Marketing in an unfamiliar environment

It is quite clear that we stand in an unprecedented time. With Covid-19, a pandemic that hit the economy unexpectedly, the world felt its tremors. With all sectors affected, the highest affected industries included the travel and hospitality, however all businesses including ours who offer Luxury villas for sale in Goa and Villas in Coonoor saw a decline. However, this provided us with an option; to shift focus from the primary objective of selling a home to the support functions of the organization i.e. marketing and operations and other hygiene activities.

Marketing, an invariably imperative function bestowed the task of establishing a new perception and positioning in the minds of its customers. This was the opportunity for small brands to be creative and stand out with new and innovative ways of engaging with their customers. However, the struggle became real when the hit affected the cash flows almost immediately, resulting in a lower spending capacity. Marketers had to then choose to communicate via channels with lower spends, but higher reach and visibility.

With the entire population being under a lockdown, the most engaging activities were through apps on mobile devices and emailers. Emailers, which otherwise would be the last channel on anyone’s mind. However, these channels including Instagram, Facebook and emailers met the objective. Strategically advertising via online channels to reach loyal and intent driven customers also made a difference. These were opportunities to reach a higher scale of audiences than any other medium, cost effectively. Harnessing the advantages brought by these channels, marketers had to be churning creative content every single week, if not daily.

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