Marketing During The Pandemic
Everywhere over the world businesses have been greatly impacted as the economy has taken a massive hit. Last year, the marketing budgets were already in place when the pandemic hit and businesses managed to stay afloat. This year, thanks to abysmal earnings from 2020, many businesses can not afford to survive another lockdown.
At a grim time like this, not everyone has the heart to continue marketing. Unfortunately, ignoring digital marketing during this pandemic is not a good idea for businesses. So what does one do, especially when they wish to stay relevant in order to earn an income, and not coming across as cold and heartless?
If no money is coming in, businesses cannot afford to run, even when the economy bounces back. Instead of blatantly promoting themselves on social media, businesses can now change their marketing tactics.
Historically, businesses that have chosen a more progressive strategy of refocusing spending during a recession have outperformed businesses that made sweeping cuts (source: CXL.com. )
The study found that “successful leaders, trading lower short-term profitability for long-term gain, refocused rather than cut spending.”
A Harvard Business Review study of 4,700 public companies analyzed three years before, during and after recessions. The study found that “firms that cut costs faster and deeper than rivals don’t necessarily flourish.”
So how do you connect with customers even during a crisis like COVID-19?
- Connect with your customers on social media: instead of selling, connect through empathetic posts, share guides, and contribute to any resources that are trying to help. Our communities need each other now more than ever. People need support, understanding, education, resources. Social media can be extremely powerful if it’s done correctly.
2. Make sure your brand can be found online: the rate of consumption of content is increasing. This is not the time to be hidden online. You should be focussing on SEO and even PPC! Remember, the markets will bounce back, and the effort put in now is going to show results 3 months down the line.
3. Get a website: if you already have one, focus on keeping your website updated and optimized.
4. Focus on local SEO and online reviews: use local SEO strategies to optimize your website for “near me” searches. You want customers in your region to be able to easily find you online. Adding positive reviews (especially on Google) will help you stand out in your local area too!
5. Use this downtime to re-look at your brand and marketing strategy!
Businesses that think on their feet and show the ability to adjust with new COVID-19 marketing ideas will come out ahead of others that fail to change their approaches. Be sure to adjust your strategies and marketing. Meet your customers where they are now (and that’s mostly online)
Now is the time to connect with your customers like never before and not separate from them.
