The coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives. While the virus continues to spread, many businesses have come to a dead halt. With their operations and customer base greatly affected, many companies are distraught about how to survive the situation. Some businesses that were not able to sustain the side effects of the pandemic have also declared bankruptcy.  In this Pandemic virtual Marketing is playing a Great role.

While the aftermath is devastating, the only way for businesses to emerge victoriously is to accept change in the face of adversity. One fundamental change that successful companies have undertaken is a change in their marketing strategy. Companies are now making use of digital ways to connect with their customers. Social media and digital advertising are at their peak, enabling businesses to stay connected with their target audiences.

This blog will discuss the necessity of virtual marketing and growth hacking services due to the pandemic and give you some useful tips on how you can tweak your marketing strategy to suit the situation.

The Importance of Virtual Marketing

Virtual or digital marketing is a broad term that is widely used to describe ways of online advertising. Social media marketing, email marketing, display advertising, and blogs are ways a company can virtually market its products or services to its customer base. 

There are numerous benefits of marketing your business online. Let’s look at each of them in detail:

1. Greater Customer Reach

With out-of-home, TV, and print advertising, you will not be able to reach many of your potential customers. In this era of technology, people spend more time on the Internet than they do reading newspapers, watching TV, or reading off billboards. There are greater chances of a customer becoming aware that your business exists if you advertise on some kind of online platform. With people quarantined at home during the pandemic, Internet data usage has increased by up to 47%. Now is your chance to establish your online presence and let yourself be known.  

2. Attracts Locals Customers

When a customer goes online and searches for a product or a service, the search engine tracks the IP address and shows results that are tailored for the user's geographic location, so if you own a pastry shop and someone in your area searches for macaroons, your shop is very likely to show up in their search results. This establishes the local presence for your brand and can help you gain many customers.

3. Develops Longer-Lasting Relationships

Online marketing does not only boost sales but also helps you develop long-lasting relationships with your customers that will help you earn repeat business. For instance, when you market on social media platforms, it gives you a chance to engage with your customers one-on-one. Facebook has an option for customers to provide feedback and reviews on your business's Facebook page. In return for their feedback, you can engage further or provide incentives to make them loyal to your brand.

How Virtual Marketing Is Helping Businesses?

1. Providing Modes of Cheaper Advertising

Since many companies have suffered setbacks, there have also been substantial losses that have forced them to cut down their budgets, including the budget for marketing. By adopting a virtual marketing consultancy, you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of money. Social media and digital display ads are relatively cheaper as compared to other modes of advertising and can help you earn more significant benefits.

2. Unveiling New Digital Opportunities

Video conferencing applications like Zoom and Microsoft Teams have gained immense popularity during the pandemic. While schools and universities are making their lectures accessible online, businesses are also investing in webinar marketing services to provide their customers with a chance to interact one-on-one with the brand.

Many skincare brands are hosting live webinars on their social media platforms where they are paying dermatologists and aestheticians to come online, talk to their audience about skincare, and promote the company’s product while they are at it.

3. Bringing People Closer Together

There has never been a greater need to bring communities together (not literally!) than during the pandemic. Companies are offering their help to fight the virus and even teaming up with their competitors to extend their support.

Guinness created intense footage that had a message of resilience as people stayed at home during St. Patrick's Day in Ireland. They promoted the idea of sticking together even when apart and added an emotional aspect to the advert in an attempt to increase the likelihood of the brand. 

COVID-19 Marketing Tips

• Reassure your customers through email updates and regular social media advertising.
• Start conversations on your platforms.
• Post frequently and hold online contests.
• Keep customers in the loop about your store updates if you have a physical presence or update them about delivery if you run an e-commerce store.  
• Improve the user experience on your platforms.
• Create online forums and communities.
• Make use of paid advertisements.
• Promote unique offerings like DIY sanitation kits. 
• Write relevant blog posts that your audiences can enjoy while sitting at home.
• Keep checking in with your audiences to see how they are doing, especially if you are a small business.
• Use COVID-19 related hashtags in your advertising material on social media platforms. 

To Sum It All Up

It has become almost impossible for businesses to escape the digital and virtual marketing landscape. Even many old businesses that have been established since decades need to adapt to the changing environment, or they will lose at the hands of companies that are investing in online advertising and connecting with their customers.