The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone, but small businesses have been placed in a particularly vulnerable position. As a small business owner, you may be thinking about how your business should prepare to re-emerge as Austin has begun to reopen its doors slowly. Whether you’re a brick-and-mortar that has temporarily closed their doors or switched to an online model, we’ve compiled a few tips for marketing your business post Covid-19
Lean on Your Digital Marketing
Digital marketing has the advantage of being faster, less expensive, and more effective than traditional marketing. Email marketing and social media marketing allows you to send a targeted marketing message to your current customer base or your ideal target demographic for a fraction of the cost of a TV ad or print campaign. When your business opens back up again, you’ll need to get the word out! There may also be some new process changes that your consumers will need to be aware of. With digital marketing you can quickly and efficiently update messaging without the long delays that broadcast can cause. It is essential not to let the relationships that you have nurtured with your current customer base to drop off. Stay top of mind for your customers, so when you do begin to message about your reopening, they are engaged.
Digital is Here to Stay
Previously we saw an uptick in consumers favoring online purchases, but since being on lockdown, consumers have shifted entirely to being online. As cities begin to open back up, we foresee this trend of digital services sticking around . Consumers will continue to favor the convenience of getting things done without ever having to leave their home. To stay up to date, now is the time to audit your website and online consumer experience. Is your website easy to navigate? How quickly or slowly do your webpages load? Is your website optimized for mobile? These are a few of the questions you should be asking as you audit your website. If you’d like to have our team of experts perform an audit, schedule your complimentary consultation.
Keep Your Ear to the Ground
We’ve seen rapid changes in both consumer behavior and market dynamics during the last few months. It is essential to monitor brand communication and actively listen to your community. Social listening allows your brand to track, analyze, and respond to your customer’s needs. Your customers will most likely give you insight into what they need from your brand. Is it that they are looking for you to rethink your product offerings? Maybe they are concerned about you opening your brick and mortar doors too soon. Social listening will help inform what your messaging needs to be to connect with your customers. If you’re not using social listening, then you’re leaving crucial insight on the table! To get started, follow these two steps:
- Monitor your social media channels for mentions of your brand, products, hashtags related to your business, and take a look at what your competitors are doing.
- Analyze the information you gather and take action. This could be as small as responding to a happy customer or as big as shifting your entire brand positioning.
- Engage with consumers who are engaging with your social channels. This will help nurture lifelong relationships.
Don’t Pause Your Digital Ad Campaigns
The competitor market has changed. Businesses are responding to the pandemic in different ways, with some companies cutting their Pay-Per-Click (PPC) marketing budgets altogether. Historically, businesses that have invested in marketing during a crisis have always had a leg up against the competition. When launching an advertising campaign, be sure you are actively reviewing and adjusting your messaging as needed. This is not the time to leave your ad campaigns on autopilot! Stay up to date on what people are searching for with Google Trends . This helpful tool shows the latest trends as people search to help inform your bidding strategy. If you have continued to market throughout these uncertain times, then we have some good news for you! You’ve built up a substantial audience that you can now remarket to as part of your marketing post-COVID-19 plan.
We’ve heard that the world will change once the pandemic is over , so it is time to adjust your marketing strategy to the new “normal.” Stay top of mind and communicate with your customer base. If you’re feeling a little shaky or need some advice, then schedule a complimentary consultation with us. Let’s talk about how we can help your business stay ahead of the competition!
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