Well going digital is pretty much a necessity at all times, but especially when we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Having been left with limited options for storefront shopping or going to malls during this Covid situation, customers will still shop online and maybe even more than they used to. So, Websites are more important now than ever before. If you haven’t got one already, it’s time to get a website and focus more on digital marketing. Even if you’re in the service business, you can still offer online services and communicate with your clients, and a properly designed website can be of great help in your efforts.
As backed by an article by Forbes in March 2020, “Digital is likely to be the clear winner in coming months, and companies – including ones that may not so much as had a Facebook page before – will need to move into social marketing, content marketing, SEO and influencer-led campaigns.”
Well, we are already half way
through 2020 and the world is strongly observing this transition of businesses
from offline to online marketing, ranging from pop-up shops, small businesses
to large well-established businesses (food, fitness, hospitality, recreation,
retail, education and so on).
The coronavirus has spread uncontrollably and this has affected all businesses. The world has changed overnight and sudden increase of people being indoors has led to a change in lifestyle where demand for online services has soared and consumers have shifted to spending more time online than before. Therefore, large and small businesses are adapting to the new normal, finding ways to deliver their services online, moving towards digitisation and innovation in their products online.
😎Bonus tip: Treat your daily work as business as usual, but keep it digital!
Let’s look
at the positive side and how we can take full advantage of this crises. Where,
our businesses focused only on catering to the local markets, going digital
will now expand our reach to the global markets.
Our
research and customer feedback has identified that with the onset of
pandemic, while people are staying at home, more and more people are searching
for products and services online and there has been an unprecedented increase
in clients’ online sales. Now, consumers are online at odd times like mid- day,
when in normal circumstances activity is low.
So, you must keep pace with the changes in consumer behaviour and be there when they’re searching for a business like yours. Although, most businesses have seen sharp declines in sales or even shut down completely, but the demand for a variety of products and services, is still very much alive. And thankfully, this demand can very well be tapped by investing your energy and efforts into building a digital marketing strategy that can support your business now and prepare you for acceleration in the future.
😎Bonus tip: Display a welcome page on your webite directly addressing COVID-19, precautions being taken and how your business is helping customers!
From the
perspective of a B2B supplier, in current times, our prospective clients are
going to be less welcoming to the idea of letting us walk through the door and
shake their hand. So, if
it’s a standard in your company or industry to go out and meet new customers
face-to-face, then the need of the hour demands adapting to digital marketing
and switching to web or social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram,
Facebook or doing something like creating your own social media channels, where
introductory videos can be made and relationships be fostered. So, if you have
been slow in adapting to digital marketing
strategies, the good news for you is, still there are ample opportunities out
there for you to expand digitally.
One such way
to indulge and interact with your prospective customer is to conduct free
webinars, Instagram live chat, where people can join the room and interact face
to face. One question that may bother you here is, how can you make large
number of people join your webinars, live chats and meetings? Well, this is
where sponsored digital advertising (Facebook, Instagram ads) on social media
platforms comes to play and a digital marketing agency backing you and your
business.
Small
businesses or B2C sellers can also sign up for platforms
like Shopify or Etsy, which have e-commerce capability. If you
have been a traditional storefront seller, you may still benefit by building an
online store. This pandemic has had a huge impact on online sales of well-known
Chinese e-commerce websites- online stores and where large e-sellers like
Amazon & Flipkart are concerned, thanks to surge in online shopping, people
are now experiencing out of stocks or long waiting time of over a month to get
their orders from them and if they learn that your business is selling the same
thing they want and that they will get it in few days instead of weeks, then
they will respond fast.
😎Bonus tip: Online activity is higher during pandemic time since there is a constant stream of breaking news and consumer is spending more time reading or watching the news. Most news sites are high in traffic. So, running ads on these popular websites could give high revenue potential and opportunity to capture more viewers!
It’s time
to consider a more innovative approach. You can do things like analysing your website
through Google Analytics, running ads on social media like Facebook
or keeping your business on top through brand
awareness campaigns.
However, in situations like Covid or when panic sets in, most of us
will often think that by reducing or even cutting down on advertising and
marketing budgets, will save money and help our businesses survive.
Unfortunately, this is not completely true. Stopping or curtailing all advertising and marketing, will stop
a businesses’ ability to secure new sales enquiries, and what is most damaging
for businesses is that cutting down on advertising and marketing budget too
much when not necessary could negatively impact the brand and take even longer
to recover when the pandemic is over.
😎Bonus tip: Stay
Positive! Target your customer’s psychological aspect. People want to hear that
things will go back to normal, so try to craft your marketing messages around
“this too shall pass and we are in this together”.
As a digital marketing agency in sydney, during this pandemic time, we come across lot of customers with offline businesses shutting down or declining sales or who have suffered losses, which eventually tightens their budget spend and a fear of lesser returns on investing in digital marketing. So, one way to give back to the community is by helping those who need help the most. If you are in fitness industry, try to give your clients bonus online one-to-one fitness sessions, publish free motivation videos or even roll out free live workout sessions on Facebook or Instagram or even zoom meetings. If you’re in the clothing business, invest some of your efforts into making face masks for those in need. If you are in food business, roll out contact-less service, invest on hygiene measures or take out free food delivery for those who are isolated and cannot move out of their houses.
😎Bonus tip: Keep updating your product or service pages with new photos and exciting offers!
At Iterics,
we are fortunate to be placed at the frontline in evaluating customer demand and
frequently changing market conditions. We are already seeking to help clients
with extra discounts and help them survive through the crisis period. We have
also rolled out free consultations and blogs on digital marketing to help those
who do not have a budget to pay for consultations and provide first hand
assistance to those who are technically sound enough to create social media
posts, publish their own ad campaigns and carry out digital marketing activities
themselves. We are also helping firms to develop tailored digital marketing
strategies to suit them and their spending habits.
So, if you aren’t sure where to begin when it comes to digital marketing, our team of experts is here to help!
😎Bonus tip: Roll out coupons! Customers cannot resist coupons. Use services like Easy Promo to design and distribute your own coupons!
This is an
ever-growing world of digital media and marketing. Every hour a new business
pops up in the market, competitor is born and an IT digital marketing company
comes to cater to their needs. So, now’s the time to stay ahead of the
competition, grow your business and make it visible to the world.