THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL MARKETING DURING THE COVID-19

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL MARKETING DURING THE COVID-19

We can see and feel the impact of COVID-19 on a company of any size. By now, many have refactored their business logic by cutting expenses as much as practical, offering contactless delivery options or curbside pickup, etc. Internet marketing transformation is another key point in the list of business alterations.

 Brands across the globe are slowly coming to terms with the volatile business environment we have found ourselves in with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether your company has temporarily frozen operations or has decided to implement an innovation-driven remote working system, how you approach your digital marketing strategy should be a primary focus in these worrying times ahead - if it is not already.

It would be foolish to discount the power and pull off live, physical, and real offline marketing. The unforeseen disappearance of all channels in relation to offline events and conferences, along with the increasing barriers on face-to-face business, poses a sizable challenge for marketers today. Soon, your prospective clients/customers are going to be hesitant in walking through a door and shaking your hand – and no-one really has any idea how long this will last and whether this will lead to longer-term change. The Internet is the only place which is not quarantined for quarantined consumers, and brands – including ones that do not even have a social page yet – will need to explore the realms of it. If it’s a norm in your industry to go out and meet new customers face-to-face before indulging in business activities, adapting may mean exploring web or social media platforms where relationships can be made and fostered.

Also, while we talk about Digital Transformation, the positive side about COVID-19 is the real impact on behavior change. Mid to the senior leadership of most organisations, including consumers from 35 to 44 age bracket increased their internet consumption by 11% while millennials observed an average increase of 5-7%. Similarly, prominent platforms such as Facebook (+18%), TikTok (+20%), Instagram (+20%), and Whatsapp (+17%) have all witnessed rises in the number of sessions per week per user as per data source Nielsen Report on COVID-19’s impact on the changing landscape in media.

Along with social media, even smart TV consumption & national OOT platforms have reached unprecedented heights. We have made evident changes in our lifestyle in these tough times and focusing on good light content.

 

TASK- TOP 10 BENEFITS OF DIGITAL MARKETING

1.   Low cost:- Marketing and advertising cost is one of the biggest financial burdens that businesses have to bear. While big businesses may not have so much trouble doling out millions for marketing and advertising, for small businesses, this may be impossible or an unbearable nightmare. Marketing via digital platforms offers a more affordable alternative to the traditional method. They create as much impact yet costing way less. With just a few bucks you can subscribe to an email marketing provider and send transactional or direct emails to thousands of customers on your mailing list.

 2.   Huge return on investment:- Nothing matters more to a business than the return on the investment it makes. Digital marketing offers a substantial return on small investments. Email marketing or running advertising campaigns on social media platforms cost little when compared to traditional marketing techniques.

 3.   Easy to measure:-The success or otherwise of a digital campaign can easily be ascertained. Compared to traditional methods where you have to wait weeks or months to evaluate the veracity of a campaign, with a digital campaign you can know almost immediately how an ad is performing. Email marketing software  allows users to track the performance of their emails; they can know how many were delivered, how many were read, and learn all about their conversion rates. Google Analytics is a very effective tool for measuring specific goals to be achieved on a website or blog. Google Ad Words manager allows users to monitor the performance of their ads on Google search; they can know how many people viewed their ads and learn all about their conversion rates.

 

4.   Easy to adjust:-The knowledge of the performance of an ad will inform a business on how to proceed. For an ad campaign that is performing well, it is easy to invest more in it with just a click. But for an ad that is not delivering as expected, it can be adjusted accordingly or stopped altogether with ease. In traditional marketing, it is more rigid as a mountain of paperwork must be signed and in most cases, these agreements are on a long or medium-term basis. So even if a campaign is not performing as hoped, subscribers will still have to wait for the expiration of the agreed period.

 

5.   Brand development:-Businesses can use their digital platforms to build their company’s brand and reputation. A well-developed website, a blog featuring quality and useful articles, a social media channel that is highly interactive are some of the ways by which a business can build its brand.

 

6.   Easy to share:- Most digital marketing channels feature sharing capabilities that allow campaigns and articles to be shared with multiple followers. This helps to create a multiplier effect and has the capacity to tremendously improve sales results.

 7.   Precise targeting:- The traditional means of marketing uses the spray and pray method, where an ad runs over a platform with substantial reach with the hope that a few people who love what they see, hear, or read would make a positive approach. Marketing over digital platforms, on the other hand, allows for targeted campaigning where ads are presented to customers based on their preferences or initial action. Take, for instance, transactional emails (order confirmation emails, receipt, password reset) which will only be sent to customers following their action towards the business. In other words, customers get only what they ask for. Social media platforms usually possess a very smart algorithm that studies and collates user preferences. Such that specific ad campaigns are shown only to users with a specific inkling. This helps to increase the likelihood of sales as well as further cut down on the cost of marketing.

 

8.   Global:-The world, they say, has turned into a global village. This has been made possible via digitization. Digital marketing allows ad campaigns to be visible in any part of the world. This gives small start-ups the rare opportunity to go global via the immense exposure provided. The internet abounds with stories of start-ups that became hugely successful over a small period due to the opportunities created thanks to the global nature of marketing via digital platforms.

 

9.   Segmentation:- Not only does marketing over digital platforms allow campaigns to be targeted at specific customers, it also allows for customer segmentation. Segmentation is the process in which large customer groups are further broken down into smaller groups of customers according to a particular classification. Segmentation increases the chances of sales, as well as cut down on cost. Take, for instance, an e-commerce store that has launched new offers for women’s clothing. Using digital platforms, offering, for instance, email marketing solutions, allows the business to send emails to women alone. And if an offer is available only in certain regions, residents of given areas can be the only ones who will get the email. For segmentation to work effectively, adequate information must be collected from subscribers.

 

10. Greater engagement:- The cyber-world is getting noisier by the day, and any product or service that your business offers is most likely also being offered by thousands of other businesses. The average bounce rate on websites increased and the attention span of visitors is dropping. When visitors to a website do not immediately find what they are looking for, they leave for an alternative. The key to staying relevant and keeping customers in this highly competitive business world is to ensure continuous engagement with your audience. Effective marketing allows businesses to stay competitive and relevant by engaging with customers through different digital media channels. These platforms allow businesses to answer customer questions, alleviate misconceptions, and even generate sales. This can be achieved via regular useful blog posts, newsletters, shows, promotions, and special offers. The idea is to hold the attention of your customers for as long as possible while building a credible reputation.

TASK- DO TIME MANAGEMENT LEADS TO INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” –William Penn

Let’s face it, our lives are hectic. We find ourselves engaged in a constant battle trying to balance our professional and personal lives. Most of us find it a real struggle trying to find time for personal commitments, with looming deadlines, big and small projects to finish, emails to reply to and long hours at work. With more responsibilities and demands both at home and work, we always feel rushed off our feet, trying to catch up. The common complaint is- so little time and increased pressure to do more. So how can we manage our time better so that we do things for the right reason and in the right way? The simple answer is –Time Management. It is THE mantra for staying focused and composed when the world around you is chaotic. Unfortunately, a lot of us harbor a misconception about time management- that it is about finding time to get more done. Not really! Time management certainly is not about squeezing more tasks into your day. This clouded view will only lead to added stress and feeling overwhelmed over time. So what is the right way to approach time management?

“It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.”

“Wise time management is not about doing more. It’s about doing more of what matter most.”

“Many capable people are kept from getting to the next level of contribution because they can’t let go of the belief that everything is important.”

“To be effective, you don’t do more. You do less better.”

These four statements encapsulate the true spirit of time management. It is about managing your schedule to make the best use of your time. Being able to plot time blocks can help you prepare for future events and better identify priorities to fulfill obligations, without getting overwhelmed.

MASTERING TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS

1. Know Your Goals

The first step in the journey to managing time is getting the right things done and accepting the power we have to choose. What are the things that matter the most to you and how do you define success? Knowing your purpose and setting achievement, preservation or elimination goals helps. Attending to tasks linked to your goals and objectives, whether they are short term, medium or long term, can save you a lifetime of stress. If you are doing tasks that are not getting you closer to your goals and objectives, then most likely it is not getting you any closer to where you want to be. You have a choice about what to do to achieve your goals and you most definitely have control over your actions. Though sometimes you are going to have to make trade-offs to reach your goals.

2. How To Discern The Vital From The Trivial

You do not have to work faster or get rid of gaps in productivity to use your time better. You just need to spend more time on the right things. To get the right things done, you have to place value on what is critical, and get rid of what can be ignored. It may mean saying ‘No’ to you needing to say no to the wrong things, whether it is an activity, certain responsibility or even your job. If it doesn’t serve your purpose then don’t spend your valuable time on it. Sometimes you may not be able to do away with it right, for example, your job, but you can plan and work towards it over time, by taking constructive actions like searching for a new job or starting your own business. As Goethe said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

Once you know why you are doing things and have set goals, then the next logical step is doing them at the right time, which essentially means prioritizing tasks. All tasks are not equally urgent and important. By prioritizing tasks, you will always be focusing on the tasks that are the most important at that moment in time. Prioritizing tasks is the answer to all time management problems as you will focused on the tasks that are crucial at that moment in time. Remember the Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, to prioritize according to the amount of effort that is required to complete tasks and the impact that they will have. It stresses the importance of doing 20% of your tasks which bring you 80% of your results. Instead of working on high impact and high effort jobs, spend time on tasks that are low effort and high impact to maximize productivity.

2. Get Organized

The last piece in the time management puzzle is doing things in the right way. A lack of organization leads to wasted time, and you jump from one task to another without really finishing any. A good time planning system can help you plan your life and improve your organizational skills. It will have a master list to capture all your tasks, goals, and required action you need to take as it comes up. The next most important tool in a time-planning system is a calendar that helps you plan several months ahead and can vastly improve your organizational skill. It also helps to keep a daily list of most important things you need to get done, like a ‘‘to-do list.’’

It is better to organize like tasks together and stick to a routine. For example, if you lots of calls to return, pick a set time and do them altogether. Similarly reply to all your emails at set times of the day and preferably have a filing system that works for your emails. Keep your desk and office organized and tidy so that you are aware of where everything is.

TIME IS YOUR FRIEND

Improving your time management skills can help you live a life the really matters. Because at its core, it is about knowing what is truly important and doing things that help you increase productivity throughout your life. Go ahead and leave your mark on the world.

 

Poonam Samaria

Marketing Manager

Aircrews Aviation pvt ltd

poonamsamaria.aircrews@gmail.com

Shubham Bachane

Social Media Manager at AirCrews Aviation Pvt Ltd 

https://www.facebook.com/shubham.bachane.37

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