5 Pandemic-Era Marketing Tips To Help You Sell In 2022

Almost 2 years ago, the first cases of COVID-19 appeared in the United States. Very few of us could have imagined how much life would change, but it certainly has. Best practices in business have changed along with it. In particular, marketing today is an entirely different beast than it was in early 2020. Below, we outline 3 ways the pandemic upended “normal” business models. Our 5 marketing tips based on those changes will help you sell and thrive in 2022.

3 COVID-19 Era Truths About Marketing

1. The Need For More Personalized Marketing Has Accelerated. 

Consumers are tired of generic offers that simply don’t speak to their wants, needs, fears, and dreams. No one wants to feel like they’re just a number. Most small businesses don’t evaluate their leads and customers in order to market on a personalized level. However, COVID-19 has ensured that without personalized marketing, business revenue, new sales, churn, and so on will suffer.

2. Content Marketing Is More Important Than Ever. 

We’re all aware that content marketing has been on the rise for years. But it’s more important than ever to create content that includes your business personality as well as user/community content. It should be educational and entertainment-based in a well-rounded online and offline approach. More people are now starting their search for products and services online. Your brand must be well-positioned for those searches. Content is one key way to do that. Once you have a lead, you also need to adjust your overall strategy. Include both online (digital) and offline (print) marketing, regardless of what type of media the lead came to you on. (See the Tips section below for more on this.)

3. Buyers Are Shopping Differently Now. 

You also need to pay close attention to the massive shift in consumer shopping behavior. It’s ripe with opportunities but will be the final nail in the coffin for those who don’t adjust and adapt.

According to McKinsey and Company, 75% of U.S. consumers tried a new shopping behavior. Economic pressures, store closings, and changing priorities all played a part in the change. That is an insane number. With so many consumers making changes, you have to adjust! Look closely at your marketing: customer retention, lead nurture, and lead conversion strategy. In all 3 areas, make sure you’re using a combination strategy for maximum results. Of course, that begs the question as to why this is a critical move for your business.
If you want to succeed in 2022, look at what the data said about consumer behavior pre-COVID-19. Then, compare that to what we’re seeing now, almost 2 years later. We also need to review what we know has historically worked in marketing to increase retention, customer/lead nurture, and lead conversion. Then pull all the data together to create a strategy.

When our team did that analysis, here is what we found.

5 Smart Marketing Tips To Help You Sell In 2022

1. With so many people open to changing providers, you must have a customer retention strategy in place. It’s simply not negotiable. You’ll need both an online and offline piece. For online marketing pieces, you’ll need to offer education-based emails, an email newsletter, and social posts, at a minimum.
2. For offline marketing, a physical newsletter gives you the ability to share content and connect! You’ll reach nearly 100% of your customer and, hopefully, prospect base. Think of this as the foundational piece that supports your online campaigns.
3. Referrals should be a primary goal of your customer retention campaign. However, to boost your sales, you also need to monitor both your online and offline efforts. Make sure they focus on getting customers to use your other product lines and/or services. For each additional product line or service a customer buys, the churn rate declines. This will have a profound impact on revenue and profits. As an added bonus, numerous studies have shown a promising trend. The longer a customer uses your business, your margin on all products and or services they buy increases! Why? Because they cost less to sell to and require less support. Who doesn’t want lower expenses and increased profits?
4. The next area to focus on is lead nurture. Odds are you’re skipping this step and wasting a big chunk of your lead budget. That has to stop. If COVID-19 has taught us one thing, it is that the world can drastically change overnight. That’s why it’s so important to convert the leads you already have — you can’t predict when new ones will appear! By creating a lead nurture campaign, you’ll ensure you’re not missing out on potential customers. Remember, studies show nurture campaigns increase both new customers and profits. So, why don’t you have one?
5. Finally, it’s critical that you ask for help. If you really want to see massive growth, you should hire other companies to implement your marketing projects. This is no different than scaling with employees, but too many business owners neglect it. They’re so busy with daily operations that they never take time to focus on growth.

The truth is that it’s nearly impossible to become a $1 million per year business by doing business totally solo. And it’s also impossible to become a $3 million, $5 million, or $10 million per year business without hiring partners. They can help you to implement both foundational and growth marketing strategies.

Our team is ready to help you put together a print marketing strategy that complements your brand! If you would like to scale and grow, reach out today. We’ll help make 2022 your best sales year yet.