How can you Lead in Branding and Marketing Even During Covid-19 Crisis?

Last Updated on May 21, 2021 by DesignerPeople

In just a few months, the world is have shifted from generic mode into protection mode, busy in social distancing, ensuring the safety of their families, their customers, employees, and their communities. As our PM Modiji said, this fight is “people’s driven” hence people have come together to fight to unify against an invisible force.

People are following safety guidelines, and we have seen significant shifts in consumer behavioural trends. New generation, along with parents, has been busy enriching knowledge with Ramayana and Mahabharata which are being broadcasted and on cable television.

The heat has been felt in the business world also suddenly there is a huge question mark about the future as well as present revenue and employee’s retention. The requirement for essential physical goods is placing pressure on new platforms; hence the demand for an e-commerce business is rising to new levels. The safety concerns are making people adopt hassle-free payment systems, through mobile phones to pay at check-out without touching a surface.

Companies should be smart enough to customize according to the situation and make the right moves to win big. Not only during but also after the crisis because going forward there will not be anything as healthy as we have left the world before corona everything is having a new face now.

The brand should understand people are not going to often meet for meetings and exchanging business card, hence no physical meeting; conferences will lead to the emergence of its alternatives. E-business cards, online marketing strategies, e-brochures, e-payments everything which is having “e” with it will be in boom and will be preferred.

DesignerPeople understand the difficulty, as always, knows how to make the right moves and having the vision and commitment to stick to them.

The emergence of E-branding and E-marketing during COVID-19 OUTBREAK  

What is E-branding?

E-branding is a combination of the company’s attitude, personality, values, mission, vision and overall experience of the brand which projects through “web” for the online audience.

Today the owner of any business should align e-branding as probably the most sought after the decision in this pandemic.

Today the whole world revolves around one thing “Web”, Internet and the businesses across the globe have understood the importance of cashing in this gold mine of opportunities. Having an excellent E-branding strategy will help you to attract and retain top talents, increases customer relationship and improve the overall organizational image.

In E-branding processes, products are messaging is in line with the brand image and positioning of the company. If a brand is positioning as having attributes, then what digital media allows us the opportunity to show this like never before with features such as:

• Video content

• Sharing facilities through social media

• Augmented reality through mobile

• Personalization tools

Types of E-branding elements 

With COVID-19 effect are you prepared digitally? Where can you connect with your customers, serve them and give them great value?

Below are the e-branding identities which can help you to stay connected with customers and maintain your presence still in the market.

1.E-brochure 

These are robust, a media-rich solution which I personalize for the audience with guaranteed desired results. They are fully interactive 3D, page-turning forms of manuals or catalogue. It brings life to your document and is portable and hence most convenient.

2.E-business cards

The e-business card is the best way to build a single, simple, shareable file with all of your contact details. That way, the recipient has no friction to follow your account on social media or contact you using the features. There are many different websites which helps you to design e-business cards for FREE like evaunt dibiz. If you are looking for a custom design which will highlight your brand values and personality, then you can contact a professional brand design agency.

3.E-flyer 

They are created and then emailed to customers or rendered on websites which can be opened and get printed if required. Make sure it’s in PDF form when sharing it with clients; one can make it interactive and attractive by adding video, images, audio and many security features as well.

4.E-poster

An electronic poster (E-Poster) is a poster in PowerPoint format, allowing the inclusion of movies, and other multi-media forms, and presenters are encouraged to take advantage of the versatility of this medium.

5.E-signage 

Electronic signs which are indoors or outdoors. The display technologies are varied and changing quickly. Because of new display technologies, electronic signs can present more clear, colourful, and vivid images. Animated electronic symbols gradually replace traditional static signs and increasingly take signage market share.

6.E-presentation 

Electronic presentations and seminars are created with software such as PowerPoint,Freelance, Corel. Performances, and Astound, are a standard method of presenting the information. Audiences in government, business and education will be keen on this. Hence it is becoming commonplace in the school classroom for both teachers and students.

Source: venngage.com/blog/presentation-ideas/

source: venngage.com/blog/presentation-ideas/

source: visme.co/blog/creative-presentation-ideas/

source: visme.co/blog/creative-presentation-ideas/

ADVANTAGES OF E-BRANDING:

1.Helps to gain competitive advantage

Looking at the situation, the brand which adopts e-branding will always be ahead in the league because it is the only best way to be connected with your customer base.

2.Enhances sense of loyalty 

Social media is very transparent platform brands cannot fake or lie with customers. Hence it increases brand loyalty among its audience by being real and authentic with them.

3.Develops value and quality 

Irrespective of the size of your business, one can’t go wrong in focusing on building a high-quality, excellence-focused brand that is for the long run. If your business is a product or a service-based, make your customers experience great and worth-every-penny kind of purchase with you.

4.Enhances brand credibility

A business runs on its goodwill and reputation in the market. E-branding services in a comprehensive manner, one can build their business’s reputation and integrity over time, thus rendering credibility to their services.

Today we all know how important role internet plays in our day to day lifestyle from communication, education, entertainment to shopping we highly depend on it.

Around 4.33 billion internet users are there worldwide, and the number is increasing every second.

Also Read: Branding and Marketing Strategies for Indian business after COVID-19

WHAT IS E-MARKETING?

It combines various marketing strategies to grow your brand through the web, which will include social media marketing, pay-per-click, content marketing and search engine optimization.

It is a process where a predetermined course of action and its execution, conceptualization, promotion, pricing and distribution of product or services takes place in a networked an environment such as the World Wide Web and the Internet.

ELEMENTS OF E-MARKETING:

1.Social media marketing 

As the name suggests, it will include various social media marketing platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, which is splitting into organic and paid marketing campaigns.

Organic Marketing 

It can be achieved majorly by sustaining relationship with customers and deepening engagement level with them, which will enhance their loyalty towards the brand.

Be interactive with the audience by replying them, being empathic towards them in such a disaster period of COVID-19.

Paid Marketing 

As the name suggests, there are various paid options to promote business depending upon the type of social media platform you are using.

It can be done by promoting organic posts or by strategizing customized ad campaigns as per the brand objectives. PPC is also another effective way for paid marketing option.

2.SEO 

It is a process which involves optimizing digital content in such a way that it will improve search engine ranking leading to an increase in traffic of visitors.

Google is still the most effective search engine in the world, with a massive market share of 79.77%.

There is On-Page SEO which will help to optimize the website, and there is Off-Page SEO through backlinks and guest posting links.

3.Influencer Marketing 

It is collaboration with influencers who are famous in their niche and will help you to promote your product or services.

It is majorly paid association but sometimes to gain goodwill and if its social cause then influencers work for free of cost. Here not only celebrities but non-celebrity also work effectively.

4.Content Marketing 

Now due to pandemic, it is essential what the brand is communicating, the brand has to be empathetic and not focusing solely on the selling aspect.

Content should be relevant, creative which will attract and keep the audience connected to you.

Connect t is through videos, images, info-graphics, e-books, podcast, case studies, emails and webinars.

5.Email marketing 

It is the best way to nurture your email subscribers with relevant information, discounts, takeaways, early-bird facilities and much more.

One can create automated email campaigns which will welcome new subscribers, plan to retain existing customers, re-engage inactive clients and for gathering feedback.

6.Paid advertisement 

Here advertisers pay to show their ad’s on various online platforms which can be Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. PPC is known as advertisers will have to pay each time a user clicks on one of the ads.

Many platforms charge advertisers in different ways depending on their marketing objectives, which can be as below,

1. Cost-per-thousand-impressions
2. Cost-per-view 
3. Cost-per-action

7.Affiliate Marketing 

It is online referral marketing where a brand has to pay commission to an individual for sales or traffic or to external websites.

Here influencers earn money, promoting another brands product or services.

ADVANTAGES OF E-MARKETING:

1.convenience and fast

The Internet is easy accessibility with consumers using the Internet and reaching markets sitting anywhere in the world. Because of this, purchasing goods from across borders now reduces the cost of transportation.

2.Track and monitor results  

There are various tools and techniques available which will provide your productive results such as tracking your advertisement campaigns and also help you to modify and start again timely.

3.Target Audience  

E-marketing is not depended on geographical location, and this means that we can complete a purchase transaction with the targeted customer in any country.

4. Use of social media

When a customer completes the complete buying a product from your site, he will display your product on his own Facebook or Twitter and among many groups, pages and friends. There is also a probability of leaving positive review acting as free advertising of your brand.

SOME BRAND LESSONS TO CONNECT WITH AUDIENCE DURING COVID-19 OUTBREAK:

• Understand the consumer behaviours and their pain points

• Modify your brand messaging and positioning

• Shift marketing effort online

• Use online video to win consumer engagement and keep them sustained

• Focus on delivery options and be transparent to your customers

• Be agile and adapt to new platforms

Author: Anush Malik

Being a strategist’s head and a long term visionary personality aims to achieve excellence in branding, packaging and digital marketing field. My 15 years of design experience and masters degree ais my strength which keeps me motivated and keep me going positively. I have participated in extensive branding design conquests in India, USA, Australia and New Zealand with winning zeal. My objective is to encourage start-ups and hence involves actively in the articles which will act as a productive intake of knowledge for them. Do connect me personally via my LinkedIn and I love to share my expertise with you.