Why brands must rely on digital marketing now, more than ever?

Meta Description: It is important to keep up with the customer behavior changes and digital
marketing is the only direction in which the businesses can think about expanding and thriving
in the years ahead.
Over the years having a digital marketing strategy for any business has grown in importance as
consumer behavior has changed and technology has advanced. With 4.5 Brillion global Internet
users, more and more companies are now focused on building an online brand identity as this is
where their customers are.
In the past few months, however, the Covid-19 epidemic has unprecedentedly impacted our
lives and numerous businesses around the world. Businesses are seeing a dramatic change in
shopping behavior of millions of households, as the pandemic is forcing more and more
consumers to go online. Not only have people's habits and behaviors changed, but their
reliance on the Internet and social networks has also grown to a great degree. Live news
consumption has risen the most, by 43 percent. Texting and instant messaging have risen by
34%. The use of video content and social media has increased by 33%. Online shopping has
increased by 23 per cent. With this phenomenon, the businesses have the opportunity to gain
the customers' trust online and demonstrate that they are easily accessible through online
media. It is of utmost importance for building a great client base.
However, as customer behavior changes, with it, the conventional marketing patterns change.
Digital marketing strategy is vital in these moments of uncertainty and rapid change. Investing
your energy and effort into building a digital marketing strategy that can support your business
now and prepare you for acceleration in the future is critical.
Why is digital marketing important?
You already have your future customers online. The pool of potential customers present online
is a much larger community of people than you would draw locally. There's a fair chance they
may already be searching for a business like yours, but if they can't easily find you, they will
probably prefer someone else. This is really the way people are doing business today. When
someone has an interest in your business or if they're simply curious about your brand, the first
and foremost thing they're going to do is online research and see what they can find about your
business. If a potential customer cannot find you online, they may come to the conclusion that
your business doesn't seem legitimate. There's a very good chance that many of these
prospects may choose not to take your business seriously, and they'll be heading somewhere
else very quickly. You can reach out to millions of people using digital marketing in a way that is
both cost-effective and observable.
You need to adapt
In order to grow the customer base, most local businesses rely on foot traffic and word-of-
mouth referrals, which is why COVID-19 has been so detrimental to their profitability over the
past few months. Adapting marketing campaigns to reach prospective customers in the right
place and at the right time is important for any businesses. For this reason, digital
communication forms are so essential. Social distancing may have created physical distance
between us, but in a whole new way it has connected businesses and its consumers. Always
remember, life never ceases. Consumers are still in need of grocery shops, home services, lawn
care, pharmacies and other different needs. They need your business, in other words. They just
need you.
Although the future is uncertain, adapting smart strategies will let you connect and
communicate timely and effectively with your customers by making you accessible to more
customers and build lifelong loyalty. Adopting a shift from conventional to digital marketing will
benefit you now and in the long term.
Social media is the right place to be
Social media is the king of modern marketing. Yes, you heard that right! It doesn't matter
whether you are running a small local shop or a huge business. Social media is an important
part of your strategy to market your business. Social media platforms help you in
communicating with your potential customers, increase brand awareness and improve your
leads and sales. With more than three billion people using social media every month around
the world, this is no passing trend.
Social media presence is a critical part of business marketing, but managing it doesn't have to
be that stressful. Take your first step today by creating a profile and start to engage with your
customers. Start connecting with your current customers on social media. Show them who you
are and what is your brand all about. Use your social presence to promote all your good deeds.
Do not be pushy about people buying your product rather focus on creating a small and loyal
community. Only this can help your brand grow further.
Digital presence doesn’t cost much
Quite a while now conventional marketing has been on the backburner. During these tough
times, people cannot really afford to take a look at the ads outside. When you own a small
business, you may think conventional marketing is an economic option. But in the longer term it
can become costly. You have to repetitively invest in it, and it wears out with time.
Traditional marketing doesn't help you in tracking all the people who have come seeing that ad.
Whereas a banner ad on Facebook, Instagram, or Google does. Traditional marketing can be
part of your marketing strategy but it can't be the only marketing strategy which your business
relies. Comparatively, digital marketing is economical. And considering the current scenario, it is
the most economical way to reach your potential clients and customers.
Use your time wisely 
You may not have the time to delve into analysis during your daily day, or introduce new
marketing techniques. Now is your opportunity to know more about your customers' behavior,
listen to their needs and find ways to support them better through digital marketing. Some
examples of businesses who have used the current time wisely are KFC who recently took to
Instagram to share a smart social distancing campaign while promoting their chicken. Vintage
Grape like most other wine manufacturers adopted crisis opportunities and opened an online
store to sell wine online. Artists and creators are taking their works online and getting extensive
viewership in return.
Review your current marketing strategy. Consider layering in digital elements if you have built
your strategy completely offline. You can do something as simple as creating channels for social
media, or updating your website. If your business has already begun to integrate digital and
traditional marketing strategies, consider a more innovative approach. You can do stuff like
monitoring your website through Google analytics, running ads on social media or keeping your
company at the forefront through brand awareness campaigns.
Closing thoughts
The market is undergoing a change due to the pandemic's economic impact on all sectors.
Businesses will have to face intensified competition without losing sight of sustainability or
brand credibility issues. People are staying at home and are utilizing the internet and web
searches more than ever! It is important to keep up with customer behavior changes and be
there when they are looking for a businesses like yours. With such a situation in mind, digital
marketing is the only direction in which the businesses can think about expanding and thriving
in the years ahead.