How Can I Update My Digital Marketing Plan to Combat COVID-19?

The CDC is using the mantra “Plan, Prepare, and Respond” to Coronavirus. This mantra can also be applied to businesses. Many were looking at what they could do to just make it through that unprecedented economic climate, but the few outliers were prepared and came out better than when it started.

For the digital marketing community, we have a unique opportunity to excel in certain aspects just by doing what we were trained to do – define a voice, build an audience, and deliver your messaging or product. COVID-19 drove many people in front of their screens or on social media more than ever. Were your ads in front of them?

Here are 5 ways we think businesses should prepare their Digital Marketing Plans to combat the a situation such as this in the future.

 

Update Platforms to Be Relevant

In a digital world where things are always changing, you want to make sure you are being seen exactly how you intend. There are a couple quick things you should update immediately if you already haven’t.

This first is your Google My Business profile, which is intended for local customers and is probably one of the first things a customer sees when they type your name in the search. Having special hours on your listing is a great idea. Or if you have the flexibility for extended hours with remote workers, that too will set you apart. Being more available to your customer and changing your delivery can show you aren’t tone deaf to the current pandemic.

The second way to speak to your customer base is to add any advisory notice on your website and social media. You want to be clear and conscience with:

• Any impact on customers
• How employees are being protected through social distancing
• How customer service will be affected

 

Reach Out to Existing Customers

Reaching out to your existing customer base is an easy win that can be done very easily through various channels such as:

• Marketing automation in a marketing platform such as HubSpot
• Creating new content on your website or social media
• Plan a webinar you hadn’t found time to do before and record it

If you are finding yourself with more downtime, why not utilize it in a way where we come out ahead.

Focus on content and create assets for months to come. Whether it be planning ahead, coming up with collaboration ideas, or repurposing old content, you can help to stay ahead of the curve by sharing innovative techniques that differentiate you from your competitors. Think of it as getting them to drink the Kool-Aid or a taste of your secret sauce.

It’s also a smart idea to inform your leads and prospects on good news within the company or share client wins. Making your clients feel like they are part of something can ease the lonely feelings they may be having while stuck inside.

Webinars are yet another tool that can be created and utilized while you have some spare time. A webinar can accomplish two main goals:

1. Define you and your team as thought leaders
2. Respond to questions that your audience is searching for

You may be using the webinar to discuss things like new team members or products and features you want to call out. All of those things are solid reasons for doing a webinar, you just want to make sure your message is clear to your audience.

 

Work on Your Online Review Strategy

Reviews for products and businesses are everywhere these days. As consumers ourselves, we are always searching for opinions online or asking our friends for recommendations. From an online review management strategy, we need to know how to respond to them.

Reviews are necessary to maintain a brand’s image, which directly affects the bottom line. Reviews can also offer you an opportunity to identify key flaws in your business allowing you to better tailor your brand messaging and marketing strategies. A few recommendations we suggest would be:

• Be engaged with readers’ responses to postings
• Create response templates
• Train employees to manage your online reviews
• Coach employees on responding to negative reviews

 

 

Drive Conversion Optimization

We all know how it is when you are busy, it can be challenging to put the added effort on the things you’d like to do. Due to current circumstances, cutting out some time to focus on customer experience is important. What do I mean by such a broad statement? Start by investing in your website by revisiting your companies’ case studies, recommendations, and reviews, giving the user a better experience.

If costs are a concern, focus your efforts on quick wins first, then move onto things that are on your “nice-to-have” list of changes such as:

• Write clickable PPC ads that are highly relevant to the keyword/search query and your intended audience
• Maintain a high degree of relevance between your ads and corresponding landing pages
• Test your landing pages design
• Have content be King and SEO be the Queen

 

Measuring Success

ROI is vital in all marketing efforts. To get ROI, you need to make sure all your data is being tracked properly. Whether it’s setting up Google Analytics or taking advantage of all the free data that comes with Google Analytics, make sure tracking IDs are correct, landing pages are coded, and your optimized offers match your intended keywords.

Tracking is the key here when it comes to measuring success. Track your social media metrics, develop new fresh content and monitor performance, and adjust your ad campaigns. Investing in the future may not pay off in the short term, but history shows that those willing to put in the work now will reap the benefits in the long run.

 

Food for Thought

History shows if you cut less during down times, you’ll gain more in better times. As a leading marketing strategy company , we were recently asked to present to business owners and marketers  on how they can and should adapt to the short term, while not losing sight of the long term.

The tips, tricks, nuggets, and perspectives that came out of the discussion will be hugely beneficial for you to listen in on, as they may apply to your marketing plans now and in the future. Ultimately, we must focus on the 4 best practice pillars of reaching your audience to make sure you don’t sacrifice the long for the short.

Watch our presentation on how you can use these 4 pillars to adapt quickly and still continue to market amidst the uncertainty of tomorrow.

 

 

Have questions or immediate digital marketing needs? Let’s talk and strategize on how we can help your business thrive and innovate by delivering marketing strategies and campaigns that produce results for your business.