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Let's face it the past 2 years have been the plot twist that none of us could have imagined, but behind every crisis comes to an opportunity. For some brands, it has been catastrophic to sales and revenue. However, for some (many with solid delivery business models and distribution) the pandemic provided a surge in activity leaving many others to find ways to innovate to survive. Making #marketing more critical than ever. If you're once such business here are 8 Pretty Vicious #marketingideas you can quickly and easily implement during and after the Covid-19 pandemic:
INBOUND (CONTENT MARKETING)
Outbound marketing tactics are steadily becoming considered disruptive as they interrupt the audience's experience. It’s becoming more and more ineffective to reach prospects, which is why for 2020 you should be leveraging #inboundmarketing. However, inbound requires you to produce not just quality, but valuable content tailored towards your target audience, buyer personas, and their needs.
IMPROVE YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE AND SEO
With more people online than ever conducting more Google searches and researching potential items to buy for comfort and also essential items that they can no longer go out and get. Now is the perfect time to update your website to reflect current demand better. For instance, emphasizing essentials products over more luxury items providing video support for clients who will need continued support to manage without your services during the lockdown.
Invest in search engine optimization (#SEO) now and ensure your website doesn't get lost amongst the competition and potential customers can find your website.
Good copy is written with SEO in mind ensuring the right keyword are contained within your messaging will lure potential customers to your website, posts and pages.
CREATE AN EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS PLAN TO FIT YOUR BRAND
Focus on your customers and prospects and adapt your brands #contentstrategy to be sensitive to the current situation and their needs. The world has no choice but to head to the internet for the majority of their entertainment, meaning that with a solid communication strategy you can boost your exposure and gain the attention of potential new customers.
But you'll really need to have a clear understanding of your brand and use your brand personality and tone of voice to its full capability to connect with prospects during these difficult times. Whether that’s by providing trusted information, providing some much-needed comic relief, or anything in between.
BE CREATIVE AND FIND NEW WAYS TO DELIVER ON YOUR BRND PROMISES
A crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic will no doubt severely disrupt businesses, and so a large part of crisis management will be innovation. Think about how can you continue to offer your products and services? Can you double down on your digital presence and continue delivering from your e-commerce site, recognising that many people are stuck at home?
Even if you're offering is less than or different to your usual, your customers will appreciate it and will be grateful towards brands that continue delivering on their promises as much as they can, whilst keeping their staff safe. Perhaps you need to streamline your products or services offered during this time? or offer discounts to frontline workers? These are the kinds of activities that will be remembered after this crisis is over, and will help to create #brandadvocates and loyal customers for life.
INVEST IN PPC ADVERTISING
Now could be the perfect time to increase your pay-per-click (#PPC) advertising. More people are on the internet, giving a greater chance for your ads to appear before relevant pairs of eyes. This can give you a huge competitive advantage. However before you invest a large portions of your marketing budget you'll need to feel confident that there are still a few or many people likely to click on your ads with a genuine aim of buying.
IMPROVE YOUR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES AND SERVICE
Successful brands move quickly and adapt to the market. There is little point continuing your marketing activities as normal if consumers are unable or unwilling to buy your usual products and or services at the moment. Meaning you'll need to adapt your offers and focus them to make sure they fit with how consumers are currently behaving during the pandemic.
Make sure your business has a solid focus on experience and service, if you are able to operate at this time. Meaning prospects and customers should have enjoyable experiences and interactions with your brand and not become an afterthought once they became a paying customer. You should focus on delighting your customers through every stage of their lifestyle. Get #CX right and they’ll become advocates and often promoters of your brand long after the pandemic ends. Think Ease, Educate and Engage.
For example:
Ease - streamlined products and services via amobile-friendly site or an app, as well as quick and simple payment.
Educate - knowledgeable staff, marketing that conveys value during this difficult time.
Engage - personalised content and offers, a relatable brand image. Show your undertsanding.
PLAN YOUR FUTURE MARKETING WITH FURTHER LOCKDOWNS IN MIND
If you are in lockdown, you probably have more time on your hands than you are used to. Now is an ideal time to plan your future marketing and how you will get your business through further lockdowns?. Depending on your situation, you may have to plan your marketing on a near non-existent budget, but digital marketing doesn’t have to be overly expensive. Start by ensuring you keep your website up-to-date and keep on updating your social pages.
As well as spending the time to check the current performance of your website and existing marketing, making appropriate changes as needed, you could also begin to plan out your recovery content. Sketch out your future campaigns, create content, write scripts for videos, and anything else that you can do by yourself without being in your full work setting.
With most of the world in and out of country lockdowns and restrictions on movement much of your marketing needs to be online and now is an excellent time to review and refocus your #marketingstrategy.
Remember that digital marketing has one significant benefit over most other types of marketing. It doesn't require any face-to-face interaction. It is also one of the more measurable types of marketing, making it easy to set clear ROI goals. if you need support you can always consult a Pretty Vicious expert.
Get in touch today and we'll discuss your current strategies, opportunities and ways of ensuring you're getting the most from marketing efforts during the pandemic. You can also sign up to our newsletter to get cost-effective marketing ideas and stay on top of marketing industry trends.
Until next time...
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