We can confidently say that the start of 2020 has been a difficult time for everyone, including small business owners. The uncertainty, stress, and worry that have come with these unpredictable times have taken their toll on many sectors. As some business sectors begin to reopen, the focus should be on promoting public health and safety.
Letting customers know what your business is doing to take care of people and keep them safe while allowing them to feel a certain sense of normality is essential for succeeding during these tough and confusing times. Especially as the information that is that has been given out by authorities and brands about how a business can operate has been a bit unclear.
This is where doing your own research into post-COVID 19 marketing techniques may come in handy, and today, we will be highlighting everything that you need to know to support your business as things begin to go back to normal.
The Impact of COVID-19
Looking into some of the data that has been gathered during this strange time has the ability to show the impact of the problem. As you can imagine, the situation has continued to change and develop, so the numbers are more fluid than they normally are. In the past six months, the trend in the behaviour of consumers and businesses has been similar.
Figures show a downward trend, which highlights the instability of the economy and the behaviour of buyers alike. Fortunately, things are beginning to trend upward again, which means the business world will begin to improve.
Talk About Safety Measures
It is clear that COVID-19 will not be going anywhere soon, which means it still poses a risk to your customers when you reopen your business. When it comes to post-COVID marketing, the first thing you should do is talk about the safety measures that you will be taking to protect the health of your customers and employees. Making this clear is vital for everyone involved and your customers should know all of the details. This will show them that you care about their safety, and it will give people an idea about what they should expect from your brand in the near future.
Tell Customers About Changes
This tip goes alongside the previous. Telling customers what you are doing to keep them safe is the first step. The next step will be to clarify any adjustments your business will be making. It is no secret that many businesses have made changes to their workflow or have made cutbacks on their product lines in order to conserve their budget. Your customers will want to be aware of what is going on, so you should tell them what they need to know in your post-COVID marketing strategy. This includes reduced product availability, change in prices, slower shipping times, plus other important updates.
Relate to Your Customers
Most people have experienced drastic changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, your brand included. Taking this opportunity to relate to your customers will create a community vibe and the feeling that we all in this together. All you need to do to build this powerful technique is to be transparent and show them that your business has had to change, just like they have had to change their lives. This will go a long way, as it will allow customers to validate their own struggles. Using personalisation, heartfelt text, and emotional images in your marketing emails will be highly effective.
Remember Your Budget Concerns
Changing your marketing efforts in this post-COVID world is extremely important, but when doing so, make sure that you keep any budget concerns in mind. The economic impact that has been made due to COVID-19 has the ability to affect any business of any size. If your business has been impacted and lost revenue, then you should consider cutting back a number of aspects of your budgeting. To help reduce costs, you should remember to push your email marketing strategy, offer attractive deals to draw in customers again and try to find a marketing platform that offers multi-channel support.
Try Using Additional Channels
As lockdown eases and businesses start to reopen, you should consider trying out new marketing channels. Due to being stuck inside over the past few months, the way that people are using the internet has altered. The main change that can be seen is that people are engaging with it more and spending much more time exploring social media platforms. If you don’t already have one, then you should definitely consider developing a social media marketing strategy. If you already have one in place, then you should do what you can to optimize your platforms and improve engagement.
Answer Your Customers Questions
The importance of keeping customers updated about any changes has already been highlighted; however, they will have their own questions that they want answers to, so you should do everything you can to answer them. By doing so, it will show that you are concerned about their worries and queries and that you won’t leave them in the dark. Social networking is a great way to reach out to customers and gives them the opportunity to ask questions, either on your posts or directly through your inbox. Brands are also using video marketing to really connect and listen to their customers.
Post-COVID Marketing Takeaways
While pushing through these testing times, we need to remember that we are not alone and that communicating with your target audience has become more important than it ever has been before. It is not all bad for marketers, as they can take advantage of the internet. People are spending a lot more money online and are engaging with social media more than usual. Keeping this in mind, instead of revamping your marketing materials, you should adapt them to meet and work with the current situation, in order to keep your customers and business happy and safe while COVID-19 is about.
Marketing is an area of business that is used to change, so adapting a marketing strategy to meet a post-COVID world shouldn’t be too hard. As long as you know the facts and what people want during these uncertain times.