Marketing During Covid-19 and Beyond

It is hard to deny that the coronavirus has caused one of the most significant interruptions to business in recent history. With most businesses experiencing extended disruption or closure, it is easy to just see the bad and chalk up this time as a loss. But by making some smart moves now, you can prepare yourself to hit the ground running once demand returns.

Connect with Your Customers

For many businesses, word of mouth and client referrals are the driving force behind most sales. With people staying at home, these types of interactions just aren’t happening in the same way they were. But that doesn’t mean they can’t. Right now is a great time to work a little harder to connect with your clients.

With email marketing and social media, you can connect and share helpful resources to your clients. This type of engagement reminds your clients that you are still out there, promotes a positive association with your brand, and gives customers a reason to engage.

You can also create new virtual experiences and connect people with your brand through an app. If you have an app, you may want to invest more into your mobile app marketing strategy this season.

Requesting referrals or reviews from your happy customers is a perfect way to stay connected, build your online presence, and even generate a little business.

Here’s a sample email you could send out to former customers:

Subject: Help us get back to business!

Dear {First Name},

We hope you are staying healthy during this challenging time. All of us here at { Company} look forward to getting back to business-as-usual soon. In the meantime, we are working on building our online reputation so we can come back stronger than ever. Would you be so kind as to leave us a review {here}?

If you’re looking for a tool to streamline the review requesting process, check out Kudo.

Leverage Increased Activity on Social Media Platforms

Customers may not be visiting your store, but they are on social media. As people look for new ways to stay connected and maintain normalcy, social media and messaging platforms are seeing record-setting usage numbers. At the same time, the number of businesses advertising has dramatically reduced. Since most digital platforms operate as an auction, this means significantly lowered advertising costs. .

For many businesses who are laying off employees and struggling to make ends meet, no amount of discount will help advertising justifiable. However, for businesses who have some reserves, it may be an incredible opportunity to grow brand awareness and gain ground on the competition.

Five Tactics to Hit the Ground Running with Your Digital Marketing

While the coronavirus might have forced your business to temporarily close or otherwise disrupted your sales, here are three steps you can take today to ensure you come back stronger than ever.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) allows you to earn unpaid advertising on search engines by providing the best answers for consumers’ search queries. During an economic crisis, many companies stop investing in their websites and content, so you have a greater opportunity to gain market share and grab higher spots on search engine results pages. According to SEO Expert, 92% of users end up choosing a business that is on the first page of search results. One of the single most important investments any business can make is to invest in an SEO plan to capture these customers.
2. Conversion-focused web design can make your website your best salesperson. By building a beautiful, sales-focused site with a strong SEO foundation, you can make your site something that not only drives business, but gives you pride in your company.
3. Invest in your online reputation and reap the benefits. When you focus on your clients, they can be your greatest asset. But like any resource, they can only help if they are properly utilized. By using a review management system, you can easily request reviews from your happiest clients and avoid unnecessary negative reviews.
4. Continue email marketing to your current customers. If you keep the email addresses of past clients, email can be a great way to keep in touch. Newsletters or other updates can be a great way to tell your clients that you are still in business, and give them an opportunity to come back.
5. Keep your website up to date. Updating your website is not only a great way to help your SEO results, it can also help you connect with your clients and give you a platform to share the changes you have made to adapt to Covid.

Building a Marketing Plan During Covid-19 and Beyond

As a small business, time is one of your most valuable resources. How often do you think “I wish I had the time to do ___”? Now is your chance to work on your business rather than working for your business. Take this opportunity to be more active on social media, to learn a new CRM, or create a smart marketing plan.

If you are looking for new ways to take your marketing to the next level, contact us for a free consultation.