If your sales are plummeting during the pandemic, then you’re not alone. The Coronavirus crisis has forced businesses to close their doors. However, nothing can restrict human ingenuity; many companies have shifted their operations online to remain functional. From retail to technology and food, every industry is moving to online platforms to survive the pandemic.
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The importance and need for digital marketing have increased manifold in this atmosphere. Many of you may think that playing on people’s emotions is the way to success. However, we emphasize that companies need to engage in sensible, sensitive, and responsible digital marketing to not only promote their business but also to contribute to society.
To get you started, here are 12 smart digital marketing ideas that can help your business sustain during COVID-19.
1 Stay in Touch with Customers on Social Media
Your customers can no longer visit your stores to purchase products or place an order; therefore, staying active on social media is a great way to remind your customers that you’re still here. Practice empathy and reach out to your customer base, so they know you value them. You don’t have to publish promotional content, but leaving reminders to stay safe, and other educational information can keep customers coming back to your social media pages.
2 Ensure Your Business Has An Online Presence
With social distancing and not much to do at home, people are using more internet than usual. Since they cannot go out, many people are ordering things online. This means that if your company has an online presence, then the chances of it being noticed by potential buyers are higher. The rise in search traffic can be advantageous for your business and may bring in more exposure to your website.
3 Prioritize Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Now is the perfect time to increase your Pay-Per-Click advertising investment since there is a higher probability for ads to be seen by users. As discussed above, people are spending more time surfing the internet because of the lockdown. Therefore, there is a higher probability of consumers viewing your advertisement.
4 Keep A Close Eye On Your Competitors
You know the saying “Keep your friend close and your enemies closer” – the same applies in this scenario as well. Follow the Social Media handles of your competitors to keep abreast of their digital marketing strategy. Take note of what they are doing, and then do it better.
To move past your competition, you need to follow a strong SEO strategy, so your business is the first one that comes up when customers search for specific keywords. Along with content, you should also optimize images, mobile applications, and descriptions, etc. to increase your ranking on search engines.
5 Promote Special Offers
What better way to keep customers interested and revenue flowing than advertising special offers? Now that people are restricted to their homes, even the ones who don’t prefer online shopping are browsing products online and searching for items on sale, discounts, etc.
Your business has the opportunity to use the sensitivity of the current crisis in its favour and effectively cater to consumer demands. By placing household items and other necessities on sale, you can bring in a steady flow of revenue and generate positive impressions. This can also be applied to restaurants and other businesses that wish to surpass expectations and offer customers some relief in these trying times.
6 ‘Near Me’ Searches Are Your Best Friend – Focus On Local SEO
As we know, everyone is restricted to their homes due to the pandemic. This means that unless extremely necessary, we’re supposed to stay indoors. On the occasions that we do step out of the house to grab groceries or other household items, we need to know if our go-to businesses are operating or not.
This is where companies should perk up their local SEO strategies so potential customers can easily find them in their area. You must ensure that customers in your locality and region can quickly locate your stores online and find out about your operating hours. Remember, the customer relationships you establish at a time like this will be beneficial to your business in the long haul.
7 Don’t Let The Panic Movement Slow You Down
Many businesses are making significant reductions to their finances by halving their marketing costs, but making knee-jerk decisions can cause detrimental damage to your business. The economy is indeed uncertain, and companies may need to get down their expenses. However, slashing your marketing budget is not the answer. We recommend that you redirect resources to digital marketing to increase online visibility and sales.
8 Be Flexible to Meet Customer Needs
Now is the time to act empathetically; adapt your operations to meet the need of the day. Recognize the problems your consumers are facing and then offer unique solutions that will endear you to your clientele.
If you’re a food delivery business, then offer customers free delivery services or come up with other innovative ideas to deliver food to the customers. Many food delivery businesses are offering curb-side deliveries, drone deliveries, and riderless deliveries to facilitate their consumers.
This way, customers know you’re ready to go the extra mile to better serve them while ensuring their safety. Your willingness to safely deliver their orders will convince them to turn to your business even when things go back to normal.
9 Pay Attention to Marketing Metrics
Marketing metrics and data analysis is more critical than ever. Monitor metrics like organic search volume, number of visitors, bounce rate, conversion rate, and consumer engagement rate to determine how well your website and social media platforms are doing.
The pandemic has taken a hit on the economy, so naturally, all businesses are suffering from losses. Most of them are trying to cut unnecessary expenditures to remain solvent until the crisis is over. Marketing metrics will help you identify the areas that are costing you money without any benefits so that you can either improve them or let them go.
10 Improve Your Site’s SEO
Now more than ever, consumers are dependent on Google and other search engines to search for sought-after products, services, and necessities. Your marketing practices are going to waste if customers aren’t able to find your business online. The ideal website needs to follow search engine optimization strategy to successfully drive in traffic and boost its overall ranking on search engines.
Following recommended SEO practices, including:
- Use targeted keyword
- Share quality-rich and informative content
- Enhance the responsiveness of your website
11 Plan Out Your Next Move – COVID-19 Won’t Last Forever
It may look never-ending, but Coronavirus won’t last forever. You must start planning your future marketing strategies for a post-Corona business environment.
Experts are suggesting that lockdowns and social distancing will alter consumer behaviour permanently; there is a chance that people will emerge from the pandemic with new habits.
Businesses must be ready for this attitude shift; now is your time to start collecting data on changing consumer behaviour and how your business can adapt to meet these changes when the pandemic is over.
12 Take the Free Time to Enhance Digital Marketing Efforts
With so much downtime on our hands, why not use it productively? Digital marketing experts and business owners should use this time to proactively measure and track the performance of their marketing tactics. Any loopholes or areas of improvement that require extra attention can now be enhanced or perfected. Take this time as an opportunity to focus on elements that were previously overlooked.
While tensions are running high, channelling our concentration on areas that can benefit us, in the long run, is what everyone should be doing. Maybe you can revamp your business logo? Or create a page dedicated to customer reviews on your website? There’s a lot you can do to use your time productively and improve your digital marketing practices to generate more leads.
Wrapping Up
Businesses must remain at the top of their game and search for new ways to serve their customers who are stuck at home. Just because you can’t take walk-in customers doesn’t mean there are no other ways to reach out to customers. Adapt your digital marketing strategy according to the COVID-19 situation, so you can be helpful to your consumer and remain abreast of the competition. Your proactive and strategic approaches can save your business and boost your brand’s visibility.
Author Bio:
Nouman provides ghostwriting and copywriting services. His educational background in the technical field and business studies helps him in tackling topics ranging from career and business productivity to web development and digital marketing. He occasionally writes articles for Dynamologic Solutions.