How COVID-19 Affected Digital Marketing?
COVID-19 has been going for what feels like an eternity. Although it’s been only a year, the Coronavirus changed our lives radically. It also changed how consumers buy their products. Most people turned to online shopping instead of going to a store, Which led to a change in digital marketing. Let’s see how digital marketing changed:
1. SEO gained attention:
Digital marketers understood that they needed to put much more in SEO since people started to search more on Google because of lockdown. They knew that the lower their rank, the more money they leave on the table, and as a result, ranking on the first page in search engine results became much more challenging and required much more work, especially in competitive markets.
You Can Also Read: What is SEO?
2. Search engine marketing:
As a result of the fierce competition in SEO, many people have turned to pay for search engine ad platforms, mainly Google ads, to rank on the first page without exerting much effort or wasting time, especially since time equals money for them.
3. Professionalism matters in these times:
Companies realized that since people have much more time on their hands, their actions and responses will be closely monitored and exposed. So most companies advertised offers and encouraged helping the communities fight the pandemic, which increased their reputation. Those who didn’t manage to stay professional or expose society or their employees to any kind of danger were exposed, which decreased their reputation and had serious consequences on their business.
4. Online shopping increased dramatically:
To say that online shopping increased would be a huge understatement. Online shopping skyrocketed during the pandemic. This led digital marketers to focus heavily on e-shopping and delivery.
5. Social media marketing:
Many people who ignored social media before the pandemic instantly regretted it since most people were quarantining it. Even those who didn’t were reluctant to buy anything from the store and relied on delivery. This led to many businesses losing a lot of money or shutting down completely.
6. Discounts and price drops:
Discounts and price drops were widespread, especially in early pandemic times. This happened because many people lost their jobs or weren’t sure about their finances, which made them hold on to their money and decrease spending as much as possible, which is bad for other businesses that rely on consumers. This led many companies to drop their prices in order to entice people to buy their products or services.
Change is inevitable
The coronavirus pandemic won’t last forever. However, it is bound to leave a mark on humanity and some of its effects might last forever. Digital marketing strategies will change again, and a good digital marketer will keep a keen eye on trends and manage to capture their essence while they are still relevant. Make sure to abide by the social distancing rule, always wear a mask and stay safe.