Digital marketing on the rise as firms capitalise on social media

CHENNAI : Digital marketing has seen a rise in importance in the city amid the shutdown with physical marketing and storefronts at a temporary close. With tech and social media usage increasing, many companies are pivoting their marketing strategies to cater to the changing market during a pandemic.

Many local companies, with the lack of a storefront and increased reliance on digital spaces, have decided to tap into digital marketing as an important means to reach out to audiences. “The response to digital marketing is greater now more than ever. Many companies are now seeing it as a hugely important and beneficial way to reach audiences they might not have been able to reach before,” said Surekha Raj, founder and managing director of Skylark HR Solutions.

Due to social isolation and work from home requirements, social media and digital reliance have increased exponentially. This, coupled with increased ease for ads on social media applications have made it the perfect space for those just looking to get into the digital marketing space, say experts.

“By adapting the marketing strategies to cater to search engine optimisation, many companies can reach the target audience at this time who are searching for certain things. For example, keyword research has revealed that there is an increase in ‘how-to’ searches, and thus, companies can use these terms to reach those audiences,” said Vishal Raghunathan, founder, Exact Match.

Influencers act as an important means to reach audiences, and are in high demand at this time, due to their curated and loyal followers. Many say that although the reach for social media influencers has not changed much, the response towards products has increased drastically.

However, Raghunathan says that companies have been forced to pivot their business strategies to cater to consumers, especially due to the financial strains during the shutdown. “Companies formerly uninterested in digital marketing have reached out to us. An old, legacy car dealer in the city has shifted its strategy towards safety. With public transport closed and many lacking the investment for a new car, they are pushing old car sales as a means to get around during this ‘new normal’ in a safe manner. Smaller companies with a smart business sense must do the same to stay afloat,” he said.