The pandemic that has almost led to a global lockdown and extremely unfortunate scenes in numerous countries is also making us learn a few things or two. Simultaneously, it is also the time to boost up your marketing efforts. With the rise of social distancing and people staying at home, the scope for higher online engagement is unavoidable and obvious. More and more people are spending their time online in social media and the web platforms.
This implies that there is a great opportunity to reach out to your customers and provide them information on relevant resources. In situation like this, customer engagement becomes the key so that when the customers reach the company, proper solution will be provided to them. It’s also time to help the customers by providing your services when they need it the most. Customers would like to know if you are open, what services are being offered and how can they avail those services, even if that means accessing through different platforms, so far unexplored.
What we should do:
It’s the time to emphasize on any online product or delivery services being offered by the company. We should update on the services, safety protocols, operation time and other business updates. Think of also providing other resources and activities to stay positive and productive for your customers. Overall, keep your customers engaged and entertained.
Invest more in Marketing
In times like this many businesses make mistake of reducing their marketing budget to nil. As a marketer, we should know that it’s good news since every dollar spent will yield higher ROI as the ad rates declines drastically and there will be less chaos in the market. These are the times when businesses need marketing. Consumers are more online and are restless making changes in their buying decisions. So, don’t forget marketing. It’s time to step up the marketing activities especially online. Justifiably, it is the time to redirect the budget from expenses such as Trade shows, Travel, Conferences etc. to Social media and Search.
Give More to your customers
Happy and satisfied customers are your businesses’ asset and they are also your brand ambassadors as they will share their experience with other prospect customers. Customer advocacy is the need of the hour to support your business. Customers have lots of time now to help your business. You may ask for reviews, refer their friends/family or get them enrolled in your loyalty program (You don’t have one? it’s time to build one).
A great review or testimonial will help sell more and establish your credibility in the market. Engage your customers with free gifts by referring their family/ friends to buy your product or simply give discounts on your products. This is the time to get them hooked to your product.
Ways to generate new revenue streams
It’s the time to incorporate things like affiliate marketing, digital and physical product for ordering online, subscription model, sponsored content or ad revenue from the partner. With all that being said, let’s not keep all the eggs in one basket. Revenue generation should come from various streams and not just marketing. So, it’s also time to step up the role of current employees by giving them new roles to generate revenue by creating new products or taking new task to keep them busy and employed during the slow downs.
As a seasoned marketer, we must realize that while the pandemic might present a potential threat to the businesses, this will just be a temporary phase. Contrarily and on a positive note, it promises ample opportunities in the long run.