By now you have heard about the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, it has caused the global stock markets to crash which means as a business (or even a marketer) you will be affected.
The Coronavirus is impacting consumer mobility, shifts in media consumption habits, supply chains, such as shortages of and concerns over goods manufactured in China and economic volatility. With this dynamic situation, companies need to plan their next marketing moves wisely to either mitigate downside risk or capture all the upside that’s possible. We know this is a game changer or at least it’s going to be for a while, but don’t panic this is a new opportunity for your business!
Below are four marketing key points we wanted to share, that every small business owner should keep in mind. We will detail each one later on in this blog post.
Work smart to retain your existing customer base
Make solid Call to Actions. .
The perfect opportunity to re-brand and to make those changes that you have been thinking on doing for a while.
Use the technology. Modify your services or products around the virus.
Content production is an essential ingredient for your tactical marketing campaigns especially for keeping in touch with your existing customers.
Being more social means engaging in conversations with your audience. Instagram Mailing, Twitter, Facebook are a few of the places where you customers are reviewing your products, discussing their purchasing decisions and exchanging views of your business. Create a low-cost plan for reaching customers at every point in the social media funnel. Use these tools to listen to your customers, hear what they’re talking about and learn more about your market. Always remember, it isn’t about advertising – your contributions to the conversation needs to be valuable and appropriate.
Work smart to retain your existing customer base
Out of sight means out of mind. It’s time to work smarter to retain your existing customer base. It is vital for you to keep in touch with your customers or you will risk losing them. It's always cheaper to retain an existing customer than acquire a new one. You can do this by ensuring you are frequently
interacting with your audience and updating them on need-to-know information.
Announcing your new open schedule and explaining the options your business has will keep your
current customers and new visitors informed. For example, if you offer delivery or pickup you should notify the public. You can even tag UberEats, Doordash or other online food delivery services you offer to reach more people.
Graphic Design for our clients Samurai Ramen Noodle and Vivian's Mediterranean Market.
Another great way of retaining customers and even gaining new ones is to create different promotions. This may be the perfect opportunity to get rid of all the merchandise that you couldn’t sell before and to re-stock new inventory. Some examples of this are…
Spend $50 and get a free ítem (mojito, socks, soup, eyelashes, etc).
For online purchases of $75 or more get a free hoodie.
Spend $30 and get a free roll of toilet paper.
For those of you who sell services (barbershops, massage therapists, etc.) you may have more loses by closing. While you may not be able to offer online purchases, we strongly recommend you to create promotions with gift certificates or gift cards. A few examples of this would be…
Spend $50 on gift certificates and get $5 extra.
20% OFF when you prepay services for the month of June.
10% OFF all our gift cards.
Buy one, get the second product half off.
Promos made for our clients Samurai Ramen Noodle and Berry's Ice Cream.
You don’t necessarily have to drop down your prices but little incentives would work really well for retaining and gaining customers. This could even be beneficial for many people as some of them might be having difficulty during this time.
Make Call to Actions. Things to make your customers staying at home interact with your Brand.
Everyone is bored at home right now! Now is the time to take advantage of this and make your
customers interact with your brand while at home.
This is a great opportunity to reach more customers with Facebook and Instagram Live or Instagram Stories. Consider teaching your customers with at home tutorials such as…
How to use your products.
How to cook your food
How to do your own makeup.
Top 10 workouts at home.
5 Things to avoid during quarantine.
Marketing during quarantine
You could also create virtual showings (real estate) or conferences.
Another post idea that is an important call to action are trivia games. This will allow your audience to not only interact through likes but also comments. Many may even re-share your content just because it's fun. A few popular trivia games are…
Puzzles of your business services or products.
Guess the name. Customers guess the name of any of your products.
Create a maze to find the way to your business.
Promos made for our clients The Spice Club and Thai Sawasdee.
Of course all games should be related to your brand and relatively easy for your audience to participate in. This is a chance to get some new followers and also generate brand awareness in a more interactive way.
Don’t forget to tag other local businesses to help them promote that they are open too. All business owners should stick together during these hard times, plus getting re-share benefits both businesses!
Re-Brand and Finishing Projects.
Perhaps you have left some changes and projects on the back burner. Now is the perfect time to
re-brand, create those changes and finish old projects! If you wanted to change your logo, update your webpage, change a brochure, add some items to your new menu or even just re-decorate your walls, now is your chance. You can announce your renewed brand, and any changes you’ve made at the end of the quarantine.
Also, you can start working on your brand concept and added value; what separates your brand from the others.
We hope you find this blog was helpful! Don't forget to follow us for all your marketing tips at on
Facebook or Instagram @PubliCreatives.
Logo upgrade example from Tripadvisor
Use the technology - Modify your services or products around the virus.
Everyone is hopping online. If you are not utilizing technology, your business may suffer in comparison to others that are online. If you have the opportunity to re-direct your services online, now is the time do so!
If your business sells products, you can create tutorials on how to use your products while at home. If your business offers services, you can start online coaching or conferences. Whatever the case, it is important to keep communicating with your customers. Remember, it’s easier to maintain a customer than obtain a new one.
Some other ideas include introducing a special drink or soup to boost the immune system if it relates to your business. You could also consider creating merchandise related to the quarantine. This blog itself is a great example of this!
Netflix examples of using technology to promote staying at home.
Other examples found on the Internet.
We hope you find this helpful. Don't forget to check out our PubliProjects and follow us for marketing tips at @PubliCreatives.