Greetings from my self-contained, corona-free (for now) walls! Welp, I can’t say I saw this coming either. By now, we all know the coronavirus has drastically shifted everyone’s original plans for 2020. Our hearts go out to all the individuals impacted by the virus, whether directly or indirectly. We will get through this together, despite the COVID-19 challenges against us.
The question remains: How do you, as a business owner, handle marketing so that you can make it to the other side of this pandemic?
The answer involves a little bit of creativity but is more straightforward than you expect:
Just stay top of mind.
Huh?
Top of mind?
Yup.
What does that even mean?
In a time of quarantining and social distancing, your audiences’ attention has shifted online. You can win by getting in front of their eyeballs through organic and paid content strategies. That way, when this all subsides, and they have cash in hand, your brand won’t be an afterthought. So what does that mean for your business? It means, this is the time to step your content game up.
Here are 5 ideas of things you can be doing now:
​​Take Advantage of Cheaper Than Usual Facebook Ads.
With more eyeballs on social media than usual, and unwise companies panicking by cutting ad spend, you’ll find that Facebook ads are cheaper than ever. Build a bigger audience for less than what it would typically cost. Not sure how to go about this? We can help you set it up.
Build a Trustworthy Email List.
While everything may seem stuck on pause with consumers watching their wallets, you can still provide meaningful offers to web visitors in exchange for their email address. By collecting these emails, you can now send welcomed, direct content straight to someone’s inbox. Email lists based on mutual exchanges see higher open and click rates than those purchased or procured from third parties.
Create Educational Content.
While the adults are forced to stay home, they’ll need something to occupy their time. If it doesn’t make sense for your brand to pitch a sale right now, the next best thing is to teach and educate. By promoting your how-to videos, infographics, and e-books to your audience, you’re gently moving them down your pipeline by removing those barriers that slow down your sales.
Make YouTube Pre-roll Ads Your Friend.
You know those annoying 5-seconds ads you have to skip on YouTube before watching a video? With YouTube as the second largest search engine, trailing only Google, you can expect engagement on this platform to increase these next few weeks. Placing your product or service commercial in front of an audience you specify is relatively simple to implement and will increase your brand lift, which can lead to valuable conversions.
Sell Gift Cards.
If your brick and mortar store has temporarily been forced to close, you probably see a decline in sales. Shopify is an ecommerce platform you can use to set up a quick shop with gift card capabilities. It’s a relatively easy way to keep the cash flow going during these unprecedented times. There’s usually a surcharge to sell gift cards, but due to the circumstances, they’ve waived the fee for all new merchants.
So, as you can see, this is a strange time for all of us, our firm included. But business owners like yourself have always found ways to adapt in hard times. Just remember:
You will survive.
Stay top of mind.
Show empathy.
And you will succeed.
You’re a savvy entrepreneur. You got this. Until then, stay strong, stay healthy, and wash your hands, please 🙂
