Here in New Zealand we may be through the hard Level 4 restrictions, but we are not yet out of the woods; many are experiencing financial hardship and the true hit to our economy is still to come.
I thought it might be useful to share my 5 top tips for marketing at this time:
- Get your website & digital channels sorted
During Level 4, I was surprised at the number of businesses without an appropriate or helpful online presence. Is your website up to date? Can your product or service be purchased online? Is your Google listing up to date? Can clients book appointments or schedule meetings with you online? Can they watch videos to enjoy an authentic experience of getting to know you? Is your online presence showing who you are and what you do in the best way?
- Don’t be ‘Out of sight out of mind’
If you’re not in front of your current or potential clients/customers on a regular basis they will forget about you, and your proactive competitor will win the prize. Marketing at this time is about ongoing (gentle) reminding and reinforcing – although frequency will depend on the type of business or service, and the expectations of your clients and customers. It’s important to keep them up to date with what you’re up to – you’re still here, new products/services, new ways of delivering your product/service, contact protocols etc.
- Focus on your existing customers
It’s much easier to gain value from your current customers rather than trying to attract new ones, so be proactive: ring them to see how they are, discuss how you can help reduce their ‘pain points’, ask them if there’s anything they’ve been thinking about over the past couple of months that you can help with. If you maintain relationships will help customers remain loyal to you in the long term and hopefully refer you to others.
- Highlight how your products or services can help
Don’t assume that people know what you do – communicate your benefits and points of difference, how and why are they different to other similar products or services? Create helpful content to demonstrate other uses or wider benefits of your products/services.
- Work to a plan
A marketing plan doesn’t need to be over-complicated, expensive or time-consuming. Develop a simple plan with a purpose (everything you do needs to done for a reason) and you won’t need to stress about what you’re doing, or when you need to do it.
If you need a hand getting your marketing back on track post-Covid give me a call. I’m always happy for a no-obligation chat.
Julia Kay – 021 423 189