The Future Of Business Post COVID-19: 5 Questions With Tech Entrepreneur Scott Levy

Question 1: What sort of fault lines within businesses has this global pandemic exploited? 

Answer 1:
 First and foremost Cash. It demonstrated that far too many companies have virtually no cash stockpile for downturns, market irregularities etc. Everyone is always in growth mode and the spend every last penny, yet very few companies can survive beyond 30-60 days of disrupted revenue. Second it’s a solid marketing strategy, including disaster and pr crisis planning. At my digital marketing agency Fuel Online, not only do we build out extraordinary enterprise level digital strategies, but we also implore all of our clients to have contingency plans, pr crisis plans, and a stock pile of content and visual assets.

Question 2 : Why has digital marketing emerged as a potent business strategy?

Answer 2 :
Everything is digital today, that’s just the way it is. But the biggest advantage is data. Nowhere else in traditional media do you get the data you can get with digital. From How many times people have seen your ads, to when did they click, what did they do when they clicked, to following them around the web with retargeting if they didn’t buy or become a lead. The data, demographic targeting, science, and capabilities have just become extraordinary. As far as Covid marketing, digital allowed all of our clients to pivot on the fly and change their messaging and story telling.

Question 3: Amidst a global lockdown, what new marketing strategies can companies employ to stimulate a sustained brand image?

Answer 3:
It’s all about being transparent and compassionate. We went big on story telling, showing the faces behind our clients companies and making sure nobody was pretending we weren’t in crisis, by addressing it head on. We build out a lot of campaigns that shared the stories of the employees, and the fact that they were still there for people, that coupled with their genuine concern and love for their clients. If you did pull back on your digital marketing budget, now is the time go back all in on your SEO, PPC, Social Media, Paid Media and more. You run the risk of signing agreements, planning, building assets and coming to the table way after your competitors if you don’t start now.

Question 4 :  When businesses are selecting a Digital Agency to build an online marketing portfolio, what should they look for?

Answer 4 :
That’s a good question. There are thousands of fly by night agencies out there now, and too many people try to save money and wind up getting burned. You want a digital agency like ours, where we tell you the truth whether you want to hear it or not. We’ll tell you if you have the appropriate budget for what you want to accomplish, we’ll tell you if your expectations are realistic or not, and we’ll tell you if your website sucks. Some can’t hear it, but most absolutely love our approach and the brutal honesty. I run my agency this way because I want people to have the right expectations, and absolute success. We won’t take you on as a client if I don’t think we can help you. I believe it’s that strategy, and the high level team I hire, that has set us apart and helped is win so many awards. Lastly there’s no substitute for experience and time in business.

Question 5 : What sort of Digital Marketing trends are we looking at, post-COVID-19

Answer 5: Humanized storytelling that pulls at the heart strings. Softer asks and conversion attempts, and hopefully more value based content and knowledge sharing in order to help everyone get back in their feet. It’s going to be the companies that give the most, that succeed the most. I truly and genuinely believe that.

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