The world we live in today is not the same world we lived a couple of months back. Covid-19 has disrupted business in a big way. If your business is still relevant and offering value to customers, I should say you are lucky. It’s because many businesses out there will have to pivot in keeping with the changing customers’ needs and rightfully so because that’s the best way to survive this pandemic. No matter what the situation out there is, this is the time to keep our wits about us and plan our Covid 19 digital marketing strategies, mindfully. To get you started, here I laid out 9; not exactly robust, top digital marketing solutions that will help you sail through these COVID times:
Let Google Know your Current Business Status
As in, whether your business is operational or temporarily closed? For this, you need to update your Google Business Profile to let your customers know about the actual status of your business. You could keep your customers updated about the following things:
- Hours of operations, in case you open and close early
- Delays, if any
- Any additional services you are offering to the community
- Display “Temporarily closed” on Google
The updates will show up on Google Search and Maps. So it’s crucial to keep your Google Profile updated. And, if you think that marking your business as ‘Temporarily closed’ would affect your local search ranking, don’t worry, says Google. Further, businesses offering pickup or delivery services should mention their operational hours.
Go Live on Facebook and Instagram
Because of lockdown and social distancing measures implemented by various governments across the globe, brick and mortar stores are facing tough times. In China, some of the retail stores have turned themselves into delivery businesses. You could also try selling online by tuning into social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram Live. Live videos can help you connect with your audience in a more authentic way. For the starters, Facebook and Instagram Live Videos generate 3X more engagement than any pre-recorded videos. So, without much ado, start streaming your product or service videos live on social media. Since your customers won’t be able to connect with you on a one-to-one basis, this is an ideal way to interact and offer the online experience your customers are craving. As much as possible, answer questions in real-time. Also, provide online demos, webinars, and more to keep your audience up to date with your business offers. For more information on Facebook and Instagram marketing, consult digital marketing experts at RV Technologies.
Pivot as per Customer Needs
Tesla is currently making ventilators. Ford is re-purposing their 3D printers into respirators. In fact, Ford is working in collaboration with 3M and GE healthcare to expand the production of medical equipment and supplies that are much more in demand these days than any of their cars. The company plans to assemble over 100,000 face shields per week. Just like Ford and Tesla, even small businesses have to pivot as per the situation. For example, if you are running a restaurant and your business is temporarily closed, in such cases, you need to increase your takeaways. If you are running a salon or spa, then you should sell more gift cards for future services.
Offer Free Trials and Free Features of your Product
Neil Patel’s admits in his blog that he has lost tons of clients because of COVID-19. That said, he even admits that there are still enough clients on his roaster to run different experiments to see what sticks. For example, he is offering Ubersuggest premium features for free. Patel says that the best way to acquire new customers is to provide them with free trials. Yes, he’s aware of the fact that free trials don’t make high conversions. But, all said and done, this is one of the best marketing bets during these uncertain times. As he adds, “at least in theory, more trials mean more paid conversions in the longer run.” The good news: The moment Patel made premium features available for free, several clients opted for paid subscription services. He says, “I received dozens of emails from the marketing community thanking me and letting me know that they appreciate everything that I was doing, AND they purchased a paid plan to help me out.” Though he accepts that signups were down, traffic picked up on Ubersuggest the moment he announced that he was giving more away for free. So, tell us, is there anything that you could offer for free or on a trial basis, at least during the lockdown period? Think about it! It may help you win more customers than ever before.
Offer Online Educational Courses
Also, selling educational based courses work. With unemployment rates climbing like never before, people want to explore new fields and educate themselves about it. This is where offering online courses could prove beneficial. People may not prefer going back to school, or do any such thing when they can learn sitting right in front of their PCs. You could also take a leaf out of Udemy’s book and see what their doing and see if you could start doing something similar.
Stick to Old, High-performing Facebook ads
The Facebook team had recently announced that there would be delays and errors while reviewing new ads because they are relying more on automated systems (instead of people) to review ads. So, in case you plan to submit new Facebook ads, it may have to go through a new review process, which may take considerable time. To avoid such inconvenience, Facebook has recommended that brands continue with their previous, high-performing ads, as new ads will have to undergo new reviews.
Speak about your Brand’s Strength
Businesses exist for customers. Needless to say, your products and services exist to make their lives easier and better. So, during these stressful times, you need to stress more on how your product and service could benefit them while they are under quarantine. If your business specializes in productivity software, this is time to publicize about it as working from home is the norm these days, and your productivity may be in question. Software such as productivity software amplifies your productivity levels and helps you stay more focussed. Or if your brand has converted its retail store into a home delivery business, your customers need to know that as well. What if your business is not offering any direct value to customers? Even then, you could think of ways to entertain and educate customers quarantining at home. Just remember one thing: Keep your customers happy, that should be your top list. Business and profits should be secondary.
Steer clear of Conversion Talks
If you are running a non-essential business these days, you can still stay relevant in the eyes of the customer. So we need to keep our wits about us and steer clear from conversion talks; instead focus on offering value to customers. Businesses are doing their best to survive right now, so think of contribution and partnership, not conversion.
In all probability, you were planning to launch a new product or service in the upcoming months. In keeping with the product launch, you may have scheduled email marketing campaigns as well. However, now with COVID-19 disrupting business, there are no two ways about it. The urgent campaigns need to be stalled, and instead, your campaign should somehow reflect the current situation. For instance, Uber Eats, in recent times, posted campaigns on how they compromised on their delivery fees to support local restaurants in the U.S. or Canada. COVID-19 is here to stay, at least for a few more months! Until then, it’s better to keep pivoting your digital marketing strategies. More than anything, you need to have on display your generous side. Most of the companies are offering discounts on their services, advising employees to take sick leave if showing symptoms, providing meals to the homeless, and more. So, over to you now! How are you planning to connect with your customers in these COVID times?