The ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is undoubtedly having a tremendous impact on all the countries, communities, and businesses across the globe. However, during this time, each one of us must stay calm and safe and explore all the fruitful options for our businesses. Also, there is a dire need for all of us to stay informed. Bing has quite recently developed an interactive map using which people can stay up-to-date on COVID-19. It consists of worldwide information corresponding to the active cases, fatal cases, and recovered cases at present. By clicking on different countries, you can conveniently come across the breaking news stories relevant over there. As a lot of misinformation is spreading currently, it is critical for us more than ever before to stay informed using the information from the most trusted and reliable sources, which include updates from WHO and official government websites.
Efforts put in by Google and Facebook to help Small Businesses
At present, Google is partnering with the US government to come up with a website, which shall be solely dedicated to providing relevant information on COVID-19. Furthermore, it is also promoting the “Do the Five” campaign on its homepage for raising awareness about the simplest yet the most crucial measures that we all can take to combat the virus. Facebook, on the other hand, has recently launched a business resource hub for helping the small businesses affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. The social media platform has also created the “Facebook Small Business Grants Program” for providing financial support to the eligible small businesses in the form of ad credits and cash grants.
Digital Marketing Strategies
It is a matter of fact that yes – these are indeed the uncertain times where every single person is anxious. In this situation, however, the worst thing you can do is immediately stopping everything out of sheer panic, which includes your Digital Marketing Strategy as well. Remember, maintaining your overall search engine marketing can prove to be exceedingly beneficial for you and your business in continuous revenue generation, specifically during potential economic downtimes. So, let us now make ourselves familiar with a few top-notch digital marketing strategies, which can offer immense help to your business and its SEO.
1. Pay Due Attention to Reputation Management and Customer Service
Widely known social media channels like Facebook (as mentioned above) are setting up content hubs to keep their customers informed at all times. What you can proactively do is use blogs to come up with engaging content that is relevant to your industry. Such blog posts shall also serve as a means of an update to your already existing and potential customers. You must make a point of the fact that now is the time to create informative content and provide the same to your customers. Moreover, you must also reassure your customers in all aspects and let them know what all you are doing to help them.
2. Update your Google My Business Profile
Irrespective of whether your business is operating during the lockdown period or remaining shut, you must make a point to update your Google My Business profile. At present, the only way of marking your business as temporarily closed is by contacting Google My Business Support. However, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, has stated that in the coming days, it will become a lot more convenient for businesses to mark themselves as temporarily closed. Google is putting in sincere efforts to inform all the businesses out there to update their Google My Business listing, specifically, if they have been affected significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, you can also update your opening hours on the listing and add a Google Post corresponding to how your business is changing at present.
3. Ensure Answering FAQs
In the present digital era and especially during the ongoing lockdown period, people all around the world are using Google more than ever before. Hence, you must ensure that the content on your official business website answers all the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). By doing the same efficiently, your business shall have more favorable chances of appearing higher in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page), which, in turn, shall increase and enhance your traffic and CTR (Click-Through Rate).
4. Make the Most out of Social Media Networks
Without any second thoughts, staying active online can do wonders for you and your business at all times. Like your profile on Google My Business, you can use your accounts on different social media platforms to keep your clients and customers up-to-date with your business. You can create daily posts for offering relevant information to your customers and take online orders as well.
Instagram has quite recently launched a “Stay Home” sticker for its stories to encourage social distancing during the Coronavirus outbreak. You can use the sticker to get in front of your target audience and followers on the platform with engaging content related to your business operations nowadays.
5. Stay Prepared to Pivot your Budget
Over the coming few weeks or months, buyer behavior is undoubtedly going to change to a great extent; therefore, you must stay prepared to react to such changes. The same is of the utmost importance for businesses that use traditional forms of marketing, such as event marketing and print advertising. So, now is the time to pivot to online advertising as every single penny counts. You need to spend your money wisely, specifically in the scenario where it can have a measurable small-term impact on your entire business and its strategy. Besides, if you can afford it, then you can also invest in a long-term plan or hire a Digital Marketing Agency for having robust strategies in place.
Bottom Line
Without any doubt, it is a scary time; however, you need to keep in mind the long-term effects that the current situation may eventually have on your business if you put an end to all your marketing efforts. Therefore, you should stay active online and answer your customers’ queries as soon as possible. Remember, we can get through this only if we stand united together. Stay safe!
Kerdasoftech 