How Should I Market My Managed Services Moving Forward, Post COVID-19?

It is now officially summer, with June 20th comfortably behind us. What have you planned for your business’ marketing, particularly as COVID-19 eases its grip on society even further? Let’s consider how you may consider marketing your business in the coming months, and how these strategies should shift.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Not Been an Easy Time

Understatement of the century, I know, but no less true for it. The overarching difficulties brought on by the pandemic and the safety protocols that needed to be followed in response created significant difficulties for a wide range of organizations. Many are no longer in operation as a result, as they were unable or unwilling to make the appropriate changes to their processes.

Those that have remained open are likely already trying to rebuild their activities to match the levels they experienced before these shifts, and if they aren’t, they should be. This is particularly true of their marketing activities… albeit with a few adjustments to better fit current circumstances.

Here are the ideals that should shape your marketing strategy moving forward:

Marketing Requires a Direct and Specific Approach

Rather than relying on a generalized approach as was once the case, modern marketing (particularly in the B2B space) functions much more effectively when there’s some awareness of who it is that is being communicated with. This means that your marketing efforts should be preceded by in-depth research into your market to identify your service area’s makeup, potentially adjusting how you approach different businesses based on their industry.

Clients and Customers Gravitate Toward Positive Experiences…

As time has passed, the growing capabilities that technology offers businesses have already shifted audience priorities. Now, in addition to great customer service, the customer experience your audience can expect is taken into consideration more than ever before.

Personalization, proactivity, and prescience will all be important for your marketing to highlight, as doing so will help coax your clientele into relying upon you and your services for more.

...And They Need to Be Wooed

Of course, it’s important to also keep in mind that coaxing your clientele is effectively the business version of dating—and now that digital marketing has risen in importance, it has become akin to online dating. Instead of wandering around common areas and hoping to catch someone’s attention, online services use algorithms to link you up to the most promising prospects.

Of course, that’s only half the battle. You also need to work to develop a relationship with these prospects, particularly considering the changes that the past year and a half or so have seen to how a lot of business is now conducted. Instead of charming them in person, it is more critical that you clearly demonstrate your knowledgeability, providing useful insights and solutions to prove your value.

Brand Loyalty has been Reset, So Values Should Define Your Image

One of the biggest changes that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to businesses is the importance of their values in the eyes of their clients and prospects. When society effectively upended in 2020, the previous loyalty that was once established was upended with it. Pairing this with the rise in consumer awareness that we have seen, it is little wonder that your company’s values are now going to be more closely examined and carry more weight in terms of your prospects’ decisions.

In essence, future-focused priorities, like sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical sourcing, are just going to become more important to your prospects moving forward. This means that any differentiators you have that relate to these kinds of values will be more important to showcase.

Action, Not Reaction, Will Be Key

In order for any business to make it through the pandemic’s extended shutdown, they swiftly had to work to keep their existing audience engaged while simultaneously reinforcing the value associated with their goods and services.

These kinds of practices should not be let up, especially once you consider that your competitors will be ramping up their own operations as well, with restrictions easing up. You need to be actively reaching out via various channels with assorted messages through different mediums.

We can help you do so. We’ve put together solutions and services to help you make the most out of your marketing efforts so that you can do more than bounce back, and excel. Reach out to us to pick our brains on how we can help optimize your marketing efforts. Give us a call at 888-546-4384 today.