COVID-19 and Digital First

COVID-19 is creating a “new normal” for so many businesses.

Malls look like ghost towns and local businesses are struggling to survive if they haven’t closed already. First of all, what does this term mean. The best definition we found was from boagworld:

“Digital first and digital by default refer to a shift in organisational culture away from favouring traditional channels to prioritising digital ones.”
— Paul Boag
https://boagworld.com/digital-strategy/digital-first/

So how does this apply to Promotions?

Online to Offline – Online promotions in and of themselves are a great way to prioritize digital and more importantly use digital to drive to brick-and-mortar. By giving away gift cards or coupons that can be redeemed in your physical store, you can encourage people to come back to your store. Of course, always advocate COVID safety wherever can – you want to be one of the good guys. In fact, the promotion can be a great way to communicate to your customers all of the safety measures you have in place. Make sure those cards and coupons can ALSO be redeemed on your website if possible (remember, Digital First!)

Email Growth – If you don’t have an email marketing program, or if your email marketing effort is lacking, promotions can help. One of the primary reasons for online promotions is to grow the value of your email list. By giving something away in a sweepstakes or instant win game, you give people who are interested in your products or services an extra incentive to connect with you. You can also thank your existing customers by giving away prizes that will help you re-engage with them.

Creativity – In these difficult days, companies have to get creative just to survive. Think about unusual ways you can use online to promote or even deliver your services. If you come up with a new idea, a promotion is a great way to introduce your new “way”. Seating people outdoors? Give away an outdoor dinner for two to call attention to your new, safer seating. Got a physical service? Use digital methods for scheduling and engagement to minimize customer contact, then use a promotion to broadcast your safe, online methods.