The pandemic had quite an impact on how businesses run their brand. If there is one aspect that every business needs to change, that is their marketing tactics. During lockdowns and consumers sheltering in place, brands had to think of other ways to entice consumers to continue patronizing their business. Those considered non-essential businesses had to step up their marketing game to succeed in the new normal.
The following are just three marketing challenges many brands had to face during the crisis.
Embracing Sustainability
More consumers are raving about sustainability. They demand brands to start being more mindful of their practices for the environment’s sake. They want businesses to turn to sustainable practices and offer eco-friendly solutions to their varying needs.
But then, the pandemic made it tricky to embrace sustainable practices. For one, more consumers turned to online shopping, which meant more packaging and more waste. Not all companies already managed to eradicate single-use plastics for their packaging.
Brick-and-mortar businesses also find it hard to boost foot traffic now that consumers are about online shopping. Even those who already migrated online are still trying to bring more customers into their physical store. When customers are all about online shopping, this increases companies’ carbon footprint with all the long processes each order has to go through.
Marketing your brand as a sustainable business can help you enter the eco-conscious market. You can start by improving your packaging and reducing the use of single-use plastics. Find other packaging materials that are sustainable and can still protect your customer’s orders.
When choosing a courier, find sustainable courier companies committed to reducing their environmental impact. This usually means they are already using integrated digital tech, zero-emission transportation, and energy-efficient distribution centers. Some even embrace on-demand delivery services the eco-friendly way by sending nearby deliveries on foot or by bike.
It also helps to improve your physical store to attract more eco-conscious consumers to drop by and shop. Incorporate nature inside the store by adding indoor plants and living green walls. If you have enough space outdoors, invest in local lawn care and landscape maintenance solutions.
Cybersecurity
Hackers, malware, and other business data security threats can put any company’s reputation at risk. The more businesses take their brand online and invest in digital tech, the more they expose business data to such risks. But then, they don’t have much choice considering online is the go-to venue to modern consumers during the crisis.
The pandemic made more people turn to social media, online research, and online shopping. They are spending more time checking business reviews online, learning about brands on social media, and shopping for products and services on the web. Their cravings for speed, reliability, and efficiency made companies embrace practices that are likely to put them in a cybersecurity hotspot.
More companies embrace remote work, allowing some of their employees to work from home. Marketing one’s business online also became a necessity. All these contributed to the rising cyberattacks on businesses, big or small.
In 2020 alone, data breaches reached 1001 cases in the U.S. Survey showed that most small brands in America are so confident that they can respond to a cyberattack. But in reality, many don’t even have a formal response plan in place in case of a cyberattack.
It is time that you think of more than just the usual cybersecurity improvements. Remember that your business reputation is at risk. For best results, invest in expert cybersecurity services to safeguard your business against cyber threats.
The more you prioritize cybersecurity, the more confident your customers will be. They know that every business transaction they have with your company will be a safe and seamless experience. You can place your business in a better position and improve your customer retention rate.
Talent Acquisition
How you market your brand will impact the way you acquire talented individuals with the correct skillset. But then, many companies failed at this department during the pandemic. Many talents now wish to work remotely for safety reasons, but many companies are still not ready for remote work.
Others demand that their employers enforce stricter rules to ensure the health and safety of everyone in the workplace. But then, virtually most companies are not ready for the pandemic. It took quite a while before some businesses enforced the necessary changes.
Improving how you find the right talent can help you fill positions your company needs during a crisis. Three of the top solutions you can consider are as follows:
- Outsource a digital agency to find the right people for skilled or specialized projects
- Improve your recruitment and onboarding process
- Consider hiring remote workers
Effectively marketing your brand is crucial for many reasons. This allows you to raise brand awareness, entice the right talents, boost your revenue. Knowing how to address such challenges can help your brand find success in the middle of a crisis.
