5 Better Ways to Market Your Business During COVID-19

Is 2020 going to make or break your business?

We’re not even halfway through the year, and it seems COVID-19 is not only testing the strength of your company but our economy as a whole.

With this virus spreading like wildfire, shutting down establishments, and burning up all the toilet paper, many business owners are finding that the effects of COVID-19 are weighing in on every decision — such as, should I hold off on marketing?

While Big Leap certainly can’t solve the toilet paper shortage or entertain your quarantined kids, we can provide you with some helpful insight on what to do with your business marketing over the coming months.

Read more about how social media can help your business:

• What is the Best Social Media Network for Your Business
• 5 Common Social Media Marketing Issues & How to Solve Them
• 4 Ways Marketing Automation Lowers Costs and Increases Revenue

Should I Hold Off on Marketing During Covid-19?

We understand the situation you’re in, but now is not the time to decrease brand visibility. With more and more consumers choosing to stay home instead of visiting establishments in person, staying in front of your target audience is more important now than ever. Here are just 3 worthy benefits you stand to gain from marketing your business during the Coronavirus.

1. Rare Opportunities

In times like these, you can often count on competitors to put their marketing on hold — it’s just one more thing to clear from their plate, another burden they’re too stressed and overwhelmed to deal with. What does this mean for you?

Valuable digital real estate just opened up, and it’s easier to grab than ever!

With your competitors stepping off the stage, you have the rare opportunity to steal the spotlight with minimal effort. This applies to paid ads on Google or social media, pay-to-play listings, and even your organic ranking in search results.

2. Unique Insight

Everyone knows that micromarketing (or tailoring your messaging to speak directly to the individual) is far more effective than generic campaigns. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to craft a message that can really hit home for the vast majority of your target audience.

In this case, micromarketing has never been easier. The effects of Covid-19 are no secret. You know exactly what your target audience is going through, which empowers you to develop marketing campaigns that can really resonate.

3. The Perfect Podium

With everything that’s going on, now is the perfect time to showcase your brand’s generosity and philanthropic spirit. Find ways to provide support and relief with discounted offers, special promotions, and customer care that goes above and beyond the standard.

Be the brand that offered a helping hand and you’ll likely emerge from this situation with some very loyal new customers.

5 Marketing Tips to Keep Your Business Booming

Now that you know why you should continue marketing your business, let’s talk about how. These 5 pro marketing tips will help your brand through the coming months and set you up for greater success once this virus has run its course.

1. Modify Your Messaging

Remember our article about Baby Yoda and the dangers of trend-chasing? We advised you not to do it without tact and careful consideration. Well, this is a unique situation because, unlike other trending topics, we can assume that the Corona Virus will still be relevant for at least a few more months.

You can and should switch up your messaging to reflect the concerns, needs, and effects of Covid-19. In doing so, you can capture the attention of your audience, connect with them on a much more personal level, and create a memorable correlation between your brand and a solution to one (or more) of the many problems your target market is currently facing.

2. Market Solutions, Not Products, and Services

From here on out, your business doesn’t provide products and services: you provide solutions. It doesn’t matter what you’re selling. What matters is the problem you are solving.

Do you sell craft supplies, games, or recreational equipment? Not anymore. Now you sell relief for all those parents who are trying to keep their kids entertained during their time away from school. How about home goods, renovation equipment, or quality furniture? You sell the opportunity for your customers to put all this newfound free time to good use during their precautionary quarantine.

Even industries that are getting hit the hardest can find creative ways to offer solutions. For instance, one of our clients (a leader in the car rental industry) has been feeling the full weight of the Coronavirus. In an effort to help, their Big Leap account manager asked the entire agency to pitch in creative solutions to the problem. Here are just a few ideas we came up with:

• Market car rentals as a smarter, safer alternative to public transportation or air travel
• Offer discounts to college students who need to get back home during campus closures
• Target companies who are now offering home deliveries instead of in-store purchases

With a little creative thinking and the right messaging, you can spin almost anything to ease the many, many burdens that have accompanied this virus.

3. Boost Your Social Game

Social media marketing is a powerful tool in the marketing toolkit — especially now when so many individuals will find themselves with an abundance of free time to kill. If you’re not already keeping an active social media presence for your business, you had better start now.

What and when you should post varies greatly depending on the type of network you’re using. For example, the optimal posting frequency for LinkedIn is at most once a day, whereas Twitter allows for 7-15 posts every day, depending on the content.

Here are a handful of quick links to help you step up your social game and connect with your audience.

4. Ensure Convenience & Communication

With so many different businesses closing their doors and advising employees to work remotely, it can be tricky trying to maintain your customer service. Despite the complications, this is one area you don’t want to skimp on.

Take the necessary steps to ensure your current and potential customers can still reach you. If your customer service representatives are no longer readily available, set up alternative means of communication via email, chat, or even social media. Furthermore, advertise the change on your website and social channels to ensure your audience is equipped with the knowledge they need to get in touch.

You may also have to make changes to ensure convenient purchasing and shipping over the coming months. Whether you have to set up an online store or reduce the cost of shipping, the trouble will be well worth the customers you keep.

5. Get Virtual

Depending on the different products or services you offer, you may be a little stumped on how you can continue to serve your customers without any face-to-face interactions. Fortunately, this digital age is overflowing with new ways to do business online. So even though you may have to close up shop for the next few weeks (or even months) you can still provide value and stay in front of your target audience.

For example, Big Leap helped one of our clients merge to virtual value by converting course material into online webinars. Here are a few more ideas:

• Create online courses stacked with information that your target market might be interested in learning during their free time
• Set up an eCommerce store for your products
• Use apps like Skype or Zoom to stay connected with your clients

What Not To Do With Your Marketing During Covid-19

The worst thing you can do during times like these is to pull back on your marketing. Remember, SEO and other means of digital marketing take time to gain any real momentum. It’s a real “sacrifice now to win later” type of tactic. Once you pull the plug, not only will you lose your momentum, but you may also regress when it comes to your organic rankings in search results, your domain authority, and so on.

If you stay on top of your marketing now, you can make great strides, claim rare opportunities, and come out of this situation with more success than you had before.

If you’re struggling to make time to market your business, Big Leap is here to help. Despite the effects of Covid-19, our employees are still working hard every day to earn trust and help our clients thrive during all of this chaos. Contact us today for a free consultation and a multi-point site audit!