Reformulation of Marketing Strategy Facing COVID-19 Pandemic, the 16th Online Joint Class Tel-U & MMU

Reformulation of Marketing Strategy Facing COVID-19 Pandemic, the 16th Online Joint Class Tel-U & MMU. Having difficulty running a business in this Covid-19 pandemic situation? It seems that we need to reformulate our marketing strategy to stay afloat in this situation. Dr. Abdullah Al Mamun Sarwar, a lecturer at Multimedia University Malaysia and Dr. Agus Achmad Suhendra, a lecturer at Telkom University, shared material on Reformulation of Marketing Strategy Facing COVID-19 Pandemic in the 16^th Online Joint Class of Telkom University & Multimedia University Malaysia on September 17^th, 2020.

Along with the continued outbreak of Covid-19 to almost all countries in the world, economic growth in each of the contaminated countries has decreased quite significantly. The government realizes that this pandemic cannot yet be predicted when it will end, so a strategy is needed to increase economic growth. Various regulation and Covid-19 prevention and control guidelines have been issued to start a new normal.

Online selling is more promising as many cities are lockdown and people are forced to stay home. So, this is a chance to move digital communication to the next level because customers will be seeking updates, answers, and ways to improve their personal life. As Dr. Agus stated that nowadays customers’ behavior has changed. They are more selective. There is shifting from offline buying into online buying. They also prefer to use “take away” services. Customer more concern on “healthy” marketing mix. They tend to find:

1. Healthy product (clean packaging & handling)
2. Healthy Place (clean outlet, physical distancing layout, flow of the people, and good air circulation)
3. Clean Personal (clean appearance staff using self-protection tools)
4. Clean process
5. Physical Evidence (clean atmosphere)

So, what can we do? Yes, reformulate the marketing strategy by improving, developing, and executing new programs. Here, a marketer plays a major role because he/she works as a bridge to communicate our product to the customer. According to Dr. Agus, we need to improve the value of product, service, personnel, and image. The followings are some ideas to sell more effectively in the digital world, proposed by Dr. Abdullah:

1. Build e-commerce functionality on your site so customers can order your goods and services directly.
2. Make sure you offer quick, inexpensive delivery to online shoppers’ home or business.
3. Add functionality to your website so users can easily book virtual appointments.
4. Offer webinars in place of face-to-face presentations.
5. Implement an online chat tool so online buyers and browsers have a way to get their questions quickly answered.
6. Post a comprehensive online FAQ on your site, with strong search functionality.

In conclusion, whenever, wherever, and under any circumstances, humans will not stop consuming. There will always be a chance for anyone who wants to keep moving, keep learning, and keep trying.(IO)***