Many businesses have fallen foul of the worldwide effects of the COVID pandemic; decrease in revenue, cancelled events, holidays, and special occasions, reduced and impersonal social interactions, and a lot of uncertainty. Well, what if I told you that your digital marketing efforts during COVID-19 could greatly benefit your business?
COVID-19 has been an indiscriminate foe and is responsible for taking down both small, family-owned businesses and large, institutional companies that have been around for decades. If COVID has taught us anything over the past months is that we can’t rest on our laurels or get comfortable with stasis. This is the ideal opportunity to pivot business strategies and business ideas, to be creative, reconnect with customers and employees, and revisit old, discarded ideas.
3 Reasons to Focus on Your Digital Marketing During a Pandemic
During a crisis of any kind, it’s a natural reaction to look for strategic ways to cut costs in an effort to ride out the lean times, and the marketing budget is often the first expense to be axed. However, the power of digital marketing, including its reach, impact and effect, offers businesses beneficial opportunities:
Unique Circumstances Present Unique Opportunities
It’s easy to go into crisis mode when unexpected circumstances affect businesses, however, these are not just uncertain times, but also unique times. Use this time and this space, as the world takes a deep breath, to provide a sense of stability and connectedness with your customers. There are more people at home, online, browsing and looking for budget buys and you can show your support and commitment to your customers, and keep your revenue flowing, by offering special deals and discounts on carefully selected products and services. Increase your online presence, re-vamp your website, and focus on your business SEO.
Connect with and Reassure Your Customers
Social media was already a formidable digital marketing platform pre-pandemic but with so many people working from home and the imposed social distancing restrictions, your customers are relying more and more on social media to stay connected and informed. This is the ideal time to promote your business, engage with your customers and ‘be present’ by starting and joining conversations, posting paid ads and sponsored posts, keeping your customers informed about your store openings and shopping protocols (hand-sanitising, social distancing measures, reduced opening hours, specials, discounts, etc). Your customers will appreciate the updates and information and will remember your business’s sensitive approach to them and their needs during the uncertain times.
Creativity Draws Crowds
People have been incredibly creative throughout this pandemic – they have been inventing, they have been creating, and they have been developing – doing things that they would not normally have done. This creativity has been celebrated through the media because it has inspired and motivated the masses, spreading positivity, opportunity and hope. Use this time to take creative risks and spice up your digital marketing endeavours to draw in new customers, upstage your competitors, and establish a strong online presence. Pay-per-click adverts could be particularly effective during this time as many competitors may have gone off-line – take advantage of the reduced competition and capture the resulting traffic and conversions.
Don’t let your business be another pandemic statistic. Investing in robust digital marketing efforts is a strategic marketing investment that will not only help to sustain your business during the pandemic, but will also help your business to adapt to changing demands and a post-pandemic surge.
