HOW TO KEEP YOUR BUSINESS & MARKETING EFFORTS AFLOAT IN THE PANDEMIC

The pandemic has put a disruption in all of our lives, on a personal level and on a professional level. Many businesses are requiring employees to work from home. And, as a result of the economic decline, many businesses are cutting budgets – including marketing. If you’re in a marketing, design, or creative role at your place of work, now is the time to get even more innovative and creative. It is so important to continue marketing efforts during the pandemic, even if you have a smaller budget. Each industry has different needs and different outlets that may be more effective. So, we’ve come up with a list of different ideas that can help your business continue marketing efforts during the pandemic.

Review your website, and consider e-commerce.

Does your business rely on online sales… or should it now? With the spike in internet usage, and online sales, take a look at your website, and consider an e-commerce page if you do not already have one.

First things first, make sure your website in general is in the best shape possible. You may experience an increase in web traffic to your pages, and making sure everything is accurate and up-to-date is crucial. Add new testimonials, new project/gallery images, or new news posts if applicable. A lot of companies are even updating and adding to their FAQ pages, not only to make sure their answers during the pandemic are accurate, but to also help new customers that may visit the site during the pandemic.

Next, you’ll definitely want to consider an e-commerce page. If you have a WordPress site, we recommend WooCommerce. It is a user-friendly online shop plugin. There are a variety of pre-made themes, which you can customize to match your brand identity.

If you already have an online shop, now is the time to clean it up. Make sure all product photos/descriptions are accurate. Delete any products you don’t sell anymore, and add in new ones.

Many companies are discounting products during the pandemic. Consider a limited-time offer or sale. Companies are also offering special delivery deals – free delivery or shipping, or even majorly discounting delivery or shipping.

With many shoppers in front of computer or phone screens, adding a chat feature may be good to consider implementing on your site or your online shop. While people are shopping, they may have questions about your product. What easier way to get in touch with your company than a quick online chat? However, you need to make sure someone is monitoring the chat and responding quickly.

Offer Webinars/Digital Workshops

Many companies had events planned, that they recently had to cancel. Was your company planning an event? Make it digital! Work on transitioning your in-person event into a webinar or online workshop. Your guest speakers can still deliver their planned speeches, and can still answer digital question submissions, just as if you were there in person. There are a variety of video communication tools out there – Zoom and Google Hangouts are just a couple to mention. Do your research and find a platform that works well for the event you’ve planned. If there is enough time before your event (and you still have enough budget), you may even want to consider sending in the mail any kind of informational packets you had planned to give out at the event. It would add a personal touch and show that your company (or event) truly care about everyone’s well-being and ability to still participate in the event.

Utilize Social Media to Your Advantage

If your marketing budget is struggling during the pandemic, social media is one of the best tools you can use to continue marketing during this time. It’s especially effective since many people are stuck inside their homes, and turning to social media for many things like communicating, getting news, and even entertainment. Need ideas on where to start? Here’s just a few ideas to kickstart your social media efforts:

Share Company Updates

During this time, it’s important to share how your company is coping with the global health crisis. A press release or message to share with followers about how your company plans to work through the pandemic will help existing customers understand how your business is handling everything and what to expect. Whether it’s employees working from home, offering online sales only, or new methods of communicating or delivering products, it’s important to give an update to inform the public about your temporary operational adjustments.

Share About Employees Working from Home

This one is more light-hearted and fun! Have employees take pictures of their “home office” and share on social media! It will add a more personal touch to your social media and make your brand more approachable.

Share Company Productivity Tips

This is also a more light-hearted content idea. While you’re getting images of co-worker home offices, ask them to share a tip on how they stay productive from home. Share these tips on your social media platforms as well! You never know who hasn’t thought of a certain productivity tip, and could really benefit from it during this time. This kind of content also adds personality to your social media accounts, and has the potential to increase engagement with followers.

Go LIVE!

Want an innovative way to still engage with your audience, but can’t do it in person? Go live on social media! Make a product announcement, share advice, and answer questions from the safety of your home.

Want more tips on using social media? Read one of our recent blog posts, “16 Ways to Generate More Social Media Content.”

Try to Collect Reviews & Testimonials

If you find yourself having any downtime, try to fill in the gaps with things you’ve been meaning to work on, but haven’t had a chance to. Reviews and testimonials are a great place to start! Reach out to customers and ask them for a testimonial. Not only will this be a great addition to your website or social media, but it will also get your business in front of your customers during this pandemic. It could even generate more sales, especially if you reach out to older customers who may not have utilized your services or purchased your products in some time. Try and collect as many as you can, whether it’s through more personal emails/phone calls, or through one mass email blast.

Utilize Your Email System

This is an important one. If you haven’t sent out an email blast recently, now is the time. Again, people are on their phones and computers more than before. With many businesses offering great deals on products and services, people are checking their emails more to see what deals their favorite brands are offering. Be one of those brands! Send out an email to your customers with weekly promos or specials. Send out reminder emails. Get your name out there while people are paying attention to their emails!

The ocreations team has experience with, and recommends the following email systems:

• Mail Chimp
• Constant Contact

Get Creative for Your Specific Industry or Company:

During this pandemic, the ocreations creative team has noticed a shift in types of design and marketing we’re working on for some of our clients. Here are some examples of what some of our clients are doing during the pandemic:

Look What Some of Our Clients are Doing:

–       The National Aviary is offering CyBIRD Learning, an online educational experience where kids and parents alike can watch videos and learn about birds from the safety of their home.

–       Sabika Jewelry is offering online sales, product launch happy hours, and online consultant parties.

–       Ready is sharing inspirational videos and workout challenges on social media

–       J&A is promoting helpful tips in blogs, and promoting a product that can kill viruses

In general, many companies are being affected by the coronavirus pandemic around the globe, and many budgets are being slashed. As a marketing specialist, designer, or creative professional, it’s important to hold your ground and show that branding and marketing efforts should continue despite the health crisis around us. If you’re able to help your business generate sales, and keep customers engaged and happy with your company during this time, it will illustrate to your company that you are a valued employee, you were able to help keep the company afloat during a crisis, and that marketing is important to keep a business running, even during the worst of times.

Need help with design, web, blogging, or other creative ideas for your business during the pandemic? We’re here to help. Contact us at ocreations today. Let’s get marketing through a pandemic, let’s get creative.