Brands will need to put an extra effort into authenticity
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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an abundance of sentiment and sensitivity that has made a direct impact on a customer’s purchasing patterns. They’ve become extra cynical and skeptical about the authenticity of several brands. Firing of employees, not being able to deliver timely, selling products that don’t function well, etc are numerous reasons that have caused people to ditch buying from a brand without any delay. Plus, if you talk about coping with the pandemic but don’t actually do anything about it, customers will take you in a very bad light.
This is why, going forward, brands will need to put an extra effort into authenticity. Content marketers will need to ensure that the company is delivering on what is being promised on social media platforms and in ads. An important part of being authentic is, to be honest, and transparent. Let them know if there will be a delay in shipping and mention the reason as well. Talk about how the pandemic has affected your business and what you’re doing to cope with it. Showing your business’ authentic human side is more important than ever now.
More demand for the ones who show humanity
More than ever, customers are overwhelmed by the helplessness of not being able to stock up on food items or the fear that they will run out of an essential item. People have prioritized their health and wellness and taken every step to ensure that they have a steady stream of income. This has caused them to be more empathetic toward brands that show the same behavior. Securing your employees’ jobs and providing them safe work environments is seen in a massively positive light by customers.
They no longer care only about purchasing what they want. They look at how ethical and humane a company is. Your “Buy One Get One Free” posts might not get as much engagement as much as a post talking about your happy employees might.
You’ll need to revisit all pre-COVID content marketings campaigns
Themes, language, visuals, and texts that might have worked fabulously before the pandemic might no longer work even after the pandemic is long over. For e.g. People are craving going to the office, experiencing the rush of a business project, doing things with others together, etc. We no longer want to sit behind a screen and do our jobs, so marketing along the same lines won’t do the trick anymore. Showing the visual of cash in videos won’t work anymore since people have turned towards digital contactless payment methods. What seems absolutely normal to use or show might backfire in a matter of seconds. This is why, in a post-pandemic world, brands will need to revisit all content marketing campaigns with a completely fresh set of eyes and thinking.
Shift focus on staying in constant touch with your customers
Most brands do not leverage the power of social media to stay connected with their customers. They usually use it to post good pictures, videos, or stories that are mostly promotional in nature. However, this will change drastically in a post-pandemic world. Social distancing and isolation have caused people to spend a tremendous amount of time online, mostly on social media platforms. This habit won’t die down immediately after things are back to normal.
Brands will need to shift their focus on staying in constant touch with their customers. Hosting Instagram Live sessions, posting interactive stories, asking questions in their captions, sending out “thank you” or “updates” newsletters to their subscribers will increase customer engagement meteorically. Brands can no longer stay radio silent for days, post a promotional story, and expect customers to make purchases. They need to connect and interact with their audience to create a base of recurring customers.
Be clear about the value your products can offer
Talking about only your products’ features till now might have done the job for you till now; however, it won’t anymore. People have been terrified of their health for months, and no amount of “hot sales” or “crazy discounts” will push them towards a purchase anymore. They need to know if your product can offer them value or not. Plus, with the unemployment rate has gone up, customers want the best value out of each penny they spend. Brands need to be very clear about what value their products can offer, and they need to market their products around these benefits then. For e.g., If you are a personal care brand that sells toilet spray, do not talk about what ingredients the spray has and the spray bottle that it comes in. Instead, market your product around its value – prevents infections, maintains hygiene, user-friendly, portable, can be used in public washrooms, etc.
