This extraordinary situation created by the Covid 19 pandemic means that businesses cannot continue to operate in a normal way. Consumer behaviour and habits have changed, whether this is permanent or not, we will have to wait and see. However there are marketing techniques that can be used that may help your company through this pandemic.
More of your customers will be online and on social media. Make sure your business is online with a mobile friendly website. Make sure you have the relevant accounts with the main social media companies. Do regular posts keeping your customers updated with your plans such as delivery options, returns,and new products launches. Keeping your customer updated with regular communications is a key component during this pandemic.
If your business has no online presence then make sure you develop a website so customers have access to your company during this crisis. The simple and quick options is to use online line companies such as WIX who can provide simple templates for you to design your website.
Use relevant meta tags, descriptions tags and title tags that will help you with SEO. ALT tags for diagrams and images of products that you sell are also very important as many customers sometimes use image search to look for products. It is often useful to look at how your competitors optimise their SEO by looking at the code of their website for tips and hints.
Google is the largest search engine in the world used by x amount of people. Google adsense will allow your business to have sponsored ads on certain key words. For example if you were a Pet Shop in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire your business could pay to be on the top of the search result for ‘Pet Shops in Welwyn Garden City’. As more people are using online as alternative to shop during the "lock down"
Pre-lock down if you were reliant on your supplies coming from one area and lockdown in that area has impacted your supply chain, you must take this situation as an opportunity to re-evaluate your supplier selection process For example in our pet shop if we purchased all our hamster supplies from one supplier only and the supplier shut because of lockdown, your business will be in trouble.. Instead of giving 100% of your business to this supplier you may decide to have multiple suppliers therefore spreading the risk.
Get your company involved in local initiatives that support the local community, during this crisis it is important that the company does it best to support the local community this could include, donating supplies to a local charity or delivering products to the vulnerable.
Communication and a supportive brand image is the key here. You customers will look back and think to themselves, how did this company behave or support one another during the Covid 19 crisis.
