Marketing During a Global Pandemic ~ YIKES!

Hot topic this year: Global Pandemics

The Coronavirus Pandemic has completely taken over our world. The world as we know it will forever be different in many ways. But what does that mean for businesses?

Many businesses across the country have had to do the unthinkable and unfortunate actions of closing their doors, for good. Something that no one expected to happen, but here we are, 2020, and it’s the reality for many. Many businesses have been technologically, digitally, and strategically behind “the times” for decades, and they’ve been able to get away with it. But if we have learned anything from this pandemic from a business perspective, it’s that you either have to jump on the bandwagon or die trying.

Marketing is one thing on the list of many that as a business, you should be doing, and doing it right! Here are a few tips to actively market yourself during these crazy times (no matter what type of business you own!)

• Check your website! Your website is the face of your company. No matter what type of digital marketing you are doing, people will either be directed to your site, actively researching your business via your site, or discovering you altogether on your site! People want clean, simple, and easy-to-use. If you are expecting people to make a purchase, book an appointment, or take any type of action, they are much more likely to do so if they see a website that makes them feel comfortable and confident in taking those actions.

• Make sure that you are discoverable! People need to be able to find you in order to do business with you. When someone goes to search for things similar to your product or service, you want to be what pops up on their screen!

• Be active on social media! Consistency, consistency, consistency. We can’t say it enough! Be posting on your social media pages with consistent timing, branding, and messaging to your followers. This way people can be up-to-date on what is happening with your business. Social media should be used to engage with your customer base and prospects, NOT hard sell to them. You are using social media to sell who you are, why you should be important to your customer base, and to build lasting relationships and trust.

• Lead Generation Marketing is how you should sell! As we just mentioned, social media postings are not the place to sell prospects or customers directly. Instead, you should be using forms of lead generation marketing to target people with intent and sell your business to them. You know your customers, so when you are doing lead generation, you should be choosing demographics that best encompass your target market. Then, target and tailor your advertisements to that group of people. This type of marketing would be directing people to your website, to an online store, to buy a product or service, book an appointment ~ the list goes on (but I think you get the gist)!

• Engage with others through digital platforms! This idea of ‘community engagement’ is particularly important because it helps you develop relationships with other consumers, businesses, professional services, and more. When people comment on your posts, respond to them. If someone seems to be inquiring, send them a message! Use hashtags to discover other content that is important to your brand, follow those accounts, comment on their posts, and ENGAGE with them! This helps build your brand’s credibility and gather a following of people and relationships that care about your business.

• Make it clear what your establishment is doing to take extra safety measures! People are uneasy about going out and doing things in the current world. If you are a business that has in-person services, then you should be sure to share what you are doing to keep your business clean and make the consumer experience safe for all people. This encourages people to feel secure when interacting with you, and more likely to do service with you as a whole.

• Imagery: show masks & social distancing! When you are making posts on any digital platform, make sure you are being sensitive to the current times. People not wearing masks, in crowded groups of people, or doing things that are not sensitive to what is going around in the world can turn people away from you - which is the exact opposite of what you are trying to do! So use imagery that reflects not only your business, but the world and circumstances that we are living in.

~MegoMedia Digital Team