Alejandro Rioja.
Marketing

5 Digital Marketing Ideas To Consider During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Alejandro Rioja
Alejandro Rioja
8 min read
TL;DR

COVID forced every business online overnight — the five moves that kept operators alive then (social presence, SEO, local search, paid ads, lead magnets) are now table stakes in 2026, reshaped by AI-generated answers and a post-pandemic buyer who's permanently digital-first.

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[Operator’s read] This is from inside an actual P&L I’m responsible for — not theory. If something doesn’t earn its keep on a live revenue line, it’s not in here.

Table of contents

Open Table of contents

1. Go Social — Then Go Specific

In 2020, the advice was: get on social, show empathy, post content that makes people feel good. That was right for the moment. The playbook has evolved.

In 2026, broad “be present on social” is not enough. The platforms that win attention have fragmented. Short-form video (Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts) dominates discovery for most consumer categories. X (formerly Twitter) shrank in relevance for many B2C use cases. LinkedIn became the dominant platform for B2B operator content. Threads picked up some of the conversational audience Twitter lost.

What still holds: authenticity compounds. Accounts that document real operations — real wins, real failures, real numbers — consistently outperform polished brand accounts. If you’re building in public and showing the actual work, you’re already ahead of most competitors.

The tactical update: pick one or two platforms where your buyers actually spend time, commit to a consistent format (short video or written thread, not both), and measure follower-to-lead conversion rather than vanity metrics. Social that doesn’t feed your email list or pipeline is entertainment, not marketing.

For internal links on content strategy, see content marketing trends and Instagram captions that convert.

2. Make SEO a Priority — Now Including GEO

In 2020, SEO meant: rank on Google’s first page. In 2026, that is still important, but the game has an additional layer.

AI-generated answer boxes (Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, ChatGPT search, Perplexity) now summarize answers directly in the interface. For many informational queries, users get an answer without clicking. This is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — and if your content is not cited in those summaries, you are invisible to a growing share of searchers.

What gets cited: authoritative, clearly attributed content with specific claims, named examples, and first-hand perspective. Generic listicles get paraphrased without attribution. Original research, operator experience, and strong opinions tied to real data get cited by name.

The SEO fundamentals from 2020 still apply:

  1. Write high-quality, specific content that answers real questions
  2. Keep your technical performance clean (Core Web Vitals still matter)
  3. Build legitimate links through original research and genuine outreach
  4. Update well-performing older content annually

The 2026 addition: write for humans reading citations, not just for crawlers. Include your name, your credentials, your direct experience. AI models weigh authoritativeness heavily. An anonymous “best practices” post will not be cited; a post where Alejandro Rioja explains what worked inside a real P&L might be.

See also: what is a SERP and local SEO fundamentals.

3. Local SEO — Google Business Profile Is Non-Negotiable

In 2020, local SEO was about making sure people could find you when they left the house for essentials. The stakes were survival-level.

In 2026, local search is fully normalized — and the standard for what a complete local listing looks like has risen. Google Business Profile (GBP, which replaced “Google My Business”) now surfaces photos, reviews, Q&A, services, booking links, and menu items directly in search results. A thin or neglected profile loses to competitors who maintain theirs weekly.

What to do in 2026:

The pandemic proved that local trust compounds. Businesses that showed up consistently during 2020-2021 earned reviews and loyalty that paid dividends for years. That same logic applies now: show up, stay accurate, respond to people.

Note: the blob image from the original post (blob:https://alejandrorioja.com/...) was a browser-side artifact and has been removed.

4. Paid Ads — Costs Are Back Up, But the Targeting Is Better

In early 2020, CPCs (cost per click) dropped sharply because large advertisers paused spending while traffic spiked. That window was real and it lasted several months. Operators who ran ads during that period got outsized returns.

That window is closed. Ad costs across Google, Meta, and LinkedIn have rebounded and, in most categories, sit above 2019 levels. The “cheap ads” moment was a one-time disruption, not a structural change.

What is structurally better in 2026: the targeting and automation layers inside ad platforms are significantly more capable than they were in 2020. Google’s Performance Max campaigns, Meta’s Advantage+ audiences, and AI-generated creative variations can find converting audiences with less manual setup than before — though they also require more careful guardrails to avoid waste.

The 2026 paid ads checklist:

  1. Define your cost-per-acquisition target before you launch — platforms will optimize toward whatever signal you give them
  2. Run a tight conversion-tracked setup; broad traffic without conversion data is money out the window
  3. Test AI-generated ad copy variations but review them for brand voice before going live
  4. Retargeting still delivers strong ROI for considered purchases
  5. Don’t pause during slow periods hoping for a 2020-style dip; it won’t return

For a practical walkthrough of setting up campaigns, see Google Ads tutorial.

5. Lead Magnets and Offers — The Email List Still Wins

In 2020, the example was Eric Siu offering a free agency course normally priced over $1,000 — over 250 takers, access to a new audience. The underlying principle was: give something valuable, earn attention and trust, convert later.

In 2026, this is more important, not less. Social platform reach is algorithmically throttled. Organic search is partially displaced by AI summaries. Email is the one channel where you own the relationship and the delivery is direct.

What has changed: the bar for what constitutes a useful lead magnet has risen. In 2020, a PDF checklist converted well. In 2026, AI can generate a generic checklist in seconds, so the value has to come from original research, proprietary data, or curated operator experience that a model cannot replicate.

High-conversion lead magnets in 2026:

The mechanism is the same as 2020: offer something genuinely useful, capture an email, nurture the relationship. The creative bar is just higher.

What COVID Taught Us That Still Applies in 2026

Looking back, the businesses that survived 2020 and thrived afterward shared a pattern: they treated digital channels as primary, not supplemental. They built email lists instead of renting social audiences. They kept local listings accurate. They stayed in front of buyers during down cycles when competitors went dark.

None of that changed. The tools and platforms evolved, AI added a new optimization layer, and some specific tactics shifted — but the underlying logic is the same: show up consistently, be findable, earn trust before you ask for money.

Digital Marketing 2026 — FAQ

Is SEO still worth investing in now that AI Overviews answer many queries directly?

Yes, for two reasons. First, not all queries trigger AI Overviews — commercial, navigational, and local searches often still show traditional results. Second, AI Overviews pull from high-quality sources, so ranking well and being cited in AI summaries are increasingly the same goal. The answer is to write better, more authoritative content, not to abandon SEO.

What happened to cheap pandemic-era ad costs?

That window closed. CPCs across major platforms returned to pre-pandemic levels and have risen further in competitive categories. The opportunity was real in 2020 but was a one-time disruption, not a structural change. Focus on improving conversion rates and tightening targeting rather than hoping costs drop again.

How do I optimize for AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini?

Write clearly attributed, first-person content with specific claims and real examples. Include your name and credentials. AI models weight authoritativeness heavily — anonymous generic content gets paraphrased without citation; named expert content with original data gets cited directly. Structured content (clear headings, explicit answers near the top of sections) also tends to surface better.

Is an email list still worth building in 2026?

More than ever. Social platform reach is throttled; AI summaries intercept organic search traffic. Email is the only channel where you own the audience relationship and control delivery. The challenge is that the lead magnet has to be genuinely useful — generic PDFs no longer convert well when AI can generate similar content on demand.

Related reading: content marketing trends · Google Ads tutorial · local SEO

The shorter version

If you’re reading this because the workflow it describes is eating your week, that’s the kind of loop I build AI agents for. Two build slots open at a time.

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