Even if your business is not essential and is currently shut down, if you plan to open once the quarantine has ended you need to keep your marketing strategy in place, in addition to boosting your online campaigns. Businesses that continue with their marketing efforts and advertising campaigns will fare better once the stay-at-home order is lifted.
Here are 6 suggestions to weather the crisis and be ready to roll when the world opens again:
1. Create Relevant Content
Campaigns for offline events, in-store sales, in person visits are not relevant right now. Sharing information about what people can do to kill time in quarantine, avoid getting sick, make the most of being home are what people are reading right now. Hair salons share tips about self-styling hair. Dentists, post updates about flossing or deep cleaning teeth. Everyone shares updates on the virus and keeping safe.
2. Increase your Digital Efforts
Now is the time to take full advantage of all online platforms. Post a couple times a day to your Social Networks, publish blogs weekly, send email newsletters. It’s a great time to update your website or give it a complete makeover. Increasing digital efforts will not only reach more people, it will help improve search rank and provide necessary SEO.
3. Go All-In with Online
Life has changed for most everyone in this country. People can’t simply run to the store or schedule an appointment to get their hair done. What can be done is now done primarily online. Kids are attending school online, people are working online at home, and your business needs to be there. Shifting away from your offline efforts and transitioning to all online efforts will pay off.
4. Outpace Your Competition
The shut-down of the economy and the stay-at-home orders have prompted many businesses to pause everything. If you can manage the budget and can continue with your campaigns, you will outpace your competitors and be in the front of the line when the world opens back up.
5. Maintain Your Long-Term Strategy
Unless you want to go big, this isn’t the time to feel the need to change everything. Keep your long-term marketing strategy in place but adjust it to fit the current environment. Continue marketing to the audience that is most interested or in need of your products/services. Figure out how to reach your goals in the new world of marketing.
6. Don’t Hoard Your Marketing Budget
If you can afford to keep marketing and advertising, keep doing it! While financially you may need to adjust your budget, don’t toss it out completely. Something is better than nothing right now.