As a digital marketer I am always fascinated by using online channels to generate website traffic and a qualified interest in the business I represent. It is something you must have a psychological passion for. The buzz of click-through and engagements.
The process of identifying, creating and targeting relevant prospects for business development. The lead generation system. But there is no doubt that Covid-19 has shifted the landscape for digital marketers.
From a personal perspective, it has become challenging to work with the same level of intensity. As it feels the world around us has stopped, started and stopped again. The lack of consistency in consumer actions is extremely frustrating when you put so much effort and time into a campaign – for it to fall short of expectations.
But alternatively there are new opportunities and different markets and audiences. Ensuring it is ethical and still offering value there are ways to take advantage of the current pandemic to, firstly keep your business alive and then potentially to try and grow in custom and revenue by taking the chance to re-evaluate the ways you operate.
Here are some simple rules to follow for a positive approach to B2B marketing in 2021
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It is an emotional tool most marketers will probably adopt in some way, shape or form whether aware or not. Because it is useful and creates good relationships.
But now, more than ever. Empathy for businesses and for the people within the businesses. Because like the issues we all may have faced personally, everyone will be suffering from the restrictions and limitations to social access, usual routine and even financial implications.
Empathy applied now will give a long-term advantage for your businesses brand perception and humanity. Flexibility in offerings, emotional language and context for different circumstances.
Expectations
Whilst it may not be your own decision to set the targets and level of metric to achieve, on a personal level it is crucial that if you know the landscape has changed, then don’t be overly hard on yourself. This is not an excuse to under-perform or slack off. But it is a little bit of self-care and protection of mental health. Because you will burn out and knee-jerk react which becomes an endless cycle. If the ability to do something is not there, it is not there. And in this case you can be honest with colleagues and also family and friends.
New skills
If there is a period of downtime then take advantage to learn a new skill for your own output. When everything is active there is not a time to breath. You are solar focussed on your role as part of the system. But if you can find a way to offer new value and create more leverage for your position. Many courses can be accessed online and so many marketing ebooks are downloadable along with youtube tutorials. Once the market recovers you will be in an even stronger position to capitalise.
New audiences
Make adjustments to your ideal customer profile. When before there may be a stubbornness to branch out as you are familiar with what works. But with a change in the nature of working environments, many working from home, discovering new digital channels, not only will your current audience be changing its awareness of attention, but there will be new audiences emerge and testing the waters with campaigns for these as experiments could identify a brilliant channel for growth – all-be-it an unexpected one.
Communication
The way we communicate with our team has changed. With remote working, this has created flexibility but it must be prioritised that communication can flow accordingly and there is no pathway or voice blocked due to the change in process. Structuring calls which are continued and remaining active across many different channels keeps the activity allowing no boundaries when working from home or without the opportunity to ask a colleague a face-to-face question.
It can be frustrating not to have this option, but advantageous to productivity at the same time without needless distractions. There has to be a balance between the structured calls and flexibility of response times. This now will apply to customer facing also online with support being a serious decision maker through experience. The language of the brand and culture will all need to be considered for a cohesive result.