No morning walks, no weekend parties, and not even thinking to step out of houses, this is how the world is right now and all because of this COVID-19 pandemic we are facing. The situation is worse for everyone and along with everyone, business owners are also feeling the heat. The government is encouraging people to stay home and work from home as currently, this is the only way to fight this novel coronavirus.
We know the time is hard and no one knows how much will be required to get back on the track. During this tough time, it is advised not to lose hope and try planning strategies that will make you different from the others. When no one is there to watch your advertising banners, hoardings, or pamphlets, still there is a ray of hope that can keep you connected with your clients and even the target audience. Yes, we are talking about the digital platform that is still open and people have not stopped using it.
Instead of holding back during this pandemic, you can slowly but steadily build trust and improve the reputation of your brand. We know, it will take a lot of effort to fight in this situation but, one thing you must consider is that your efforts made now will reap you benefits when this pandemic will be gone and you will have a competitive advantage over others. Let us see how this unfavorable condition could become favorable for your business.
Tips to consider for your business during this COVID-19 pandemic
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Promotion is the key
When the whole world is fighting with this unexpected novel coronavirus, business owners are also advised to fight for their position in the market. No doubt that this is a bad time, but it will not stay forever and when it is gone, your efforts made now will become fruitful. Thus, we advise you not to stop your advertising campaign. The digital world is still open and people can feel your presence there. Seeing you fight hard during this period will bring forward a brave image of your business and people will trust you more.
This is recession time and it has been seen earlier that businesses that stood strong during such period have gained success earlier. Reconsidering marketing strategy now will deliver long-term benefits.
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Social Media is not quarantined
We all are at our home to stay safe and avoid any chances of being corona positive. And rightly so, this is the only way we have as of now to fight this pandemic. In this condition when we are looking for the cure of this novel virus, business owners have already got the vaccine that can help them out in this tough time. Don’t be confused, the vaccine we are talking about is social media, it is still everywhere and people are getting updates of the current scenario through social media only along with news channels and newspapers.
Thus, when people are accessible via social media, why not promote your brand here? Now you must be thinking that during this harsh period who will purchase your product or service? Yes, you might be thinking right but, we are not telling you to promote your products or services, we are telling you to promote your brand’s name. We know the sensitiveness of this current scenario and being pushy might be harmful to your business. So, marketing strategy should be in such a way that people don’t feel that you are being selfish.
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Spread awareness
Everyone knows what the world is going through these days and it is important to make people aware of what they should do and what not. Now, it doesn’t matter what is the niche of your business, posting updates on social media related to COVID-19 could be vital for your brand. This will show that you care about people and are well-aware of this current scenario. This will also please the audience that you are not only here to sell rather you care about their well-being.
Creating & posting interesting and engaging social posts of how and what should people do to save themselves from coronavirus will be the best. You can also educate them about the myths and facts of this situation so that they stop believing what is not true. Doing this will pose you as a warrior in front of the audience who not only thinks about generating revenue rather is also concerned about the health and safety of its clients. Considering this, you will see better brand recognition and awareness when this pandemic will be gone.
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Humanize your brand
It won’t be wrong to say that during this crisis due to COVID-19, people are using social media more than usual and the chances are higher that they will notice what you post. People are looking for the information related to this pandemic on social media and you’ve already considered that as we’ve mentioned in the above point. What else you can do is engage with your audience more than before. Listen up to their queries and try to answer them as quickly as possible. Plus, inform them about the services you are still providing and the ones you are not during this pandemic. Make them aware of the necessary precautions and steps your employees have adopted while providing the services, especially if it requires to visit physically to the customer’s place.
Doing this will show the audience how valuable they are for you and this will have a great positive impact on your business in the future. It doesn’t matter how the time is what matters is how you will react to it. Your reaction in tough times is also the key that will take your business forward.
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Do not forget the SEO
SEO is always important and it always will be. There is no doubt that we all are fighting these hard times but, forgetting the basics during this period could harm you later. People are advised to stay home for their own safety and safety of the whole world. They are doing work from home and this means that surfing over the internet has not stopped. So, you can imagine how harmful it will be to not keep your SEO up to date.
It is important for you to maintain the SEO of your website so that Google can consider it appropriate enough to rank high on SERP. While on the other hand, if you lose hope and stop working for your site’s SEO, it might drop your position on search engine and when this pandemic will be gone you might have to start from scratch. Believe us, that won’t be an easy ask to pull up from the bottom. So, the smartness lies in keeping check of your website’s SEO score and maintain it to prevent any harm.
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Keywords are important
In the race of SEO, don’t keep the keywords aside. Pick the right keywords relevantly and target them in your content so that Google can index them and ensure that you’ve put them genuinely. By doing this, you will see that your website is at a higher position than before. Choosing the right keyword is also important for your PPC campaign. Placing advertisements with target keywords will have a high chance of getting attention. As you know that social media platform is still easily accessible thus, during this COVID-19 you must use this platform effectively to maintain the reputation of your brand and reap benefits in the future.
Running a PPC campaign now will also be a good idea with a well-researched keyword. The reason for this is that when social media is being used more than usual, the chances of getting clicked on your advertisement are high, hence, your brand will get more attention. Another advantage of running PPC during this pandemic is that its cost is decreasing and it will be a huge advantage for you.
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Local customer retention
The current condition of the world due to novel coronavirus is not hidden with anyone and all is facing its consequences. But it should also be considered that this situation is not permanent and the time will change soon. So, we must focus on strategizing ways on how we can improve our business in the future. We must say that this time is best to engage with your local customers and ensure that they stay with you even after the good time will come.
We believe that if you will be able to retain your local customers during this unfavorable time, they will stay loyal to you for a longer period. To turn this strategy into your favor, what you can do is give free coupons, best deals, and other perks that your customers can enjoy after or during the purchase. Creating such a strategy to take your business forward will not only improve your brand recognition but you might also see your existing customers giving reference to your brand to others and this will be a big plus. Retaining local customers will give a boost to your business when this pandemic evades.
Another thing that you can do is run a loyalty program for your customers and reward them accordingly. There is no doubt that you might have to spend a bit during this time of crisis but that will surely be profitable in the future.
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Strategize to improve
When everyone is under crisis, it won’t be wrong to say that you have all the time in the world to see what has worked for you and what hasn’t. During this period, you can refine your marketing campaigns and customize the ones that have not worked for you earlier. This is the perfect time to look upon your flaws and rectify them to the good effect. Your zeal to improve even during these unfavorable conditions will help you stand different from others and when this time will improve, you’ll see how effective your efforts are.
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Share updates on the social platform
The social platform is always important and it always will, so when this is the only way to interact with the audience due to coronavirus outbreak, you must share any update of you’ve made in your business process on social media. This is a sign to tell your customers that you care about them and want to share everything about your brand. One thing that you must take care of while sharing any update is your tone, it should be positive & conversational and should not reflect any negativity. Staying in touch with customers is always a good idea to build and strengthen relationships, and for that, social media is always the best platform.
One pro tip while updating anything on the social platform is to use an inspirational tone because that will please customers and tempt them to interact with you for any relevant queries.
We know that the world is facing one of the biggest crises of all times and we all have to stand strong together and follow guidelines issued by the government. Whether small or big, all businesses have suffered due to COVID-19 but, only those who will stay tough and brave now will be the ones staying top of their competitors later on. Our suggested points above will be of great help for your business to move on track when this crisis will be over. This will also give you an edge above your competitors. Now when we’ve talked about things you should do during this COVID-19 pandemic, here are a few things that you should avoid doing.
What you should avoid during coronavirus outbreak to maintain your brand reputation?
The situation is very sensitive to the entire world and we must know its seriousness. The novel coronavirus is not a joke and neither we should take it like this. To make sure a good reputation of your brand, you must avoid doing these two things:
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Say no tomemes
We have seen hundreds of jokes about this critical situation of coronavirus and it is advised for you not to try that. Doing this will negatively impact your business as not many people will like it. Making a joke of this deadly situation will only drive away your target audience and it might be really hard for you to gain the trust back of your clients. Instead of making fun, you should help people by spreading awareness and motivating them to stay strong during this crisis.
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Don’t take advantage
Being a responsible brand, you must understand how serious this COVID-19 situation is and especially if you are engaged in the business of providing essential goods or services, you must avoid taking any advantage of this situation. Do not increase the prices of your products or services and don’t make people afraid by falsely stating about a low stock. Helping people during this time will give you loyal customers for the future. Along with digital marketing strategies, being responsible will be the best for long-term goals.
The conclusion
The time is never the same and neither it will be thus, it is important to adjust yourself accordingly. If we talk about the current scenario, the situation is worse and it is getting uncontrollable. Whether individually or for businesses, it’s not the time to sit and see the downfall rather it is the period to support each other and keep working on the ways to help people. Only those who will work their ways out effectively through this pandemic will be the winners after the situation becomes better. While on the other hand, those who will just sit and do nothing for their business might have to start again.
So, the choice is yours, either make efforts now and enjoy benefits later or curse this situation now and regret later.