The world continues to face serious challenges due to the spread of COVID-19. The global economy continues to take a hit, and businesses continue to feel the repercussions. Shopping centers and restaurants now resemble ghost towns, and grocery stores have been left with empty shelves.
As people turn to data and information for answers, remember that your business has the power to instill confidence in the public. The best and most effective way to reach audiences during this time is through digital marketing efforts. Pivoting your strategies to increase digital footprint will benefit not just your business, but your customers—they need influence and reassurance now more than ever.
Increase your digital footprint through our digital marketing tips below:
1. Stay connected with your customers on social media
A combination of uncertainty, fear, and boredom causes people to use their social media accounts more than ever to help them through these tough times. Internet usage has increased exponentially over the past month. Netflix and other streaming services are responsible for the surge, of course, but much of it still traces back to communication purposes. Social media platforms have become the most preferred form of communication and this is exactly why you need to come up with ways to connect and engage with your customers.
They may not be thinking about going out to get haircuts, shopping for new shoes, or taking their car in for services. A lockdown may be preventing them from visiting dining in or drinking, but they will remain interested. Regardless of your business nature, they will be interested in useful and engaging content you choose to share. And they will remember your brand.
2. Say yes to every opportunity to help
One of the best forms of marketing remains to be those done in goodwill. People always remember the good things businesses do, and they will certainly remember your brand. If you can help people get through this time, do not hesitate to do so.
Coca-Cola has decided to donate all its marketing budget to help support medical workers. Local breweries and distillers in New Zealand have paused usual productions to make hand sanitizers instead. To help with the hand sanitizer shortage, Gull Service Stations have donated high-quality ethanol. Countless more brands continue to make impacts, whether through food donation drives or fundraisers.
While marketing may not have been foremost in their minds, people will still remember what these companies have done during the COVID-19.
3. Continuously work on your online presence
As mentioned above, people are online now more than ever. Personal interactions have waned from fear of rising infection, but this does not mean that they have lost interest in the businesses around them. In many cases, time alone has allowed consumers the opportunity to spend more time on Google to online window shop. People are restless and it’s only a matter of time before they begin purchasing once more. Stay on top of their minds by continuously working on your online presence. They’re already doing most of the work, after all—all you need to do is keep your brand highly visible through digital and content marketing!
The Takeaway
COVID-19 is a current threat but it surely won’t be the last. Even high profile brands were unable to anticipate the impact of this disease. If there’s anything the business could learn from this pandemic, it’s perhaps always to include digital marketing efforts into crisis communication plans—look for a digital marketing consultant as soon as you can. In a highly digital world, content and messages are key to keeping your brand relevant.
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