, but through your marketing materials.
Whether this is newsletters, a social media campaign, articles, PR or even as an announcement on your website, let it be known how your business is handling the challenges, how your product or services may differ and indeed how you are ensuring high levels of quality service in spite of the pandemic, through your communications.
Boost your social media
With the economy struggling, many of us will be looking at the most cost-effective way in which to reach our target audiences; for the majority of us, this will mean utilising the appropriate social media platforms.
When it comes to the type of social media content you should be putting out, showing audiences your ‘new normal’, whether that is back in the office, a home office or the measures that you have put in place to keep your business COVID-secure, will go a long way. With much of the UK in the same boat, by sharing posts of this nature, you encourage engagement and a sense of togetherness, therefore reaching out to a wider audience.
Consider timing
Timing is everything when it comes to marketing, but never more so than now. The working day will have shifted for many. Whereas previously, data trends may have shown engagement with marketing emails to be at their highest towards the end of the day (as work winds down), you may find that engagement with social media, newsletters and so on will be sporadic, as working days become more and more flexible.
This presents an opportunity to experiment with the timing of your marketing activity. A/B test your newsletters and post at a range of times on social media to identify those key times where engagement is at its highest, as this will likely differ to pre-lockdown data.
Time will tell if the marketing landscape has changed for good as a result of the pandemic. But with many companies considering home working on a longer-term basis, analysing your marketing activity regularly is key to identifying what works and what doesn’t for your business in the ‘new normal’.
