As if digital marketing and breaking through the online clutter wasn't difficult enough, COVID-19 has changed the entire ballgame. Even some of the world's biggest brands are struggling to effectively get their message across to an audience that has other things on their mind. Nothing is coming easy.
During an extraordinary situation like this, many marketing best practices start to become outdated. Even well-established guidelines might not be appropriate anymore due to changing customer (and industry) expectations. The worst thing any brand can do is walk right into a trap.
So that's what we'll try to help you avoid. Now that we're a few months into the unique situation that COVID-19 presents, we can begin to draw some lessons. If you want to successfully reach and engage your audiences in this time, make sure you avoid these all-too-common digital marketing mistakes.
The most obvious mistake we've seen brands make might also be the most profound. In this crisis, everything is different for your target audience. They're staying at or working from home, if they're lucky enough to still have a job. They have shorter attention spans because their kids are with them. And of course, they're prioritizing more essential needs over their more frivolous wants.
Every brand in today's marketplace has to account for that adjustment. Messages to your audience can't invite your audience to splurge as they once did. Advertising physical events right now might not be a great idea.
Instead, you have to start with understanding exactly what your target audience is going through, and then build your digital marketing from that perspective. It's the only way you can make sure that you don't just get attention, but positive engagement from an audience that feels you're on their level instead of speaking down to them.
A global pandemic should not be a political issue. Unfortunately, many of the conversations surrounding it have become just that. But of course, that doesn't mean you can suddenly lean into politics. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Put simply, you don't know why your audience thinks the way they do. They might be frustrated by lockdowns because of a lost job, or scared of re-openings because they lost a loved one to the disease. Neither of these extremes is worth offending just to make a 'strong' political statement.
That doesn't mean, of course, that you can or should throw common sense out of the window. Stand by your brand and personal values, and be ready to defend them. But at the same time, you shouldn't change those values or even change the way you portray your business just because you want to make that strong statement.
Do you know what your ads look like? Obviously, you probably know about the copy and visuals. But what about everything surrounding it? Are you aware of the Facebook posts above and below yours in your audience's newsfeed?
In the age of COVID-19, this context has taken on additional importance. Coronavirus is now the most-blocked digital ad keyword, an indication of just how many brands are trying to stay away from the negative associations and feelings directly associated with the disease and its consequences.
In the age of programmatic digital ad buying, you can't completely control how your content or ads will appear online. But you can at least make a conscious effort to keep context in mind as you conceptualize and place those ads. That way, you'll maximize your chances of finding your audience in a positive mood, ready to engage with your content.
You're advertising a restaurant, and showing many people who don't necessarily know each other in close quarters indoors. Or you're trying to showcase your consumer product, not realizing that half the people in the shots aren't wearing their masks properly. These seem like minor mistakes, but they can have a hugely negative impact on your business and brand.
That's because as a society, we've become acutely aware of these types of details. Someone wearing a mask below their nose, or not wearing one at all? Be prepared for that social media backlash. A store clerk or restaurant server without the proper safety equipment? Yep, those comments are probably coming.
Here's the thing: even if you don't get negative comments on these types of missteps, they're still worth avoiding. Representing the reality as it should be right now and modeling correct behavior can position you and your brand as a responsible entity that your audience can trust and put their faith (and money) in.
Tone-deaf messages can be just as powerful (in the negative sense) in intent and wording as they are in the messaging. Be honest: how many emails have you received in the recent past from salespeople that just didn't sound right? That either blatantly took advantage of the current situation, or tried to ignore it altogether?
This is not the time to take either of these routes. As Ad Week recently put it,
It's a world where brands must put people, not products, first; where consumers crave connection, not commercials; where technology must deliver better experiences, not just broadcast information.
In other words, it's about engaging with your audience. It's about showing empathy and compassion, meeting your customers where they are and building an experience that they can enjoy. Whether that experience is a simple email or a comprehensive mobile app almost doesn't matter. What matters most is the authenticity and compassion that you can build into your digital marketing during these challenging times.
Yes, budget is a challenge for many businesses during a revenue crisis like this one. You might be looking for ways to minimize your spending in order to stay afloat. But, unless you absolutely need to cut it, it pays to maintain or even increase your advertising spends during these next few months.
First, an increasing percentage of your audience is spending their time in front of screens while at home, making for a prime opportunity to reach them. It's why digital marketing has a positive ROI to begin with, and why that ROI has been increasing for many businesses in recent months.
But it's also about more than that. Especially organic digital strategies, like content marketing and SEO, carry more return than the immediate sale. They build long-term value, both in terms of building site authority and in the more intangible audience trust measure. That long-term value, in turn, becomes invaluable as budgets begin to normalize and competitors begin to spend again.
Eniture Technology specializes in helping e-Commerce merchants grow by providing useful information, digital marketing services, off-the-shelf apps that solve common problems, and custom programming services. If you're interested in accelerating the growth of your online sales, please contact us. You might also enjoy this free information on the 10 reasons why you should be using HubSpot to grow your e-commerce business.
