With the UK governments announcement on the 22nd Of February, we all have a better and clearer roadmap of what we can expect “IF” all things go to plan and we get the pandemic under control.
If 2020/21 has taught us anything as business owners, it’s that things we can change and adapt rapidly – in both our business and in normal day to day life and we have mastered the pivot.
What was was once the normal is now a very distant memory! Many brands and businesses have had to make some incredibly difficult and testing decisions to make over the last year in order to survive in a world hit by the COVID19 pandemic.
As we can see from insights and trends available to us, there are positive signs that the economy is readying itself to fire the engines of commerce yet again, there’s one thing that’s going to be utterly essential to get your business back and generating you more leads and business and that is – “digital marketing”.
But WHY Focus On Digital As A First In Your Post-Pandemic Marketing Efforts?
Whether you are already open or getting ready to, having a digital marketing strategy is imperative. It’s not enough to rely on your customer base returning and things falling back into place. Spending habits have changed, and business behaviour has shifted, and those that have invested in their brand and how to market it are likely to come out stronger.
But that’s easier said than done when the effects of months of closure mean that finances are tight. Smaller businesses especially may be concerned with how to get ahead if marketing always falls behind operational costs.
So, to assist business owners of ALL sizes we have created “5 Post Lockdown Marketing Tips To Help Your Business” created by years of experience and to help your business bounce back stronger.
Tip 1 : It’s All In The Planning
They say “The Devil Is In The Detail”…. So before you head off to start marketing your business to recoup lost revenue, you need to make sure your business is prepared. Please take time to research and find out exactly what health and safety measures you need to put in place in order to operate post lockdown.
We all want to be healthy and do not want any further set backs, so stay alert and look out for each other, especially now that restrictions are slowly being eased. In undertaking some time to research what’s needed for your business to re-open this will make sure your employees, your customers, and yourself are safe, after all…. “Peace Of Mind Is Priceless”.
You can then take these learnings and best practices, and implement this into key “social messaging” and marketing communications and content to let your customers know that these efforts are an imperative element of your business both for staff and customers.
Tip 2 : It’s Time To Up your Social Game!
Social media marketing has been key both during lockdown and more than ever now is a key success post lockdown. Many brands we work with have been using this time to build out better forms of content across their channels, this effective use of their time and staff resource has not only been great for positivity but also it has kept their social feeds present on their followers feeds.
Most businesses nowadays have some form of social media platforms that they use from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and even TikTok (it is a platform that easily is dismissed, but don’t be fooled by the online noise around this HYPER successful lockdown booming social platform. Social media channels give your business the ability to communicate directly with your customers and prospects, it allows you to convey your brand story in a sincere manner and educates followers, customers and prospects on the latest developments and opening times.
You may have already been proactive and sharing updates over lockdown period and thats AWESOME and such positive effort we know this has not been easy for many… but even if you haven’t, don’t worry! There’s still time to fire the social media beast up and there is no time like the present to start posting and engaging with your customers/prospects again.
Video really is KING when it comes to social media, Instagram is a huge fan of video and “Instagram Reels” can be a great shortcut to beating your way through all the noise on social media. TikTok is a HUGE platform that allows you to create “BRAND” stories and allow your passion and enthusiasm to shine more longer more informative videos can be used for for Facebook and don’t neglect YouTube.
Tip 3 : It’s Time To Update Work On Your Website!
Let me be utterly clear with you here that website that you may have left alone during lockdown will need work… Consumer habits and buying behaviours have changed and their are not going to revert back to the pre-pandemic days! We spend many hours with Google and Facebook on the phone getting their first hand insights and they are saying that these consumer habits are here to stay, you heard that here and you can use the following link to undertand more.
So with that in mind what was once a great tool for your business may no longer be that, and to add more insight we have a GOOGLE Algorithm change heading our way in May 2021 (discover more about the Google Core Update here).
Your website is a great opportunity to OWN your own data and you should set it up to be that way…. It’s your first port of call for your customers to interact with your business and brand… If your site is out of date and not up to scratch, prospective customers may think the same.
Things may have changed within your business over the duration of lockdowns caused by the COVID19 pandemic took hold and so it’s utterly essential that you convey these to your prospects and customers. In addition keeping your website current and regularly updated will help with your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) which we all know is the cheapest cost per acquisition and a solid GOOGLE ranking yields a healthy level of organic (non-paid for) traffic to your site.
If you need would like to take advantage of a FREE one hour consultation to help you understand what needs to be done with your site so you can steer your current agency or in-house team please feel free to contact us and we will book you in, there’s NO FEE and this is really is about US as a business helping other businesses with the knowledge and learnings we have.
Tip 4 : Revisit Email Marketing…
If you have collected email addresses over the years then this by far is the quickest and most easiest of our “post pandemic” marketing tips. A database full of previous customers is a great start, being able to reach out and offer your current customers the latest news or offer means you are not having to work hard to gain some enquiries, bookings or revenue.
Platforms like MailChimp and DotDigital offer up fantastic solutions for email marketing and if you are new to email marketing then MailChimp offers a great entry level access to allow you to start communicating with your community.
Remember being in constant conversation with your customers via email marketing is a simple and hyper effective marketing tool and a great way to drive brand awareness and also direct traffic to specific parts of your website or social channels.
Marketing habits of old such as leaflets and other printed hard copy promotional material that people need to pick up is not really appropriate, or responsible anymore thanks to the COVID19 pandemic.
Tip 5 : Take FULL Control Of Your Google My Business
If your NOT on Google My Business SIGN UP NOW! It’s completely FREE and is utterly essential for those wanting to increase local awareness. Google My Business has replaced what was the “Yellow Pages”, we won’t waffle on too much about this as we have a dedicated post for “Leveraging Your Google My Business” and a FREE 7 Day Plan that you can sign up to and get daily actions to go from “Good” to “Great”.
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