It is true that Covid-19 has changed the way we used to live our lives. Eight months ago, the scene was completely different, and now we can’t even go out of our house without a mask or sanitizer, sit or talk with friends at a public place or gather along with people at an event. Things have changed to an extent that nobody ever imagined. Physical distancing and isolation has become the new norm, which is actually against the nature of human beings. Because, we humans are social creatures and we love to stay connected, stay social all the time.
Okay, eight or ten months ago there were food stalls or small restaurants on the streets, but now most of them are closed and some of them have started taking online orders and home delivering the foods. We have kind of lost the charm of actually standing at the stall and eating. There are a lot of other sacrifices we have made as well, but the good thing is that online booking and home delivery options have increased in many sectors, and that is what has enhanced the need and demand for online marketing. Companies are going to depend on online marketing, especially SEO more than ever before, which is the great news for the entire SEO industry.
So, there are challenges for some, and there are opportunities for others!
In his post, we will discuss about the changes to the market conditions and the marketing ways, and the journey from offline to online marketing that has either already happened in some regions and sectors or is going to happen due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
If you are an Online Marketer, you need to pay attention to these changes to be able to make the most out of the opportunities.
Changes from real connection to virtual connection
Lockdown and social distancing have given rise to things like “work from home”, “remote work” and “virtual meeting” etc. There is a virtual connection between different employees within the same team, between employees and their bosses within the same company, and between companies and their customers.
Some companies were really worried about this virtual meeting thing at the beginning. They thought it would be very difficult to establish a strong connection between the team members, and rightly so. Initially, it was difficult, but it got easier over time. People managed to find a way to make virtual connections work for the company.
In the remote work culture and virtual meetings there is no stress or hassle of traveling or obeying the rules all the time. People have the freedom to wear anything they want and live the way they like. As long as the job is done and the work is delivered, everything is fine. Initially it was a trouble, but as they got in the groove, it became a smooth and fun experience.
It definitely is an opportunity for online marketers to offer their service to people or companies in need.
Changes in the user behavior and search intent
You can notice a great change in the user behavior after the markets have been hit badly by Covid-19. Their search behavior and search intent have been changed significantly. Those who are used to attending local events or trade shows to see the companies and their products in real before making their purchasing decisions are now doing their searches online.
This is of course a struggle for many of them out there because they are yet to understand how search engines actually work and what they need to exactly type to find their actual companies. Companies need to study this change in user behavior and search intent closely and guide or help their online users in their searches. They are taking help from regional SEO experts and content creators to stay connected with their users that are new to the online search system.
So, this change is clearly an opportunity for online marketers, especially SEO guys.
Changes in the content types
Whether you talk about the companies that were already operating online or the companies that were depending heavily on offline marketing such as events and trade shows – all of them are focusing on online market nowadays. This is why they have started or are already creating content mostly for their online users now.
It’s definitely a challenge for some companies to create content for their online users and have the same amount of impact as they were having from offline marketing. There are some global companies out there that are finding it difficult to understand how their users located in smaller regions are going to react to their new ways of marketing and content types, but regional or local companies are having an edge here.
That being said, global companies with larger audience can invest in local SEO experts to adapt to the changes quickly and come up with effective measures. So, this is a great opportunity for SEO guys, especially the masters who have been learning and implementing local SEO for quite some time.
Changes in the marketing plans
Planning in advance is good. Previously, most companies used to make plans for the entire year and that used to work as well. But, today planning for the entire year in advance is probably not going to work. Times are changing rapidly, and what you plan for the next month or even the next week may actually not work due to the rapid change in the circumstances and conditions.
So, you plan for the day or the next 3 days, and implement the plan or strategy to get the most out of it, and then plan for the next 3 days, and then repeat the process. By doing so, you can at least make sure that your efforts are not going in vain. Being able to adapt to the rapid changes in the circumstances can actually save your time and efforts, and increase the productivity.
Search and digital marketers need to understand this change and take it as a great opportunity.
Changes in the shopping habits
Online browsing and purchasing has seen a growth since Covid-19 and online shopping is surely going to grow after the pandemic as well. But a point to note here is that even though people have money they are not willing to spend like the way they used to spend 10 months ago. As people are becoming more online and the use of the internet has increased considerably, the number of items they search, browse and purchase have naturally increased or continue to increase. However, the prices of the items they purchases are going to be low because they are not willing to spend more in these tough times.
This means they will shop more, but the amount of spend will be low. They really want to save more money for the future and only invest in products that are not highly expensive. In a way, they are looking for less expensive alternatives to every product.
You, as an online marketer or SEO professional, need to understand this and build strategies accordingly. It is clearly an opportunity for you. These changes are making a strong impact on marketing, but people are getting smarter and finding some good measures rather quickly.
If you are looking for local SEO experts to help you with your online marketing in these tough times, SEO Extent should be an excellent place for you. We have proven track records and real case studies along with our clients’ testimonials right on our website. You may check them out before giving us a try.