Why Companies Turn to Digital Marketing to Survive COVID-19

• Factories are retooling to create PPE, hand sanitizers, and ventilators.
• Restaurants are offering online ordering for take-out and delivery to accommodate social distancing.
• Healthcare facilities are embracing “Digital First” models, giving patients the freedom to access care on the go.

With the pandemic putting a cautionary flag on face-to-face interaction, elevating the human experience through digital solutions can help to build connections and deepen trust. The world of e-commerce is shifting in 2020 with impressive growth in online sales. In 2019, e-commerce sales rose 16%, up from 14.4% in 2018 and 13.2% in 2017. This growth in penetration was the biggest annual percentage point jump at least since 2000 (Digital Commerce 360).

Our new reality is providing opportunities in business to cyber, mobility, and online social presences as a key to their continued growth. One main question businesses are asking themselves now is, “How can I best engage with my customers right now?” Here are some tips for enhancing your online presence to better engage with customers in a virtual world.

1. Website Design: What is your company’s best marketing tool? Your website. Your website is a great way to connect a business with their desired audience by integrating interactive content, a mobile-friendly layout, and a direct way to showcase your product. Essentially, a well-done professional website represents the backbone of your entire digital presence.
2. Mobile Development: With the development of new technologies and the accessibility smartphones provide, incorporating mobile development not only allows existing customers to visit your products on-the-go but it also plays a huge role in acquiring a wider audience. Allowing customers to download your applications onto their mobile device establishes a more direct connection and helps boost your marketing presence.
   Developing a proprietary application can also allow you to offer discount codes, coupons, and special deals that can be easily accessed through notifications to help you increase your brand visibility and reach your customers on-the-go, all while expanding your audience. It also gives you another level of access once your app is installed on a device – like access to contacts, location, and more.
3. Social Network Solutions: In a time where we rely on technology to connect us with customers, allow us to collaborate with coworkers, and make sure we stay up to date while working remotely, Social Network Solutions provide a way to maintain all of the above. Video chatting allows for real-time communication and collaboration amongst colleagues; calendars help organize busy schedules, and analytics help make outcomes and business decisions possible. Incorporating social network solutions help a business run smoothly in even the toughest of times.
4. Social Media Marketing: As mentioned earlier, social networking platforms are an effective way for businesses to connect with their target audience. Not only does social media marketing help you directly connect to your customers, but it is also a great way to build relationships. Updating Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn helps to create brand awareness and become relatable to the target market. The power of social media is unbeatable – with its ability to reach such a mass amount of people in a matter of seconds, businesses have the potential to completely transform their online presence overnight.
5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): What makes a company’s online presence stand out amongst the rest? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) allows companies to take a deeper look into their online traffic, user experience, competition, and social promotion. SEO is best used to make your website appear at the top of the search engines, promoting higher traffic through your site and tracking all online engagement.
6. Pay Per Click Marketing (PPC): Pay Per Click Marketing or PPC is a digital marketing channel which tracks the number of clicks an ad generates. Each time an ad is clicked, the advertiser pays a small fee to the search engine. Although it sounds simple, there are many steps needed to be taken to set up a successful PPC campaign. Customer research, selecting the right keywords, creating an attention-grabbing headline, and establishing a budget is only a few key steps to create a winning PPC campaign.
7. E-commerce: How can a company profit from their own website? Through an e-commerce website, the business can buy and sell goods and services directly to their customers. Essentially, an e-commerce website is an online shop where transactions of goods and services are made through a transfer of information and funds over the internet. Not only is it convenient, but it makes your products extremely accessible at the click of a button, allowing your customers to shop at any time and from anywhere.
8. Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, & Animation: Keeping people engaged with your content is one of the ways to stay connected to your target market. Virtual reality augmented reality, and animation open doors to building an online community, helping people stay connected, build relationships and fully immerse themselves into these online platforms. Businesses can use virtual reality for conference meetings; companies can use it for content marketing, and augmented reality can be integrated to create a more visual experience for customers.
9. Online Public Relations: Being consistent is the heart of any successful company. Maintaining an online presence helps reach your target audience while building an online reputation. Online public relations help companies build on their marketing approach, by sharing the right information to the right audience at the right time. Public relations can also help you through crisis communications, promoting brand values, and creating a community through your online platforms.
10. Copywriting: The content within your website, blog, or media posts is what will help grab the attention of your audience, which is why copywriting plays an important role. Copywriting is used to persuade/inform your audience to buy your product or service; its main goal is to influence the reader to take action. Integrating emotion, SEO, and user experience in copywriting helps your digital marketing strategies stand out amongst the rest. Allowing your readers to subscribe to emails and e-newsletters and to follow social media platforms are great ways for readers to stay up-to-date with your latest products. As such, email can be one of the best ways to generate revenue for your business online.