Seven Ways To Optimise Your Digital Marketing During Covid-19
Digital Marketing NZ
With New Zealand being stuck in a lockdown again due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and Delta Variant Strand. It’s become increasingly difficult to build and create new business when you can’t communicate with people face-to-face. Especially for those companies that rely on in-person relationships. Since there are fewer opportunities to meet clients and prospective customers. It will help if you think strategically about reaching people in creative and consistent ways that may be new to you such as digital marketing.
Although your first instinct may be to reduce expenses wherever possible. Your marketing/digital marketing and advertising budget should not necessarily be the one to place on hold. Because while these are undoubtedly challenging times. There are also plenty of opportunities you can leverage.
For instance, many business owners are already heavily relying on digital marketing to promote and advertise their business. However, many of them have never learned how to optimise their online platforms effectively. If you’re unsure where to start, creating a digital marketing strategy to meet your company’s needs during the pandemic can be challenging.
Hence, here are some clever tips to help your business generate leads and income in the short term. As well as to help your business communicate more effectively online in the long term.
Optimise Your Digital Footprint
A “digital footprint” is what your business looks like online. It includes where your business is listed or featured. Such as your website, social media channels, and directory listings like Google My Business (GMB), Apple Maps, Yelp, Yellow/White Pages etc.). Search engine algorithms analyse all of these elements to help people find your business online. This is why you need to do your due diligence and make sure they’re all claimed, optimised, updated, and reflect your company’s current status to communicate your brand messages during this time.
Verum’s Pro Tip:
Create a list and write down all the places you and your company currently feature on the internet. Set up a reminder to view and update them once every one to two months. In an “incognito window”, do a Google search to see which areas of the internet your business shows up and to determine where your customers/clients are finding you.
Update Your Website
As mentioned above, if you haven’t looked at your website or updated it in a while. Getting a website audit done by a digital agency like Verum may help. The audit will give some great insight into what’s working and what isn’t working. And it will help create a new and improved strategy.
Now is a great time to update the content on your website, adding new services or products if relevant. Changing up the navigation structure or the imagery.
Verum’s Pro Tip:
- Doing some keyword research.
- Updating your SEO.
- Rewriting your content.
- Adding new content (blog articles included) is also a great way to ensure your website ranks higher and can be found more easily on search engines like Google.
Maintain Direct Communication
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen a vast increase in businesses communicating directly with their customers/clients online. It’s now more important than ever to maintain your relationships with your customers/clients and keep them updated. Hence, more companies are using email marketing such as email blasts. (Where you send a single email to a group of customers or prospects all at once). Or simple direct email outreach (reaching out to prospective customers/clients through personalised emails). Many organisations have also returned to using phone calls and direct mail. We recommend taking out some time to clean up your contacts/Customer Relationship Management System (CRM). As well as to get in touch with your top 20% of contacts either through direct email or a phone call.
Verum’s Pro Tip:
Calling someone unexpectedly during the lockdown and persuading them to buy your products or to use your services without any content around their current situation is just cold calling. And no one likes that as it’s just plain annoying. Instead, use the time to catch up and stay in touch. Providing connections and helpful resources where you can. The leads and sales will come through.
Create or Extend Your Online Ad Campaigns
If, for your business, you already have some Google Ads campaigns running. Check your Google Analytics against your list of current keywords to determine which campaigns are relevant and which of them you can pause. If necessary, create new campaigns that fit your current and the market’s current situation.
There are many types of Google Ad campaigns such as Google Display Ads, Google Shopping Ads, Google Discovery Ads, Google Remarketing Ads that you can run. Alongside the tips suggested above, all of these can help take your business to a whole new level.
But which ads to choose from? How much should you invest? How do you ensure that they all work together and not against each other (or not at all)? Anyone can set up their own ad campaigns, and they can waste a lot of money not targeting the right things. Therefore, if you want to ensure you maximise your return on investment (ROI). You need the correct type of experience and expertise. This is where we, Verum, can help you.
Verum’s Pro Tip:
Digital marketing tactics like social media advertising, particularly Facebook Ad Campaigns, are the most effective for delivering results. As it offers a wide selection of campaigns to draw visitors in. It also provides an advanced feature that allows you to target people by specific locations. Therefore, if your business is local, it’s a great platform to communicate and engage with clients and prospective customers.
Whereas, if you’re already running ads on social media, double-check if they are still relevant and apply in the current context and adjust them as they deem fit.
Consistency in Client Communication
Although there are current challenges with consistency. You have to consistently keep in touch with your existing and prospective customers/clients. Period.
Many in-person networking events went virtual for a moment, then attempted to meet in person again. But decided to revert to virtual events for safety and are now reviewing their plans. It’s become challenging to stay consistent with people and customers/clients during the craziness of this pandemic. However, adopting constant digital communication with your current customers/clients, strategic partners, and anyone you’ve previously connected with provides your brand with a reputation for showing up and being present.
We make sure we have an email blast and a few social media posts that go out every month for our clients. That share and convey all the information about what they’re doing, how they’re helping people in their community, and how they’re changing their offerings. Using a similar marketing strategy will enable your audience and customers/clients to know what’s going on with your business and convey how you can help them.
Verum’s Pro Tip:
Email to engage and inform, not to sell. Emailing your audience constantly with sales pitches and discounts can disconnect your audience. However, on the other hand, emailing with value-based content wins eyes and hearts.
Show Empathy in Your Messaging
Similarly to providing consistent communication. Your empathetic side needs to shine through in your business’s messaging. We understand that you cannot completely abstain from selling during the lockdown. But you do have to bear in mind that people find it challenging to handle the pandemic’s consequences. Hence, it’s best to start with giving empathy.
Ask your clients/customers how they are, and truly listen to their answers. Where are they struggling, and how have their needs and problems changed? Your messages need to show you are in it together for the long haul, and your actions need to back that up.
Verum’s Pro Tip:
We suggest touching base and checking on your existing customers/clients and ask them what they are struggling with and how you can help (even if it isn’t in your product and services scope). Assess and determine if the products/services you offer may need to change temporarily or permanently to meet the current market needs. For example, maybe with smaller packages, shorter terms or complimentary consultations.
Recognise What Your Customers/Clients Expect
In the digital world, your customers/clients expect to be able to retrieve information about your business online relatively quickly. Are you still open for business? Do you have special hours? How are you taking precautions for Covid-19 safety? Are you doing anything new or unique to help clients during this time?
Therefore, if you haven’t optimised your digital marketing, posted to your social media platforms in weeks, or you haven’t updated your website. Or aren’t available through online chat/meetings or phone calls. People are likely to move on and forget about your business. Being inconsistent leads to doubt, and people expect clear answers immediately. We suggest that you do your best and make it easier for them to do business with you. By being direct and honest about your status and how you can help solve their needs and problems.
Verum’s Pro Tip:
Use a pinned post on your social media platforms to answer frequently asked questions. And include estimations of your response times, especially if it is longer than expected. Answer direct messages and emails as quickly as you can. Even if it is to acknowledge you have received it and will get back to them.
Digital Marketing Auckland
Recognising that your customers/clients are also struggling and how vital it is for you to turn up for them is key to maintaining positive relationships. You can do this in many ways. For instance, by being present online, staying consistent and direct with your communication, and showing empathy in your messaging.
The struggle is real for many of us right now, and your clients/customers have other priorities. Optimising your digital marketing, such as updating your website and online directories, keeping clients/customers informed via social media, and running online ads. As well as, making empathetic, informative communication a regular practice makes it simpler for everyone to find your business. And rely on you when they’re searching for the solution your product or service provides.
Investing wisely in digital marketing and brand-building activities now will place you in front of other companies’ customers/clients. It will also put you in a much stronger position to hit the ground running when things go back to normal.
