Many organisations are currently re-evaluating their marketing efforts to survive the Covid-19 outbreak. So, making your marketing budget work harder in uncertain times is of utmost importance.

But it’s not simply a case of ploughing more cash into marketing and expecting better results. Savvy businesses are using these challenging times to reconnect with customers in new ways, showing how they understand the importance of proactive communication and sharing messages of support and special offers. The virus is creating a spirit of community in business which is increasing the level of communication, with regular updates to websites, more social media posts, PR activity and personalised emails to valued customers.

And if you’re not doing it – your competitors will be.

Four ways businesses can use marketing in uncertain times:

  1. Share successes to strengthen your reputation
  2. Move away from the masses
  3. Showcase your thought leadership
  4. Review your online presence

 

  1. Share successes to strengthen your reputation

Upbeat, positive stories using inspiring case studies, newsletters, customers quotes and business successes are reassuring, confident messages to share in times of turmoil, cut through the noise of uncertainty and reassure your customers and prospects. This is also a great way of strengthening your reputation as a company who clearly shows its support for its customers.

  1. Move from the masses

With the decrease of social contact, the value of digital is more important than ever. Engaging with prospects and customers online and using social media for advertising and creating conversations are all ways to increase both your profile that is easy to deal with and responds to changing customer needs. Other online comms, such as webinars, online videos and animations are great ways to reach your audiences and stay connected on all your social channels.

  1. Showcase your thought leadership

Content marketing is a great way to engage with prospects and boost your brand values. Businesses should shift from a sales approach to take a more informative stance with value-added messages to educate audiences and reinforce relationships. Assets such as white papers, infographics, videos and animations that can be shared on social media are great tools to not only help stay front of mind, but also to drive traffic to your website. Now is really is a time to reflect and focus on your core values and share these with your customers.

  1. Review your online presence

This could be the time to take another look at your website to improve your online presence. Look at your visibility on search engines and ascertain how easy it is to for prospects to find you. Do you have someone internally checking your incoming online enquiries and are they being shared with the appropriate teams? Also, it’s worth checking if your website is optimised for mobile devices as according to Google, 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing, and 40% visit a competitor’s site instead.[1]

 “The one element of your business that should continue to expand is marketing. We should not abandon our marketing strategies but rather adapt them to the new realities. Uncertain [prospects] are more likely to go with a trusted source.”  – Robert George – “20 Basic Strategies for Surviving Tough Economic Times” [2]

Don’t let uncertainty reduce your marketing activity

All businesses are currently experiencing uncertainty and we are all looking for value add. And many may require specialist support in communicating how they are supporting customers at this time and how to share their updated policies.

We can help you evolve your marketing messages with the right mix of digital marketing communications, content and special offers to resonate with your audiences. Our expert copywriting team can ensure your marketing messages work harder for you in these uncertain times. With impactful, SEO friendly marketing copy, you could even amplify your level of brand awareness. Combined with our inhouse designers, we can help you deliver a powerful digital presence to ultimately drive traffic to your website, and prospects to your proposition.

Tweak is offering a FREE marketing consultancy session for all Surrey Chamber of Commerce members. Please get in touch if you’d like some help to discuss your new marketing strategy in these uncertain times. It’s always good to talk.

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[1] https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/why-marketers-should-keep-sending-you-emails

[2] http://www.langeshow.com/documents/20strategiesfortougheconomictimesLangeversiondesert.pdf