While the US is ringing in the new year amid a COVID-19 surge, experts warn it could continue to alter daily life for many Americans during 2022.1 The nation broke records at least four times over the last week for its seven-day average of new daily COVID-19 cases, reporting an all-time high of more than 386,000 new daily infections Friday, December 31st, 2021.1
With the future of COVID still uncertain, it’s important for business owners to take precautions to ensure the safety of their patients, as well as to plan ahead for the future of their business and the marketing that goes with it.
While marketing has always been important, its importance over the last few years has continued to rise. The CMO Survey reported in February 2021 that 72.2% of companies saw the role of marketing increase in importance over the last year.2 B2B Services companies saw the highest increase (76.6%), along with mid-sized companies by (92.3%) and revenues (88.0%), and all companies saw more sales from the internet (80.0%).2
One of the biggest changes in marketing has been due to the boom in time spent online by consumers. With more time spent at home, there was a dramatic increase in time spent shopping online and browsing the web. The average time users spent online per capita worldwide was at 155 minutes daily in 2021, up from 143 minutes in 2020.3 As of January 21, there were 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide, with 67% of adults ages 65 and older saying they go online regularly.4
Your online presence and digital marketing strategy are more important now than ever. SEO and SEM are crucial to help your business stand out from others offering similar products or services.
If your competition is reducing or eliminating their marketing budget or not keeping up with industry standards, NOW is the time to double-down on marketing and get ahead. There might be new opportunities to capture the market share your competition once dominated.
Customers will be looking at your reviews, your social media, and expect your website to be user-friendly and provide all the information they need. Customers are expecting the same level of service and responsiveness online as they would receive in person.
