Strategy To Market Your Business During Covid-19 Pandemic
If your business is struggling due to COVID-19 it is not the time to pull back on marketing, we repeat it is not the time to stop marketing efforts. Marketing is absolutely crucial during an economic downturn to come back strong.
There are several ways you can adjust your current marketing plan to both save internal costs and increase brand awareness and organic traffic. Here is what you should do
- Adapt your message to the current situation
Having relevant content is the MOST important aspect of marketing right now for businesses. Having relatable messaging for your target audience and creating a sense of understanding and trust means will raise awareness of your brand as well as set you apart from your competitors.
- Add value to your current customer base
Go above and beyond for your customers/clients right now. Provide them incentives, ask them what you can do to help them during this time, offer free service add-ons that may be beneficial to their business. This time gives you an opportunity to be more to your customers and present value they were not expecting.
A great example is if you are a mechanic, offer to pick up your customer’s car and drop off with no additional charge so they don’t have to leave the house.
- Provide value to your potential customer base
Sales and general branding messaging is not the key to success right now. Providing value for potential customers/clients that specifically helps them during this time will present a much higher opportunity to convert. Changing the messaging regarding your services/products to be relevant during a pandemic will give them an incentive to take action now rather than later.
If you provide services that offer a monthly payment on, offer deferred payments to give your potential customers financial relief during this time, but you still gain a customer and revenue.
- Presenting your services for now + after COVID-19
By presenting the benefits of your services and/or products now and after the pandemic end will provide reasoning to act now.
- Identify current challenges and opportunities
This sounds very general, but right now presents a whole new world of challenges and potential opportunities for your business that you may have never considered in the past. Take each challenge you are facing and determine with main opportunities and how you can are able to execute them.
For example, if you are a chiropractor and are unable to see patients that is most likely your biggest challenge at the moment. Since patients can’t come to you, you can provide weekly videos with stretches, exercises and at-home tips to relieve back pain. Provide weekly check-ins via phone or video conferencing to see how your patients are doing. Or take the time to make the office updates you have been wanting to do but haven’t had the time – with no patients it is a perfect opportunity to get this done. Thinking outside the box during this time will set you apart from others in your industry.
- Stop paid ads and focus on organic traffic
Yes, marketing has added costs associated that your business may not be able to afford right now. Stop or pause all paid ads including Google AdWords, Facebook Ads or digital banner ads and focus on your organic traffic.
Organic traffic doesn’t cost your business money and has great potential when done correctly. Focus on SEO efforts, general content updates and daily social media posts to market your business right now without the extra expenses of paid ads.
Have no idea where to start? Contact us and we can get you on the right track!
- Plan for different scenarios
If there is one thing we have learned from COVID-19 so far, every day is different and we are never sure of what is going to happen next. So, planning for different scenarios is crucial. Keep in the back of your mind that anything could happen and your business needs to be ready. So, how can you best serve your customers under different conditions?
If the pandemic gets worse and there are more restrictions put in place what are you going to do? If you are able to re-open tomorrow, what is your grand re-opening marketing plan? If you get ill who knows your plan and is ready to take action while you recover? These are just a few examples, but putting every scenario possible on the table lets you better plan and market your business for the weeks or even months ahead.
- Set-up Automation
Automation makes marketing much more streamlined during normal working conditions. During times like this, it is absolutely essential. This time has presented several business closures, employee layoffs and shortened staff which can impact your marketing initiatives. Having automation in place gives you the ability to keep marketing in play without the needed manpower.
Scheduling social media posts ahead of time, using automated email platforms and having autoresponders in place are just a few of the many automation aspects available for business marketing.
- Be social. Stay social.
Make your social media platforms one of your highest marketing priorities. This space allows you to relate, communicate and reach your past, current and potential customers/clients in an instant. Don’t slow down social media communication during a downturn, rather ramp up your posts and create a greater online presence for your business.
- Give back and help others.
Give back. Give back. Give back. See what you can do right now both personally and as a business to help those in your community during times of need. Not only is this the right thing to do, but puts a positive light on your company and creates word of mouth and referral opportunities.
