Based on your industry or niche, you might have experienced your sales going down in recent times with the ongoing corona virus pandemic. There are sectors that have seen an almost total closure of activity and have had to pivot and innovate to continue.
The right marketing is now more important than ever for many businesses. With internet usage increasing, all your marketing efforts has to to be online. Though other option, particularly television, is available too, however the cost will make it prohibitive for many businesses currently.
But don’t hold back yet, we have some great tips that can help you improve your marketing strategy to keep your business running during tough times.
Improve your online presence
People are online now more than ever. They would avoid physical interactions, but that doesn’t mean that they have no interest in businesses near them.
There were quite a number of businesses investing their marketing budget into trade shows and events. And as we speak today, many of these are now canceled.
You would need to alter your online strategy better so as to reflect with the current demand. For example, if you run a store with mixed items, you might want to narrow down to food and home essentials products instead of luxury items. In some cases where the government restrictions limit you from selling specific items, you can remove them off your shelf for the time being.
Digital marketing doesn’t require any face-to-face interaction. It is also a measurable marketing, making it easy to track data set clear goals.
One way to kick start a better online positioning for your business is work on using Ecommerce as a mean to generate sales and get the much needed eyeballs. There are tons of Top eCommerce Development Companies to work with here.
Start with paid advertisement if not done yet
Though this may not be the right time to go deep down your pockets. But due to the ongoing pandemic many businesses have opted out of paid advertisements, making the advertisement space way less competitive with very low prices. Not to forget this is also the best time to get your brand out and have as many eye balls as possible with the increase in the number of internet users.
Since people are currently spending way more time at home. This forces them to switch to the internet to look for information, upgrading skills and shopping. These also includes people looking for businesses or specific services.
Offer special payment plans or free-trial
The pandemic has hit many industries in recent times. It’s now all the more important to offer custom payment plans as people may not be open to big purchases owing to the uncertainty.
In order to increase conversion and sales, you can introduce a simplified payment plan so that your customers can still get through the purchase without making a hole in their pocket. Based on your product or service you can be open to monthly or quarterly payment plans so that it help your customers make a purchase decision without going heavy on cash.
How Salesforce is giving away their platform free for 90 days (image source)
You can also offer free trials to your customers so that they can get a feel of your product and eventually come to buying decision. This option may not be applicable for all small businesses but do give it a try if possible.
Work on long term marketing with your Site’s SEO
With all things digital, it’s becoming all the more important for people to find their way to your website. If you’ve been ignoring SEO for your site, this may be the time to pull up your sock and focus on your sites SEO. All this so that when things settle down, you would be already be on top of your competitors.
Keep in mind that search engines continually change their algorithms for better user experiences, so you need to ensure that your site is frequently updated to keep up with the trends.
The key with SEO is that when people search for specific terms related to your industry, your website posts and pages should come up near the top of the search results, preferably in the first few positions. Though not easy, however, over time and with continuous efforts, you can expect way higher ROIs. Remember, at the moment, your competitors could be too busy trying to survive rather than improving the quality of their websites. With a descent work to your sites SEO, you can expect excellent round of opportunity when things recover.
Connect with your audience
Now is the time to give your social media presence an uplift. Your potential customers will now have more time to use social media and your business should be right there to show how you care.
Rework on your content and upgrade those that you feel could help your audience in the current scenario. Your potential customers are more likely to see it now.
You would also want to communicate with your current audience on a personal level by showing empathy and sharing relatable content. Work on content pieces that shows the human side of your business so that they can engage on a personal level.
Talk it out with your existing customers. Let’s say a simple question of “How are you guys doing?”, “Is there anything that we can help?”, these wouldn’t directly help in bringing in revenue. But it’s all about building the right relationship.
Conclusion
So, this is the perfect time to assist your customer in any way you can. Think of your customers and how the pandemic has impacted them to provide them with the information and assistance they need to get through it.
Remember, it is important that you, as a business take the proper measures to survive and plan for the near future. It could be difficult but with a proper marketing plan, we can all get through this together.
Would you like to add to the list?
PS: Please be safe and if possible, stay indoors.
