These are unprecedented times. Never before has a global pandemic put everyone in a self-quarantine. Because of that, people are going to be affected. Businesses are going to be affected. The marketplace is going to be affected.
This coronavirus has done nothing if put things into perspective. It’s showing companies the value of having a strong marketing and sales strategy. But how should you be playing it during these challenging times?
Is there any way that you can shift your focus for better results? Here are several ways you can pivot your marketing and sales strategy in order to create success for your brand during these crazy times:
1. Keep the glass half full
Any time that your business experiences a monumental threat like this, it’s easy for you to panic.
After all, because you’re directly affected by the quarantine, you want to keep up with as much news as you can. However, in doing so, the news might be driving you into a depressive state of mind.
Staying positive is crucial for all companies at this time. It’s all about taking the traditional statement of “control what you can control” and making that a focal point.
While you might not be able to control the results of your sales and marketing techniques, you can control the effort of them.
Perhaps this quarantine is a good time for you to involve new digital marketing strategies such as search engine optimization, pay per click ads, etc. Maybe it’s time for you to refocus your strategies entirely.
Remember, this is only temporary. Eventually, the quarantine will be lifted and life will return to normalcy. Just hold onto your faith and focus on your marketing campaigns.
2. Have your brand extend a helping hand
You might find yourself worrying about revenue during this time, which is completely understandable. However, try to put yourself in the shoes of your loyal customers.
Some of them have temporarily been furloughed from their jobs, others have lost their businesses due to it, and some are dealing with the COVID-19 illness itself.
No offense to you, but your brand is most likely the last thing on their mind. Do you know which brands are getting attention right now? The ones that choose to help.
For example, if you’re a brewery, then you might try creating some makeshift hand sanitizer and handing it out to local hospitals, grocery stores, etc. This will provide PR and notoriety for your brand. But more importantly, it will help people in need!
After life turns back to normal for everyone, the moves you make now will still stick with your brand.
3. Steady on with your spending
Many people’s gut reaction to times like these is to cut as many costs as possible. That means less marketing campaigns, shorter headcount, fewer resources being used, etc.
However, history has shown that those that do the opposite during a recession typically yield a higher return.
Instilling a consistent digital marketing plan is imperative to your company’s success during this pandemic.
Focus on spending your money towards making improvements such as a simpler website layout, higher-quality content, and boosted social media marketing.
This recession is an opportunity for you to capitalize on your industry. You can turn the tables on your competition by sticking to your guns during this pandemic, while they choose to cut costs.
While it might be more difficult to do now, it will also be much easier to pass them up than when the market is thriving. Take the time to consider all that you can spend on and improve while the market is down, in order to gain an advantage.
4. Keep good vibes with your brand
This point is a bit different than the first one of keeping a positive attitude. This one has to do with helping your customers view the glass as half full (as much as you can).
Helping provide a laugh or at least bringing a smile to their face will help them associate your brand as a shining light in the darkest of times.
The brands that can continue to provide positivity and gratitude for their clients will pay out in a big way when the quarantine is lifted.
Pushing positivity out into the marketplace via your brand will increase the amount of customer loyalty you have. It will show prospects that you’re the personable company they’ve been looking for.
You owe it to your clientele to find different ways of lifting their spirits. Share the good news in any way that you can.
5. Get more engaging on social media
Even if your brand was already killing it on social media, now is the time for you to increase your digital presence via social media.
Doing so will help you keep your sales as close to schedule as possible. Heck, depending on what you sell, it might even boost your sales (EX: gym equipment, cleaning supplies, etc.).
Try to think of clever ways to place any uptick in your audience engagement during these crazy times. You’ll find it both fun and rewarding.
Pivot your marketing strategy with positivity
Now that you’ve seen several tactics to use on your marketing and sales strategy, remember the importance of staying positive. Use this time effectively, audit your business processes and focus on what needs to be improved to really get ahead once this is all over and done with.
To help, at Design Point, we’re assisting businesses for the next three months on how to tackle their marketing strategy and what improvements can be made to existing or new campaigns. We don’t know how long we will be on this COVID-19 journey, but we do know we are all in this together and can help each other. Most importantly learn new skills along the way.
Adrian Marolda is the founder of Australia’s growth-focused digital marketing agency, Design Point Digital, which from a business stand point, he believes a beautifully-crafted website is a great foundation for improving leads and sales for any online brand.
