The Covid-19 pandemic that has resulted in over 6.06 million infections and more than 371K deaths worldwide has had an even bigger impact on businesses.
Many brick-and-mortar stores have been shut down due to strict lockdown measures imposed by local state governments.
Non-UK nationals who’re currently living in the UK or those planning to apply for permanent residence UK are afraid of the current business situation in the country.
Almost all businesses have reported a sharp decline in customer activity leading towards a significant decrease in revenues. And, it appears that things likely will get worse before they get better.
To help businesses steer through these challenging times, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to help you market your products in an effective manner during this pandemic.
Communication is the Key
While it’s natural to feel that you can’t help people out as you’re not a health authority, it’s no surprise that your customers want to hear from you.
This crisis has consequences that go beyond just health and safety measures. The outbreak has shut down all the major states, stock markets have seen a massive decline, and almost every sector is affected in one way or the other.
Customers are afraid of the impact the global pandemic is having. At this time, communicating with your buyers shows that you’re concerned about the situation and want to help them out.
During a crisis like Covid-19, in which many customers are working from home, effective communication strategies will enable you to reassure that your services won’t get affected.
Your communication strategy should:
- Acknowledge the crisis
- Help you empathize with your customers
- Reassure them of the same (even better) quality of products/services as before
Restrategize Your Marketing Efforts
There is no denying the fact that many businesses have suffered immensely due to the Coronavirus outbreak. But, it’s also a fact that the impact isn’t too negative for all of them.
Let’s take an example of a video communications company Zoom here that has witnessed massive growth since the crisis began.
Similarly, dropshipping companies such as Amazon and AliExpress have experienced surging demands. Companies dealing with hygiene products and PPE have also witnessed noticeable growth during the pandemic.
For you, as a business, these examples mean you can also benefit from a situation with the right marketing strategies.
Reassure Your Customers How Your Business is responding to the Crisis
As a business, it’s your biggest responsibility to stay relevant to your customer’s needs. Make sure you reach out to them with a positive and convincing message. Reassure your customers that your business is always there to help them cope with the challenging times.
There are many ways you can reach out to your customers- TV, print media, your social media profiles, text/email blasts are just to name a few.
Go Digital
That’s perfectly okay if you haven’t considered going online yet. After all, you never felt a need to do so. But things are changed now. Businesses that do not have an online presence are likely to suffer immensely than those having a website.
It’s high time you should focus on creating a feature-rich user-friendly website. Just make sure you hire experts to do this job for you. Leverage keywords research so that more and more customers can find you online.
Create More Valuable Content
Many businesses in the same sector as yours will possibly reduce the amount of content they currently have listed on their website. Some of them may even stop creating fresh content in an attempt to save a few bucks.
This is the biggest mistake they’re making, but it presents an opportunity for you.
Make sure you continue creating value-driven useful content for your website visitors. Make sure your content addresses the key concerns of your customers.
Honestly, your competitors will start creating content soon, but you’ll already have lots of content ranking well on search engines.
Reconsider Your Automated Marketing Strategies
Yes, we know automation has many benefits, and it might have helped your business earn substantial revenue in the past. But, that was before the outbreak. Having similar automated strategies in place might make you appear uncaring and more inclined towards profits.
Hence, make sure you go through your automated marketing strategies once again – that includes your SMS/email campaigns and Ad campaigns.
Strengthen Your Relationship with Your Customers
Strengthening your relationship with your customers is impossible without streamlining a proper communication system. Keep your email and SMS marketing systems in place, and make sure fresh content is constantly being updated on your website.
If you’re not taking advantage of effective communication channels now, you’re likely to lose a big chunk of your customers to companies that are keeping them in a loop. And remember, it won’t be easy to get them back once the pandemic is over.
Don’t Decrease Your Marketing Budget
It’s important to understand that almost every business has been equally affected by the pandemic. One of the biggest mistakes brands are making these days is reducing their marketing budgets. It’s high time you invest more on marketing so that you can benefit from the ignorance of your competitors.
It will allow you to gain substantial market share and be a commanding voice while your competitors are dormant.
Integrate Empathy in Your Communication Framework
Marketing communications without empathy is of no use these days. Without empathy, your business will look like an entity taking advantage of the current situation. And, no business wants that tag, right? Empathy is a key strategy for connecting with customers.
Here, it is important that your marketing team must work with other departments to determine how the organization is shifting in customer experience. Also, they must keep in touch with consumers during this time.
Keeping empathy alive in your marketing strategies will help you create a loyal and satisfied customer base.
Focus on Agile Strategic Pricing Model
Paying attention to strategic short-term planning by using different marketing tools will enable marketers to secure profits.
Apart from that, marketers can also consider implementing an agile pricing model, which is an effective and sure-fire way of improving margins.
Reflect on Your Values and Mission
While keeping business creativity and originality at their core, marketers should also pay attention to follow approaches that reflect on their values and brand mission.
Refocusing can get you thinking about new ways and techniques to market your products. It will help you better connect with your existing customers and generate leads for future business.
Also, it will present a professional image of your business, which will help you gain a competitive advantage even when the pandemic is over.
Avoid the Hard Sell
Its high time businesses should focus on personalization. Whether it’s about sending messages or delivering services, make sure you tailor your approaches to align with the current situation.
It’s very important that you send messages that are customer-focused, and addresses the present and future needs of your customers.
Avoid hard sell and offer solutions that reaffirm your dedication and commitment to be always there for your customers.
Since everybody is staying at home, your marketing tactics should revolve around strategies that can help you reach out to your customers through channels easily accessible from home.
People are spending more time on social media channels and TV than ever before. So, you can take advantage of these mediums to market your products.
The current pandemic also calls for business and marketing models that are cost-effective, flexible, and fast. So, make sure you pay attention to these factors as well.
Improve Your Reach
Gone are the days when creating a website was enough to reach new customers. E-commerce businesses these days need to make some extra efforts to earn a reputable position in the digital world.
Try to find new ways to reach out to your target audience. It could be in the form of SMS marketing, an email campaign, or a comprehensive social media marketing campaign.
You may need to invest a little extra in the beginning, but the results you’ll see over the passage of time will be mind-boggling.
Take Advantage of Marketing Technology
The role of marketing technology during the Covid-19 phase is inevitable. Businesses can introduce new programs and innovative solutions, but it all will go down the drain if you fail to market your offers successfully.
Tools like chatbots, CRM, and asynchronous messaging will help you take your business next level.
Help Your Customers Navigate the Situation
Last but not least, be helpful. While this pandemic poses a great opportunity for some businesses, it is still imperative to be ethical.
For example, if you offer digital marketing solutions, you must help your customers understand what they exactly need to do to stay ahead of the competition.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, many businesses have stopped marketing efforts to save money during these challenging times. It is, however, a great opportunity for your business to step forward and cater to your customer’s needs without being unethical.
Feel free to add to this list and share what you’re doing in terms of marketing to beat your competitors. We would love to hear back.