How Can Small E-Commerce Brands Leverage Benefits from Social Media in the Post-Covid Future
We are living in difficult times; a dire situation is upon us!
It’s not just difficult for our health and well-being but also our professional life, day-to-day activities, and the world of business. But human beings are resilient. We have always been tenacious to discover the solution to every dire situation that was upon us, right from the dawn of civilization.
From discovering the fire in prehistoric times to finding the vaccine of this deadly Covid-19 virus, our resilience and tenacity has always stood the test of time.
The same can be said about e-commerce businesses as well. In this post, my aim is to discuss a few pointers that will help small e-commerce brands thrive in the post-Covid future using social media.
Small-scale businesses are perhaps taking the most beating during this difficult phase. But adaption is the key to every successful business.
So, let’s look at a few crucial points regarding how small e-commerce brands can leverage social media in the post-Covid time.
Know Your Customers
Being a digital marketing agency owner and an entrepreneur, I can say that knowing your audience has always been an essential part of a business and marketing. As you might already know, the market is constantly changing, and post-Covid, it will be all the more different.
At that point in time, you need to recognize the need of your audience, what they want to see, what they would like to buy, and plan your social media posts accordingly.
You need to empathize with their hardships and channelize your marketing strategies through that. But in order to share your empathy, you need to know them first.
Now, if you not new in this market, you might feel like skipping it because you have already done it. But in reality, due to the situation, the market is changing rapidly. Maybe you do have some idea about them based on previous customer behavior data but not in terms of the future.
That’s why it’s time to take a step back and go back to the boards once again and chalk out some plans to identify your ideal customer base and future e-commerce strategies.
- You need to identify some basic information about the audience like their age, location, gender, general interests. Once you have the basic information down, you can go for the specific ones to have some idea about their buying motive.
- Frankly, you need to get into the head of your customers and know how they are feeling currently. Refer to the influencers they are presently following and see what you can do to attract them towards your brand. Maybe they are working from home; perhaps their home is now the “new” school for their kids; all these pieces of information can help you a lot to devise your post-Covid e-commerce marketing strategies.
- Once you have your ideal customer info, just take a step back and reconsider everything you have done previously. If you are a new e-commerce brand, then things will be a bit easier for you. All you need to think is how your brand can make their quarantine days better, and they choose your online store over and over again.
- Your customer interaction should be revised as well. Your support should use the right tone and language necessary during a crisis period like this. Believe it or not, but the relationships you will build during this phase will go a long way for your e-commerce brand.
Post Original Content, Emphasize on Visual Content
Social media is an open jungle that anyone can conquer. If you have powerful, persuasive, and exciting content, you don’t need to be a big-shot to reach the top. Your reach will automatically increase, and you will be able to outrun your competitor e-Commerce stores easily if you can timely address the market’s need.
Times are changing rapidly, and by the time Covid leaves us, it will be a completely different ballgame altogether. There will be a massive demand for social media content, and the market will suffer from the scarcity of original ideas.
Since the larger part of the audience will be tired of getting the same type of content over and over again, you need to give them something original, which focuses not only on your e-commerce platform but also on the value that your brand can add to their lives.
Try to emphasize on visual content as it will work like a wonder on your audience. According to studies, visual content appeals to human beings much more than simple text documents.
Use visual creatives to showcase the latest products and offers you have in-store for your audience to tackle the situation.
Focus Less on You, More on Them
I know it seems a bit of an odd proposition for a business. But different situations demand different approaches. And that’s exactly what you need to do during the post-Covid times.
If you want your e-commerce store to survive during this trying time and strengthen your bond with your audience, you have to think a bit out-of-the-box. It’s not the right time to think about your old KPIs; instead, it’s time to make new KPIs.
You don’t have to discard them altogether, but you just have to push them down the list for some time and focus on the new definition of success; that is, to survive and strengthen the bond with your existing and new customers.
If you compare the two situations of past and present, it will be like;
Before the Return on Investment (aka, ROI) was the most crucial thing, but now in the present time and post-Covid future, you do have to focus on ROI, but at the same time, you need to consider the various customer engagement metrics as well like share, comments, clicks, and many more. In short, all the aspects that can give you some idea about their buying habits.
Before, only the most important aspects like sales were valuable for your e-commerce business, and you used to make the reports based on them. But now, things are different; even the comments and likes are also crucial on every social media post.
During normal time, you might have dropped or retrenched social media contests, referral campaigns, partnerships, etc., when it failed to deliver the projected ROI. But now, and in post-Covid time, you need to double-check them before doing something so drastic. Right now, you need to be much more patient and see if these social media campaigns are returning something beyond your pre-defined e-commerce KPIs.
Think More about Your Existing Customers
Now, I know how much you are struggling to bring in new customers but don’t let that distract you from focusing on your existing e-commerce customers. These are the customers who have been there despite the lockdown and trying times, and they are the ones you need to put on top of your priority list.
- You can go for new and lucrative campaigns and, along with that, give more discounts on the subscription of prime membership. This will make them feel rewarded and stick to you in the long run.
- At present, it might hit your e-Commerce marketing budget, but in the long run, it will return you ten times of what you are investing now. Plus, you will get their life-long loyalty.
- Give away a few free gifts if someone buys a paid membership, even in this hard time. This will make them recommend your brand to others as well just for your kind gesture.
Give Exclusive Deals and Offers
Now, when the situation is slowly getting back to the previous rhythm, and people are again depending on the e-commerce platforms, a good way to welcome them would be to give some exclusive deals and limited period offers.
You can use your social media platforms to make your audience aware of your brand and the latest offers you are giving. Make the content intriguing enough, and it will create the necessary buzz to push your prospective customers towards your e-commerce site.
These offers will not only bring old customers back on track but new ones as well. Make sure you do some prior research in choosing the products on which you can give these offers without much burden on your marketing budget.
Not every product can give you the same results. So, you need to choose the kind of items that will have a steady demand. Like, healthcare and sanitary items will be pretty relevant during Covid times. So, you can strategize as per that.
Final Thoughts on E-Commerce Social Media Marketing in the Post-Covid Future
So, there you go, a few points that I think can help all small e-commerce brands during this unprecedented pandemic time and also in the post-Covid future. The key is never to stop believing in your ideas and expanding your business forward because of the pandemic. Also, make sure to continue investing in marketing, and if you are a little bit short on new ideas, never hesitate to consult a reliable digital marketing company.
Instead, this is the right time to brainstorm original ideas and come up with something new that can genuinely help your customers during these trying times. I am an optimist, and I believe that this worldwide pandemic will give us a new generation of entrepreneurs and founders who will be fearless and innovative in everything they create.
A better future surely awaits us!
