Your brand may have picked up some new audience segments during the COVID-19 crisis. This is a widespread trend: a study by McKinsey finds that 75% of U.S. consumers have tried a new way of shopping during the pandemic, with 36% of consumers reporting they have tried a new product brand. What's more is that 76% of surveyed U.S. consumers say they have purchased new products from brands during the pandemic due to deals they've received from brands, according to new research from Valassis. Plus, data from Morning Consult shows that 46% of Americans surveyed report they don’t miss certain product brands they were previously loyal to.

The crucial takeaway here: this is the perfect time for you to convince those new consumers that your brand has the features they want for the long term — do it effectively and you can hang on to your "COVID customers" for good, expanding a new demographic widely. So, what's the smart way to accomplish this?

Focus on the following five key areas to impress your new audience now and preserve their loyalty as the pandemic continues — and beyond:

Pricing transparency.

Since deals are a huge driving force when it comes to your customers' purchasing decisions at the moment, you want to make sure you're meeting their needs and wants in this regard. Keep your pricing policies fair and low, and emphasize that fact in all of your campaigns and social content.

Flash sales, BOGOs, promo codes, deep discount offers across your social platforms — you need to push all of this, and often, for great results. Make your deals fun, promote them consistently and boldly, and make them easy to use — no "catches" when a consumer tries to redeem an offer.

Surveying smartly.

Use your influencers, your audience feedback, and your customer service interaction data to find out the unvarnished truth when it comes to what your new customers are loving about your brand and what they don't like. Make adjustments wisely and when necessary — but don't do any major overhauling right now.

Tweaks? Sure, if your customers are pointing out they'd like small improvements to your products and services or if you see that to be necessary. But consistency is the magic word here — keep your core values intact, and stress them positively.

New product rollouts.

Don't cancel that launch you planned if you have the resources to go through with it. Your new base will feel reassured and excited when they see you bring them a product that's new, effective and budget-friendly at this tough time — it's a "day-brightener," and consumers need that boost right now.

Supply chain checks.

Identify problems, delays or shortages, address them as best you can, and be upfront with your audience about any back-order issues so they don't feel frustrated or out of the loop. Don't worry that your honesty will be a turn-off — your new customers will appreciate your candor, and it will help them trust future messaging you do.

Ease of service.

Make every interaction your new customers have with your brand — from complaint resolution to a simple visit to your website — simple and positive. Take the stress, guesswork and complications out of your process and your consumers will love your brand even more — and in the future!