Marketing Has Changed in 2020 – What You Need Know to Adapt (Quickly)
To say that the world has changed is an understatement. Everything we knew has been turned upside down. From a stark realization of how important our front line and essential workers are to how we meet and gather, we’ve all had to adapt on the fly. One area seeing lasting change is marketing. As Alberta emerges from the shut down, the race is on to recoup revenue and reclaim customers – even when the number of customers allowed on site is limited. The only way to move forward is to adapt, quickly. Here are the top things you need to know about how to market in 2020.
Watch Your Language
The best content, be it written or visual, makes a connection with your target audience. You need to know how to “read the room” and speak to what they want. That connection is more important than ever. Your language and visuals should speak to keeping your consumers safe, how you value your employees, and how your products and services can enhance lives during this time. For example, a retailer of beer and spirits would switch from depicting parties with full kegs and focus on marketing to consumers that stay home unwinding at the end of the day with a bottle of wine. A local retailer would promote locally made goods, and how they are putting in social distancing measures to protect their valued staff and customers.
Know Where the Ad Dollars are Going
Newspaper ads have always been in fashion, and will be for quite some time. However, print publications are largely reliant on advertising to support and defray costs. With so many businesses affected by COVID-19, people are (unfortunately) slashing their advertising budgets and looking for different marketing options. The answer is digital marketing.
The fact is, brands need to advertise. What changed is how and where to advertise. Digital ads take full advantage of social media, Google, and all those millions of eyes glued to screens. The reach is vast, yet it can be targeted directly to a certain geographic location or audience. Best of all, digital advertising comes in at a fraction of what traditional print ads cost. Many companies are redirecting their ads to digital channels, and you should too.
A Personal Touch
Back in the day you could call up the sales department, send in some files with your logo, and get a nicely laid out ad to approve. A change that is growing in importance is having the sales team contact you, having a conversation about what you need from your marketing, and then receiving an entire multi-pronged strategy around it that focuses on digital channels, social media, and geo-targeted publications. This personal touch builds a relationship between you and your marketer, enabling them to be much more responsive and agile to your adverting needs (contacting you to take advantage of a trending topic or hashtag, etc.), while simultaneously allowing you to build better relationships with your target market.
Great West Digital – We Embrace Change (on Your Behalf)
Hey, we get it! Change isn’t easy, especially when that change is forced due to something like a pandemic. But here at Great West Digital, we’ve always been focused on adapting quickly to changes in marketing. We are part of Great West Newspapers, a print publication that saw how important digital would be to our millions of readers. We stay on top of digital marketing trends so all you have to do to adapt and take advantage of them is make a call – to us. Call us today to get started on your new marketing plan for 2020, and beyond.
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