The COVID-19 pandemic has forced you and your co-workers to mix up how you work. You also have probably been trying to find ways to boost your business. And as your business tries to survive the global crisis, you should know your marketing matters more than ever. Even though money is tight and there are a lot of changes that need to be made to your business to keep it running you still need to make marketing a priority. Just because you might not be able to reach clients right now doesn’t mean you want to stop advertising. The last thing you want is to come out of quarantine with zero customers. Customer retention is so vital to businesses and your marketing will be the tipping point during this time.
Your marketing must be more effective, and here are five ways you can accomplish this. You can use these steps alone or together. These suggestions are helpful, when you are not dealing with the coronavirus crisis, too.
1. Utilize Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software
You might need better CRM software, or you may need to purchase CRM software for the first time. For those of you who already have something, how modern and efficient is your software? And how often do you run into issues with your platform?
Customer relationship management software, or CRM, is a program that helps to manage all of your company’s interactions and relationships with customers and potential customers. It helps you to stay connected to the customers you already have and helps to improve business relationships.
Whether you are in need of a small business CRM software or CRM software for a larger company, you can find the perfect product for you and your team. And you can without a doubt see better marketing results. Consider giving this a shot today. It would be a wise investment for your business.
2. Hire Information Technology (IT), Consultants
If you have not considered IT consultants, you should give this idea some thought. IT consultants can be very helpful for your business. You can use their services for one-off situations. And you can turn to them for ongoing service with your IT framework.
They can help ensure that you don’t run into bandwidth issues. And they can help you get the most out of the tech products used by you, your colleagues, and your customers, too. And when you have remote and traveling team members, you have even more of a reason to consider these services.
While this might not seem to be as important for marketing it does play a big impact on your companies ability to do their job and be more productive. The more productive your employees are in quarantine the better chance you have of coming out of this on top.
3. Increase Your Social Media Activity
Social media is a very effective marketing tool, and you need to be certain to capitalize on all the great marketing features at your disposal. Make sure you are regularly using popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. And be certain all of your posts include calls to action.
If you have a google my business account make sure that it is up to date and that any changes you have made to accommodate the quarantine are on there so people can see that you are still open for business in whatever capacity that is. Having all of your social media platforms up to date will greatly increase the chance of your business continuing to grow during quarantine.
Since people are more likely to be on there phones, tablets, and laptops during this time it is a great opportunity for you to pop up in their newsfeed, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. The more they see your business pop up the more likely they will be to order from you in the future.
Don’t forget to use engaging graphics, photos, and videos. Try to be creative, too. Make sure your social media is integrated with your website and take time to evaluate your social media metrics. Increase your social media activity during quarantine to see better marketing results.
4. Take Advantage of Free Earned Media Opportunities
If you are not trying to utilize free earned media, you should look into this effective marketing strategy. And with customers paying more attention to the news than usual during the coronavirus pandemic, there is no better time for you to start taking advantage of free earned media opportunities. Earned media is a proven way to get more business, too.
If you are unfamiliar with what free earned media is it refers to the publicity received through promotional efforts that are not paid media advertising. Or in other words, it is referring to how you are branding your company.
For those of you who already have established local and industry media contacts, you should reach out to them. And even if you do not have media contacts, you should not stress out over trying to establish media relationships. News companies constantly look for community involvement and industry expertise to feature, and they want to hear from people like you. Try to look for ways to get coverage through a community service project or by providing expert commentary about industry news.
5. Send Out More Deals, Updates, and Features through Email Communications
You need to always send out emails to your current and potential customers. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, you must be certain to do this even more. It is a very effective marketing tool for you. You can send out great deals, updates about product availability, or features about your employees.
The more that you reach out to customers the more likely they are to remember you in the future. If you have a buy one get one deal or free shipping with the purchase of a certain amount, customers will be more likely to buy directly from you. And during this pandemic there are a lot of people stuck at home, itching to buy something online. If you are promoting yourself through email and social media you are more likely to get customers buying from you now and in the future.
Make sure all of your emails have at least one call to action in them. And use graphics, photos, and videos. Don’t forget to include links to your social media and websites. And be certain you provide a clear and easy way for people to get in touch with your business, too.
Your Marketing Matters More than Ever
Whether you use one or more of the tips above, you are sure to be utilizing a tried and true marketing strategy. Whether you are using social media, emails, CRM’s or all of the above, there are so many ways you can improve your marketing at this time. Don’t let your business suffer more than it already has to. Get Creative. There are so many ways to change the way you do business to help keep customers and help your business to stay afloat during these hard economic times. Do not delay putting more time and energy into your marketing efforts. You need marketing now more than ever.
