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3 Tips to Help Pivot Your Marketing Strategy Right Now

Countless aspects of life have changed since the Covid-19 outbreak, including the way people communicate and consume. Marketers need to become more resilient to keep up in the face of change and uncertainty. In fact, a company’s survival depends on its marketers’ ability to learn and quickly adapt to the new normal.

However, it’s not easy to pivot, especially when traversing uncharted territory. Brands and agencies alike are facing uncertain marketing budgets, changing consumer media habits and fluctuating prices.

More than ever, marketers should have the right tools, training, and education to market with confidence and build long-term relationships with their customers. Virtual learning is one of the most accessible ways to acquire new marketing strategies. Here are three helpful marketing lessons from Facebook Blueprint’s virtual instructor-led training sessions.

1. Creativity is the new currency

As consumers spend more time on their devices looking for entertainment and information, the brands that provide relatable digital creative will stand out the most.

Brands have higher success engaging customers when they find relevant new ways to tell their stories. Product-focused creative helps drive more efficient direct response results, with 71% more key content views compared to creative without a clear product focus. So, don’t be afraid to showcase your product or service in your ads, as long as you demonstrate how that product fits into your customers’ lives.

Additionally, if you traditionally gravitate toward one media format for your ad creative, try switching things up. Mixed branded content and brand ad campaigns drive more efficient purchase intent than brand ads or branded content alone. If you typically use static digital ads to promote your family game night app, consider creating a 15-second video to demonstrate the app in action. You also may want to experiment with bolder images, funny memes, or inspiring how-to videos and tutorials.

Brands that test different creative formats and measure impact tend to have better insight into what resonates with consumers. In fact, SocialCode research shows that high-quality creative accounts for over half (56%) of a brand’s sales lift from digital advertising.

2. Authenticity drives loyalty

Customers today want more than discounts from brands—they’re looking for a deeper connection with the companies they support. In fact, 31% of global consumers said what they’re craving most from brands is real, authentic content.

Consider how you can bring more authenticity through your ads and marketing content. Ask yourself: What are our values, and how do they align with those of our customers?

People are drawn to brands that support the causes they care about, so try leading with your values in your marketing messaging. That might mean inviting your customers to take action alongside you, whether that involves donating to an organization or joining a social media movement. You also could experiment with more empathetic messaging or try offering fun and digestible product demos. Appealing to your customers’ values—and sharing your own—can help you gain long-term loyalty.  

3. Continuous testing is essential

With so many marketing factors in flux—from shopping habits to advertising budgets—it can be helpful to regularly test your marketing efforts to see what works and what doesn’t. Data can reveal new insights and strategies to help you refine your marketing plan and make the most of every dollar you spend.

Maintaining continuous, effective testing comes down to a sound measurement approach. Make sure you stick to your brand’s source-of-truth measurement methods, like A/B tests or lift tests, so you can adapt and optimize quickly.

As conditions change or environmental factors shift, keep testing to see which ads, marketing materials and channels yield the highest ROI—and which ones fall flat. Regular testing keeps you on your toes, putting you in a better position to react to external changes and meet customer needs without overhauling your entire marketing strategy every time.

Prioritize learning to improve your resilience

In today’s landscape, marketers are facing more challenges—and changing metrics—than ever. So, how do you stay up-to-date, keep your team agile and retain customers? The answer: education. One of the best investments you can make in your brand’s survival and growth is continued learning.

When you have more information and insights at your disposal, you may be more motivated to push the creative limit, try different platforms and partnerships, experiment with mixed media campaigns, or improve your brand messaging, all of which can help you secure customers and drive sales.

For more information on virtual learning programs, check out Facebook Blueprint’s virtual instructor-led training opportunities. Blueprint offers dozens of free live training sessions as well as on-demand sessions that cover different aspects of marketing—like building brand video strategies, conversion optimizations, ad implementation, creative best practices and more.