Though the goal of marketing for businesses remains the same: to generate brand awareness, increase leads, create customer affinity, and ultimately grow and scale our businesses, the pandemic has forever changed how businesses will handle marketing from here on out. Covid-19 impacted businesses of all sizes.
Small businesses have had to adapt their thinking and approach. They are learning that the execution of their marketing strategies must change, and probably long term. For one thing, consumers who normally did their shopping offline were forced to begin using the internet to shop, which has changed the face of marketing forever. People quickly learned of the ease online shopping offers and many will never turn back.
This transition to online use by consumers created a boom in social media, video marketing, and online events, like webinars, online conferences, and Zoom meetings. Businesses that had formerly not used social media much to promote their product or service began to see the absolute necessity of doing so. They also learned the extreme value in creating relationships with their customers and potential customers on social media, rather than coming from just a sales mindset. Savvy marketers have also discovered the value of creating written and video content and holding informative webinars and conferences for their readers and viewers.
All of these changes that were forced on small businesses due to Covid-19 look to be permanent and were actually a very good teaching moment for marketers. We were forced to up our game and that can never be a bad thing. Challenges always do that, make us reach into the depths and find strength and abilities we didn't realize we have.
Search Engine Watch, one of our favorite marketing websites, has this great article titled Six Ways to Steer Marketing in a Post-Pandemic World. A fantastic read for small businesses seeking help with their marketing efforts these days. The beginning of that article includes a 30-second summary for your reading convenience, which we have listed below:
30-second summary:
- A recent survey by UNCTAD shows customer behavior will not change after the pandemic.
- COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the digitalization of businesses by several years.
- AI writers can allow companies to curate quality content within a short time.
- Innovative virtual conferences will grab the attention of millions even after the pandemic.
- Businesses should capitalize on the surge of social media use that has occurred in the past few months
- Small businesses need to target ultra-niche keywords to survive the tough competition.
For further assistance with helping your small business marketing efforts flourish post-pandemic, download this free guide from CPA Practice Advisor titled The Post-Pandemic Playbook, 6 Tips For Growing Business in 2021 and Beyond.
Marketing your business effectively online is definitely the new normal after Covid-19. However, the one thing we haven't yet mentioned in this Rules of Thumb blog post from MoneyThumb is how much a winning or losing mindset has determined whose business is flourishing and whose is floundering since the onset of the pandemic. Our thoughts and attitude truly do determine our fate. Those who have stayed successful in spite of the challenges of the pandemic will tell you that one of the most important things they have done is to continuously seek out new ways to stay inspired.
Most successful people will tell you they maintain a positive outlook and thus a winning mindset by following admired mentors, reading inspiring books and online content, and listening to uplifting podcasts. Below we have listed several inspiring podcasts we suggest you tune into if you are a business person who desires motivation and wants to maintain a winning mindset:
Rant & Grow--Each episode explores with guests and experts how to powerfully move forward with careers, relationships, and self-realization by developing healthy habits.
Mixenergy Startup Stories--Inspiring stories of business startups and how they succeeded or didn't.
The GaryVee Audio Experience--A great podcast from one of the top online marketers who just happens to be a very interesting person.
Entrepreneur On Fire--This is a group of very successful entrepreneurs who offer up excellent advice and inspiration for small business owners.
The above list is a great one to get you started on the road to bigger motivation and thus success. The team at MoneyThumb would appreciate it if you could share this blog post on your social media page in order that your small business peers can benefit from it. Have a great weekend!
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