Marketing during the Coronavirus pandemic
With many countries around the world in lockdown, countless non-essential businesses have been forced to close down, global markets have crashed, and economies are really struggling in the wake of Coronavirus.
In light of all this, it’s likely that almost all businesses around the world will be affected by Coronavirus in some way.
It’s a scary time for everyone. But the one thing we can count on is that we will get through it. And when we reach the other side, we want you to be prepared to bounce back as quickly as possible.
Here’s what to do if you’re a small or medium business facing a COVID-19 crisis.
Keep your customers in the loop
First things first: address the Coronavirus crisis head-on. Keep communications open and make sure to update your customers as things change.
This includes things like store closures, reduced stock, longer shipping times or just letting people know that you’re working hard to reduce the spread.
It also means being completely transparent when people come to you with questions or concerns.
Whatever it is, make sure to keep your customers in the loop and demonstrate that you’re handling the situation as best you can.
Don’t exploit fear
People are understandably panicked right now, and some businesses are taking this opportunity to capture panic buyers for some quick money.
Not only is this approach unethical, but it’s also pretty short-sighted, too.
Sure, you might make see a burst in sales initially. But in the long run, people will resent you for exploiting the situation.
Don’t pull your marketing budget
In times of crisis, it’s only natural to want to cut costs in any way possible.
With that being said, many consumers will still be interested in your products or services so it’s important to continue communicating with them and letting them know you’re open for business.
In fact, history has actually demonstrated that maintaining or even increasing your ad and marketing budgets during a weak economy is the best way to increase your sales – both during and after an economic crisis.
Adapt to meet current needs
We’re all making some drastic changes to the way our businesses operate.
But rather than shutting up shop and waiting for COVID-19 to pass, we’re urging you to consider ways you could adapt your business model to continue reaching your customers.
Some industries are already nailing this. Consider hospitality, where fine-dining restaurants are now offering take-away. Or gyms that are providing members with home-workout plans and digital access to their PT’s.
Adapting to the changing COVID-climate is essential to staying open for business and is a great way to ensure you’re set up for success when things return to normal.
Work on your brand and systems
Another productive thing you can do in lockdown is to spend some time auditing and perfecting your brand and internal systems.
What’s working well and what isn’t? Are all your communications cohesive and on-brand? Does your collateral need to be updated? Is your CRM up to date and are your email templates fresh and engaging?
While it might not be the immediate fix you’re hoping for, perfecting this stuff now will ensure you’re ready to roll when we come out the other side of Coronavirus.
Invest in SEO
Although you should really be investing in SEO all year round, now is a great opportunity to ramp up your efforts and tackle the things you might not normally have the time to do.
As other businesses slash their marketing budgets, there’s a good opportunity to boost your rankings over the coming months.
To help smash your SEO, consider:
- Writing more blog posts
- Auditing your current web content
- Updating your meta titles and meta descriptions
- Scheduling webinars
- Recording and publishing new videos
- Improving your online reviews strategy
Many industries are facing uncertainty right now but the best thing we can do is stay engaged, be proactive and plan for a speedy recovery when the dust settles. If you need some help staying on top of your marketing during these difficult times, reach out to us. We’d love to help.