CORONAVIRUS: ADAPT YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS

As the digital world continues to be rocked by news of the Coronavirus outbreak, brands and marketers are facing tough decisions about their online presence and marketing budgets.

Some, like toilet roll manufacturers, find themselves in a position to support the public who are flocking to the shops to ‘panic buy’ essentials – if they can keep up with demand. Other sectors that stand to profit from the pandemic include health, fitness, technology and entertainment for obvious reasons.

But what about the rest? How will they cope? They will be experiencing a shocking decline in new business and dwindling profits as a result. Now, it would be easy to take one look at your outgoings, go into panic mode and switch off your marketing (like your competitors). However, smarter businesses will use this as an opportunity to get ahead.

This is how we see it – businesses have two options:

Option 1: Jump on the bandwagon and pause all digital marketing.
Option 2: Use this time to support your customers and increase brand loyalty.

You may be thinking “Sounds great, but how do I market my business at a time when the country has gone into lockdown?”

Here are just some of the ways that your business can utilise digital marketing to get ahead and support customers:

Digital marketing during the Coronavirus

1. Social media marketing

It’s hardly surprising that social media is at the top of this list. With everyone advised to stay at home, the number of people sat on their phones and scrolling through social media has skyrocketed. There has already been a 76% increase in daily likes on influencer ad posts (source).

Now is the time to let customers know that you are active and able to support them. All we see on our social media feeds is doom and gloom, ‘BREAKING’ news and scare tactics from the media during this already uncertain time. Be the one post that stands out from the crowd with a reassuring message. Consider how your product or service can benefit people at this time and adapt your marketing messages. For those who operate in the fitness industry, why not publish home workout videos? Local restaurants can share recipes and guides on healthy eating. Online home and garden brands can offer discounts on a range of essential products. Remember, this will not last forever. Those who continue to engage, excite and entertain customers, will be the ones who retain them long after this pandemic. You should be planning for an uplift in sales once this all subsides.

2. Google & social advertising

When business slows and sales take a hit, it’s natural for business owners to pause all advertising. After all, what’s the point in wasting money when no one is buying? That’s one view. And there’s another? Yes, because not all people are tightening their purse strings. For those who are ready to spend and continue life as normal, you should be putting your business in front of them. There has been a significant drop in companies advertising online, which has resulted in much lower CPCs and ad spend. If you are in a sector that will benefit from advertising at this time, then we urge you to do so.

Others who are not ready to purchase will do later down the line, and guess who they will approach? It will likely be the business they spent the pandemic hearing about who actively promoted their products. A lot of people are in the research stage of the customer journey because they physically can’t go out and buy from retailers. They will be looking for companies, like yours, who are selling online. Those who appear first are the ones who will generate the most impressions, clicks and, therefore, conversions.

3. YouTube

With YouTube having to reduce its streaming quality due to the spike in traffic and increased demand (source), it’s clear that video advertising is a smart digital marketing strategy. People are jumping to video for Coronavirus updates or seeking light entertainment to distract from the world around them. Either way, it doesn’t take a genius to conclude that YouTube ads are worth exploring.

What’s great about advertising on YouTube, especially at a time when people are making budget cuts, is that it’s dirt cheap. A typical video ad runs between £0.10 and £0.30 per view (source), depending on the video quality and targeting. What’s more, if people choose to skip the ad, then you won’t pay a penny. That’s free brand awareness.

4. SEO

SEO is a process that includes optimising a website to appear higher in the search results. For those who are familiar with SEO, you will understand that it takes time for results to kick in – unless your competitors pause their campaigns. This is happening to a lot of our clients who are now experiencing spikes in traffic. Now is not a time to throw in the metaphorical marketing towel. People are sat at home and searching for your services, so don’t give up. You should be using this time wisely to stabilise your position in the search results.

Benefits of continuing marketing through COVID-19

Get ahead of the competition

Never has there been a better time to get ahead of the competition. Think of it like a race. If all your competitors are sat on the sofa, failing to engage with their customers, then you’ll be running circles around them.

Target those who are buying

People are in front of their screens for long periods of time, so don’t miss the opportunity to target potential buyers who have all the time in the world to shop online.

Build relationships

Warm up leads in preparation for a surge of enquiries. There’s no time like the present to set up a sales funnel and benefit from nurturing leads and building trust. What else would you be doing? Switching off all forms of contact is not a smart move.

Set yourself up for post-pandemic success

This is possibly the most important benefit of them all. At some point, Coronavirus will pass. When that happens, do you want to be the business that struggles to secure sales and must start from scratch? Or do you want to be the business that has built a strategy focused on success now and in the future? Most business owners will prepare for the long-term, so don’t let Coronavirus get in the way of that positive mindset.

What help is available to businesses?

Now is not the time to shy away from digital marketing. We’re taking our advice and ramping up our most profitable marketing channels and supporting our clients through this tough time. If you want to retain customers and strengthen your business but don’t know how, don’t worry. That’s what our team is here for. We’re trained in all areas of digital marketing from SEO and social media to website design and development.

Call us today on 01226 720755 if you need support with your marketing, or for a friendly chat with a member of our team. We are all in this together and will come out stronger… if we keep going.

Take care and stay safe!