Due to the constraints the government has put in place to flatten the Covid-19 curve, more businesses have been struggling and focusing on restructuring. While many businesses have suffered significant losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, not all have been affected negatively.
Around the world, it has become challenging for most businesses to keep their financial wheels turning during the lock-down period due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. This is the time when understanding the gravity of the situation and turning it favourable for your business is all that matters to let it sail smoothly in these difficult times.
In the future, business case studies will definitely be written about how corona-virus caused the economic downturn, demand to crumble and consumer and business confidence to deteriorate. But they will also tell stories of survival, how many small businesses came out fighting, how strength and resilience bred adaptation, transformation and opportunity.
How can I market during the pandemic?
1. Rebuild/Redesign your website: Branding is an essential aspect of a business, and your website is one of the most important and visible aspects of your brand. In light of this, rebuilding your website is a big step towards marketing and marketing effectively during this pandemic. Your website is the visual representation of your business. It is the go-to place for people to source information about your business such as services you render, your method of operation, as well as other information available on the website.
Therefore, beyond just rebuilding or redesigning your website, you must ensure that the website speaks volume, offers as much information as customers might require, clearly outlines your profile as a business, and contains a clear and visible call to action. Putting all of these in place will help you market your brand better.
2. Prioritize your retargeting strategy: What does retargeting entails? If a customer shows some form of interest in your product or service without actually buying, retargeting helps you focus on this particular customer, and helps you convert them from just an interested person into a customer or client.
Retargeting is very important because the majority of people who show interest in your product or your service at first will end up not patronising you. When this happens, you don’t just leave these sets of people as there is still a chance of converting them into customers and get them to patronise your business.
This is where retargeting comes in. It is the process of putting the focus on those people that have shown interest in your business one way or another. By specifically targeting your marketing at these sets of potential customers, you give your business or brand the opportunity to get more customers and successfully navigate through this pandemic.
3. Assess your social media marketing: As Coronavirus changed just about everything, you still need to connect to your customers, prospects, partners, and team members. And now more than ever, social media may be one of the best ways to do so. Create a social media account, and interact with the customers often in order to promote your website. Include buttons on your website to allow your website visitors to find your Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and any other social media platforms you use.
You should consider social media adverts, this allows you to reach a wider audience than those who are following you. Know what business objective you’re trying to achieve, select your target audience, let your organic posts inform your ads, design your ads with mobile in mind, test your ads to optimize performance. You can create target audiences based on their demographics, interests, behaviours, age, and more.
4. Adopt influencer marketing: Influencer marketing is the process of maximizing the influence of a celebrity or an influencer on a social media platform to advertise your brand. There are social media personalities that can influence the buying decisions of consumers – even in uncertain times like these. Reach out to them, and step up your online marketing game.
Here are 5 key Influencer marketing strategies that you can adopt to help boost sales:
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- Ask Influencers to create instagram stories
- Get Influencers to create testimonial videos
- Collaborate with Influencers for affiliate marketing
- Ask Influencers to review your products
- Offer a discount code through your Influencers
5. Engage in video marketing: Video advertising is promotional content that plays before, during or after streaming content. Video advertising is one of the most common ways to reach online audiences. Shoot your video, choose a headline and description that’ll communicate who you are and what you offer. The aim of your headline is to grab the attention of potential customers and highlight the product or service you’re trying to promote.
Set up your video ad on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram, set a target for your video, you can choose where likely customers are located, age, gender, pick the location(s) where you want your ads to show. You can specify countries, regions and cities.
To get the most from your adverts you must be clever with your targeting, use the right form of ad placement based on your audience research, and balance your campaign budget based on what you’re looking to achieve.
6. Model Public Relations Marketing: Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and the public. It is the process of leveraging media channels by cultivating a positive perception of your brand in order to promote your organization. All businesses need public relations, regardless of their size or industry.
However, Public relations can be used as a marketing tool in the pandemic. Your PR strategies should provide different ways of reaching, engaging, and building trust with your audience. Find out which media outlets your target market typically reads, views or listens to, you’ll be able to identify specific journals or programs for the industry you are targeting. Start your press release with a great headline. Get in touch with the media house, let them know you have a story that may interest them and their readers. Make sure you provide your contact with the convenience of more information. This is also a good way to make sure your audience gets in contact with you. Hence, using PR and marketing in tandem drives the best results.
Final Thoughts
While many businesses have stopped all marketing efforts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now’s a good time to increase your marketing efforts while following the above best practices.
This is a time for smart decisions. Businesses must develop a firm strategy in place that allows adaptability and flexibility in order to remain relevant. You can take advantage of these times and turn current uncertainties to opportunities and your brand will forever be remembered.
If you’d like some specific advice or help with your marketing, let us know here or in the comments. We’d love to help.
