4 reasons not to give up on your digital marketing just yet
By Candace Huntly
Now that everything is opening up, business is going to look VERY different than it has in the past year and a half. During the pandemic, digital marketing strategies were a lifeline for so many businesses. So what happens now that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel?
Don’t give up on the digital strategies that you built!
Here are four reasons why you should maintain the digital footprint that you created at the beginning of the pandemic. It’s not time to give up your digital marketing just yet.
#1: YOUR CUSTOMERS WON’T ALL HAVE THE SAME COMFORT LEVEL
While patios are packed and long line ups are still forming at certain stores (Homesense, we’re looking at you), not everyone is as eager to rub elbows with strangers. While the pandemic might be physical, it also affected people psychologically. And there are people who are more comfortable getting “back to normal” at a slower pace than others. Those tactics you put in place like online ordering, curbside pickup, optional shipping, etc. are still things that some of your customers will want to take advantage of - and they are still very much active online.
#2: YOU INVESTED TIME INTO BUILDING IT
Starting anything new can be daunting. If you have spent the past year and a half driving online engagement and creating great content to build awareness, why give all of that up? Sure, it’s a bit of extra work, but why not create more efficiencies instead of throwing it all away? How many times have you checked out a brand’s social media only to find they haven’t posted in a year… Don’t be that brand. While you may still be actively running your business, you may actually lose out on customers who might think you shut down or that you aren’t a legitimate business if you don’t keep up with your content strategy.
#3: DIGITAL STRATEGIES CAN BE CHEAPER TO EXECUTE
With so many businesses cutting back costs, marketing budgets are still getting smaller and smaller as the reality of opening sinks in for many. Let’s be honest… A well-executed digital event will likely cost you much less than a well-executed in-person event. You will be able to cut back on venue costs, food costs, etc. However, there are certain ways for you to keep costs down, go digital with your events, and still get people out and exploring. The Story City app, for example, allows you to create a hybrid digital/real world experience that helps you to expand on your audience reach, create a memorable experience, and engage people beyond a single-day event – more bang for your buck! You just have to get creative with your approach!
#4: YOU DON’T WANT TO BE CAUGHT OFF-GUARD AGAIN
If there is one thing we have all learned in the past year and a half it’s that anything can – and will – happen. As a business owner, it is your job to mitigate risk – you need to try to anticipate what could happen and put supports in place to ensure that the risk won’t affect you or, if it does, it will have minimal impact on your business. No one (unless you are a disease specialist) could have seen something like this coming. And even if you did see something like the pandemic coming, it would have been hard to know in advance how much it would have affected businesses. In Ontario, there were businesses that were closed to in-person sales for the better part of a year. For many, introducing a digital aspect to their operations meant staying open rather than shutting down. Because there is so much uncertainty regarding what could happen right now, it is better to mitigate your risk.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with reopening in person and maintaining your digital marketing strategy, book a free 20-minute consultation with us and we’ll help you figure out some efficiencies!