Adapting Digitally to New Consumer Behaviors
COVID-19 has changed consumer behavior, forcing the world to interact remotely. The number of digital consumers was already growing with younger generations. As this occurs, the number of consumers interacting face to face trends down.
How Do You Engage Consumers That Are Staying Home?
Less contact is looking more and more like the new normal. Take a look at food delivery services compared to 10 years ago: You don’t even have to physically swipe a credit card to make an order or see anyone. “No knock delivery” isn’t just happening in restaurants anymore, it’s a trend that it taking place across many businesses and it’s time for small businesses in the service industry to get on the train.
Digital Marketing Is The Answer
Digital Marketing for Contractors is going through the roof because referrals are down from word of mouth. There isn’t as much word of mouth because neighbors and friends aren’t gathering like they used to.
Real estate agents and home remodelers are taking virtual tours of their clients’ households via videoconferencing tools. The search term “online yoga classes” has increased significantly since the beginning of March, according to data by Google. It’s time for all businesses to start preparing and adapting to this trend.
Here are two things you can do right away.
- Start engaging your customers that you already have online. Start social media channels and start posting helpful and useful information that your consumers will appreciate. This can be finished jobs, happy customers, case studies, guides or even frequently asked questions. Ask your customers to engage. Some companies even give a discount on services for engagement.
- Make sure your website has an easy way to make contact with you and order or purchase your service, WITHOUT having to talk to you. This is key. For consultative sales, many times you might feel it’s necessary to speak to someone, but trust me, people will be purchasing cars soon without ever speaking to a salesman. The car will be delivered to their house for a test drive. Going into businesses, even a car dealership, is a thing of the past. Digital checkout is huge.
These are some easy things you can do to start increasing your presence. Once you have the foundations down, it’s time to start working on Local SEO and other ways to get your name out there. But start with the basics and don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with this new shift in consumer behavior.
Photo by fogfish 
