How to maximise your marketing budget in the post-pandemic world

As the world begins to open up again, and life begins to return to something resembling normality, many businesses are focused on re-building and growing their revenue back up to where it was before Covid-19 hit. As the economy begins to grow again it can be easy to think that everything will just fall back into place, but the truth is that the world has changed drastically and that means businesses need to adapt in order to secure the level of growth they need to ensure their survival.

Even though shops are now open, the pandemic has permanently altered the way that people shop for products and services. Studies have found that the pandemic has accelerated the growth of online shopping by 4-6 years. This means in one year, already existing trends of people abandoning physical stores have quadrupled in size, resulting in more people than ever relying on digital storefronts as their main way to make purchases.

What does this mean for businesses that are looking to grow in the post pandemic landscape? At its core it means businesses of all types need to adapt to the new digital frontier that audiences are using as their first point of call for research and purchases. Tapping into that digital frontier means investing properly in marketing channels that will reach target audiences who are actively engaged in searching for products or services that businesses offer. Whilst businesses will target different audiences, the truth is that there are a limited number of digital channels that can reach audiences at the exact moment they actively consider or purchase a product or service. It stands to reason why these market channels are now of such importance in the post-pandemic marketplace and marketeers are building their marketing strategies around them.

What are the three channels that form the core of your marketing strategy?

Channel 1: Search Engine Optimisation

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimisation ( SEO) is the art and science of making your website appear prominently in the search results for search engines such as Google or Bing.

Why should you use it?

Marketing is at its most effective when it reaches your target audience at the moment they are looking to make a purchase or complete a specific action. Reaching people at these moments is one of the strengths of SEO. Rather than adopting an approach that spreads attention and budget across a wide range of areas and hoping for the best, an effective SEO strategy can deliver improved rankings for target key terms and increased traffic from people who are looking to make a purchase.

By appearing in front of your target market when they're actively engaged with wanting to make a purchase or research a solution related to your products or services you increase the likelihood of generating leads and sales. This makes SEO an essential part of any marketing strategy.

Are there any issues?

SEO is as much an art as it is a science, and can be difficult to get a full understanding of. To truly master it you need to be an expert in content production, technical website development, user experience design, PR and more. This means it can be difficult to implement properly without a team of specialists.. It also takes time to come into effect. There isn't a magic switch that will immediately generate more traffic and sales through SEO, in fact it can take 3-6 months to start to see results. As such SEO is an important channel,with a degree of short term gains, but the majority are mid to long term gains.

Channel 2: PPC

What is PPC?

PPC (or Pay per Click Advertising) is a form of advertising that relies on the concept of only paying when someone engages with your adverts (normally in the form of them clicking an ad and being sent to your website). If you've ever made a search on Google and seen the adverts at the top of the pages, then you'll be familiar with PPC Advertising.

Why should you use it?

Similar to SEO, PPC allows you to reach your target audience at the moment of interest. By bidding on target keywords that your target audience is searching for you'll be able to drive traffic to your site from people more likely to convert. Unlike SEO though you can reach this traffic immediately through running PPC campaigns.

Are there any issues?

PPC advertising can be costly in the immediate time frame, and without proper management it can end up costing you more than it brings in. Proper management of your campaigns and budgets is essential.

Channel 3: Social

What is Social Media?

Whether it be Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok or one of the other countless examples of social media apps and websites, we all have a social media presence in some form or another. Used primarily as a way to share content online, social media has become a significant force for marketing in the 21st Century, but is often overlooked.

Why should you use it?

Social media allows you an opportunity to reach out to people and get involved in discussions. Whether it be through hashtags on Twitter, making viral content that gets shared on facebook, or starting debates and discussions on LInkedIn social media gives businesses a chance to reach people who aren't aware of your business.

Social media companies are also experts at building an understanding of their users and profiling them, allowing you to deploy highly effective targeted ads to your target market at a time when they're likely to be digitally engaged and able to engage with your marketing efforts.

Are there any issues?

Without an already existing social media following organic social media won't deliver significant traffic or sales so may be of limited use. You can however utilise paid advertising ( similar to how PPC campaigns operate) on social media platforms to expand your reach on the platforms and kickstart your audience growth, but this will require additional budgets to make work.

It's also important to realise that not all social media platforms are created equal. Depending on your target market, certain platforms are more likely to be fruitful than others, so making sure you're investing your budget onto the correct platforms is essential.

Global Search Marketing is a specialist PPC and SEO Agency headquartered in Birmingham. If you would like additional information on how to improve your digital marketing please don't hesitate to get in touch.