The first few weeks of CoVID-19 shutdowns felt like the end of the world was nearing. The stock markets were falling, businesses were closing their doors and laying off staff, employees were being forced to work from home and grocery stores were running out of essential products such as toilet paper and disinfectant wipes. Almost every country in the world had infections and deaths soaring – there seemed to be no way to contain this virus.

Many of us who have lived through other crises could not help but make comparisons- to the dot com bust of 2000, September 11 attacks in 2001, and the global recession of 2009. Even those who felt a bit of optimism could not help but infer that the crises was different. The world never, at least in our lifetime, has seen a crisis with such catastrophic effects.

During these difficult times, many businesses had to make tough decisions and make cuts to their expenditures. The majority of whom took the “shoot first and then aim” approach. Marketing was almost always the first target of the cuts. In many industries, marketing budgets dropped at a fastest rate since the global recession crisis of 2009. The reason being that many businesses were in survival mode and were forced to reallocate funds to service liabilities, keep the business alive and maintain employees on payroll.

Not all businesses went with the “shoot first and then aim approach”. Most businesses chose to shift with the trends and consumer buying habits. They worked with their digital marketing teams and outside corporate training agencies to revamp their sales and marketing efforts. As such, they developed newer digital strategies that would help them deal with the limitations of traditional marketing. Their efforts paid off as they were able to keep their doors open and maintain revenue lines.

Fortunately, it appears that the worst is behind us. Many cities across the world, including Toronto and Calgary in Canada, are easing restrictions and are reopening the economy in small steps. Two questions on everyone’s minds: What does this mean for our economy? Will we have to shift our marketing and sales efforts once more?

In this post, our online digital marketing course instructors and corporate trainers examine the state of digital marketing post CoVID-19. It also offers insight into how businesses can start preparing for their comeback once more restrictions are lifted.

The State of Digital Marketing Post-CoVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic and its aftereffects are going to continue to disrupt the flow of business across the world. It will undoubtedly also change the way consumers do business in the months ahead.

It may be a long while before things go back to normal. A world in which social distancing rules are not governing the way we do business. A world in which customers are not afraid to walk into a storefront without wearing a mask or gloves. It is during times like these that we have to remind ourselves that life does not stop due to CoVID-19.

Although there is so much uncertainty with our global economy, there is one thing that is certain. Consumers will still need groceries, medicines, tools, clothes etc. This means that they will still need your business. They will need you to stay open. They will need you to adapt your marketing strategies to reach them at the right place and at the right time. And that may have to be through digital means.

In the post CoVID world, digital transformation will be thrust upon many unsuspecting and unprepared companies even more than it did during the pandemic. The shift of importance to digital marketing for these businesses and industries will be huge. Companies with outdated websites and online presence are going to have to look very carefully at their online presence and what their website, social media accounts and online advertisements tell their customers and prospects.

The companies that will be quick and willing to adapt to this reality are the ones who will be able to weather the storm. A failure to embrace a digital marketing strategy and adapt to changing times may put a business at a distance. Some of the costs may include a competitive disadvantage, lost market share and higher marketing costs.

The Bottom Line: What Marketers and Company Executives Can Do to Weather the CoVID Pandemic Storm

The bottom line is that opportunities are being lost when marketing efforts are not being adapted and digital strategies are not embraced.

During your normal business hours, you may not have the time to delve into research or to implement innovative marketing tactics. Now is the time to learn more about your customers’ habits, listen to their needs and examine the ways you can better serve them in the post-CoVID-19 world.

It is also an ideal time to review your current marketing plan. If you built your plan completely offline, consider putting in digital elements. It could be as simple as creating social media channels or redesigning your website.

If your business has already started merging the traditional with the digital, it is time to consider a more advanced, groundbreaking approach. You can do this by examining your website through Google Analytics, running contests on social media or trying out influencer marketing.

How Digital Marketing Academy of Canada is Assisting Businesses with Navigating these Tough Waters

Digital Marketing Academy of Canada (DMAC) continues to implement new measures and programs to support businesses and entrepreneurs during these challenging times. Launched just last month, our newly updated Facebook and Instagram Marketing crash course provides free training and mentorship opportunities to anyone interested in learning how to adapt to changing environments caused by the CoVID pandemic.

The free online social media marketing crash course is open to both novice and experienced professionals, including:

• Traditional marketers who want to learn more about Facebook and Instagram marketing quickly.
• Recent marketing graduates who want to stand out with recruiters when applying for a job.
• Business owners looking to leverage Facebook and Instagram’s advertising power to engage customers online.
• People looking for certification in social media marketing.

Some of the topics covered in the course are:

• Importance of Social Media in today’s world of advertising
• Creating Facebook and Instagram marketing strategies
• Defining your Social Media marketing goals
• Running successful Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns
• Monitoring Facebook and Instagram marketing performance and analytics.

In addition to updating our course materials, our team of corporate trainers has also updated our training manuals and programming to better help our corporate executive clients and their employees obtain and hone knowledge and skills they need to progress their business. Topics covered through our programs include honing digital marketing strategies, launching or improving an e-commerce store, developing new product lines or services, developing new revenue models, such as curbside pickup or drop-shipping, and building resiliency.

To learn more about the free online social media marketing crash course and courses that may be available to you click here.