The coronavirus epidemic may seem to be a major threat to businesses and employment, as well as public health, but Covid 19 may propel digital marketing forward.
Major incidents that affect whole communities can impact people's lives in various ways; they don't only affect people for a short time, but they can also serve as a trigger for major changes in the future.
Many people wonder whether the Covid 19 crisis would have a similarly transformative impact on people's behaviours, habits, and how they work and shop.
How does online work hold certain businesses afloat?
The economy will be a major concern as the UK and other countries recover from the crisis. Although a recession is almost unavoidable, the government's attempts to effectively suspend most of the economy would enable citizens to return to their jobs and businesses and begin the recovery phase in due time.
However, alongside businesses who have been forced to use the 'Furlough' system, there are others who have been able to continue operating – such as businesses that allow employees to operate from home – and others who have benefited from the crisis, such as supermarkets, takeaways, and online retailers.
Between businesses that rely on their workers and facilities being in the same location as their customers – from pubs to planes – and businesses that can advertise, connect, and exchange online, there is a big difference.
This has shown just how much potential some companies have for the latter. What's more, the degree to which they've now adapted to do so may be transformative. This is a level of commitment they had never previously set for themselves.
Operating from home had its advantages during the Covid 19 crisis:
- It guarantees business continuity when job places are inaccessible due to several reasons.
- It helps workers who need to be at home for a particular reason, such as a delivery or an appointment, to do so.
- It helps employees with any disease (not just Coronavirus) to operate in isolation from their peers and not transmit their illnesses to them.
- It eliminates travel, which is good for the climate.
All of this, of course, necessitates increased IT literacy among employees, and it may also necessitate some employees becoming even more effective in their use of technology and the internet.
However, the benefits of acting remotely aren't limited to the workplace; an increasing number of people are discovering that they can extend it to other aspects of their lives as well:
- Ordering daily groceries online is a convenient alternative to going outside and waiting in long lines at crowded supermarkets.
- Non-essential products and services are available for purchase online, making this a busy time for eCommerce companies.
- When other forms of entertainment are unavailable, the internet may provide a source of entertainment.
The internet – especially social media – is becoming an increasingly useful tool for keeping in contact with friends and family who cannot visit in person.
This means that digital marketing will be much more important during and after the Covid 19 crisis, which is already critical for small businesses who have seen conventional marketing yield ever-low returns on investment.
Marketing will become more interactive as the world becomes more digital. Marketers must adapt their tactics and customer personas to a post-pandemic environment.