Four digital marketing areas to focus on in crisis recovery

How are you? It’s a question you’ve probably been asked a few times in recent months, especially when you’ve come home with the sniffles, or you’re out of breath from rushing out of work. Like one’s health, digital marketing needs to be given special attention during times of crisis. This is for the benefit of both the brand and its customers. The four key digital marketing areas to focus on during times of crisis are social media, business websites, direct marketing (email), and search engine optimisation (SEO). We’re taking a look at each of these below:

Social media

The first and most important digital marketing area brands need to focus on during times of crisis is social media. The overwhelming majority of people across the planet use social media in some way or another. Instead of reading newspapers or watching the 7 pm news bulletin, consumers now learn about what’s happening in the world around them on social media. People turn to social media for guidance and information to set their minds at ease, and brands can use their social channels to improve customer relations during times of social upheaval.

Websites

Business websites are going to be more important in the new normal than ever before in history. Sweeping lockdowns have taught people that the future is online, and everything they need can be procured with a few keystrokes on a keyboard or thumb swipes on a mobile device. A website is going to be a brand’s central hub moving forward, where most marketing activities will be integrated from enquiring about products through live chatbots, through to purchasing items via eCommerce directly on the website.

Email marketing

Direct marketing techniques have always proved effective for brands looking to communicate directly to their target audiences. Personalised emails can be effective during times of crisis recovery, when people are feeling generally vulnerable and in need of reassurance. Direct email marketing is a great tool to inform customers about things happening in the business at all times. For example, during the COVID-19 crisis, brands used direct email messages to let customers know of in-store traffic, clearance sales, and how the national lockdown affected their trading hours.

SEO

The new normal marketing environment is going to be characterised by one single concept: authenticity. This will apply to all facets of a marketing campaign – from the initial contact through to after-sales service, through to website and social media content. A crisis acts as a kind of resetting, where brands can reassess what their online strategies have been, and give more attention to areas that will be critical in the future – like SEO. By focusing on the optimisation of their business website post-crisis, brands can get ahead of their rivals on search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Times of crisis are uncertain for the most part, and very few businesses have the resilience to come out of a crisis completely untouched.

Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing

There is going to be a renewed sense of urgency for brands to embrace digital marketing in the new normal, and our accredited Digital Marketing Course is the perfect qualification to learn practical, fundamental digital marketing skills in 2020. This might just be what keeps your doors open when the next crisis strikes.