As the Coronavirus pandemic keeps spreading and the numbers are rapidly increasing, the market and brands are suffering from instability, which puts every business at risk. With the quarantine and the enforced restrictions, customers can’t go to stores, therefore, the market and business are going slow.
To keep your business from fading, there are some tips you can follow to get through this crisis.
1- Keep An Eye On The Market Economics
Since the whole market is going slow and we are all going through the same circumstances, you might find some businesses act the same, but that doesn’t mean you should act according to what they are doing.
We have never faced a similar situation, so you won’t find a manual on how a business can overcome a pandemic. This is the time to pause and think carefully and see how other competitors behave during a crisis. You have to observe their actions, from how they are utilizing their social media platforms to their content and moderation. This will help you notice and learn from their mistakes.
2- Engage More With Your Community
As a marketer, one of the first things you have to put into consideration is your customers. Due to this situation and with everyone staying at home, people turned to social media more than ever as it became the most important form of communication.
The usage of the internet and social media increased during this lockdown; therefore, there is a huge opportunity to attract your audience and to communicate with them. In this current case, people tend to be scared and uncertain of the circumstances, which can be a chance of communication.
If you are responsible for promoting a brand then you have to maintain your audience’s trust. Your audience doesn’t want to feel alone in this situation, hence, you have to engage with them through your content; either by spreading awareness or sharing similar experiences.
3- Improve Your Digital Visibility
If you have a website for the product you’re promoting then this is the time to improve its presence, and if you don’t, then this is the best time to build an e-commerce website for your products.
Since people turned to the internet for either communication or online ordering, this is your chance to shine and beat your competitors. Every business is heading digitally, you don’t want your website to be lost among them, therefore, you will need good SEO so you can pop up every time someone searches for a product you have.
You have to make sure that your website is up-to-date with Google’s search engine algorithms so it can be easily found by users.
While your competitors are busy trying to update their websites, this is your chance to improve your SEO, whether your business will be affected by COVID-19 or not, you should work on your SEO so it can always appear even after the crisis is over.
4- Support Your Brand Positions
Your brand is in desperate need of good news, this is the time to put all your effort to manage its survival. First, your brand will need a new quick win plan to fit the recent circumstances, put in mind that you will have to make some changes to reach your audience properly without seeming to be careless.
You will need to work on your plan from every angle, from how to plan your content, the voice of tone, SEO to the moderation and even the sponsored ads.
5- Put Yourself In Your Customers’ Shoes
As a marketer, you have to ask yourself a question, “what will the customers be looking for?” You have to listen to your audience and their concerns. You have to think of how your audience will use the product you’re promoting or what they will be looking for when you return after the crisis.
6- Monitor Your Content Performance
You have to monitor the content of your competitors because through this observation you will be able to figure out what people need and how you can reach them.
Creativity is the key in this situation; you have to be able to produce content that can fit the situation. Either if it’s a visual or written content, it has to be relevant to the circumstances; you have to put in mind that this is how you will reach the audience and how you will draw their attention.
7- Expect the Unexpected
Since no one expected that we could face a pandemic that could cause complete paralysis to the market worldwide; you should always be cautious of any more surprises to come. Since we are in the middle of a crisis then expect the possibility for things to develop, so you should be ready with a plan to get past it.
Remember, you’re not going through this alone, the whole world is, but you have to learn how to manage and benefit from the situation.