Small businesses all over the US are finding ways to adapt to the ‘new normal’. This new normal is uncharted territory for the economy and people are just trying to figure out what their normal is going to entail. Adaption during times of uncertainty is all we have to make it through. Nobody is better at adapting to change than digital marketers. Well, challenging times call for unique perspectives and personalized solutions.
Today's world is increasingly impacted by the unknown. Even as some regions begin opening back up, many businesses have been given strict guidelines for reopening, especially in relation to social distancing and health protection requirements.
With margins becoming slimmer and all the challenges related to employee headcount, business owners are working hard to limit their expenses as much as possible.
But through all this, one of the most pressing questions is: "Should businesses keep marketing during the COVID-19 crisis?" Here are some things that we think should be considered.
During a time of uncertainty with a disrupted economy, the strongest tension can be found internally with your employees. One of the best ways to avoid this tension and maintain these relationships is to reach out and let them know the plan of action and operation during this time. With many businesses, the best plan of action is "it's better we should all suffer a little, than any of us suffer a lot," according to leadership expert Simon Sinek.
With today's global uncertainty and the impending recession concerns, many businesses in nearly every industry will see budget cuts—especially in marketing. In an attempt to get the best possible results within little time, some business owners might also believe that their best option is to use their money on "quick wins" and short-term marketing campaigns while avoiding any long-term strategies, but this isn't the best course of action.
As a small business owner, you are most likely facing uncertain times ahead. Our collective world has been turned upside down in the wake of a global pandemic, and businesses are being impacted dramatically. Many companies are unable to function on all cylinders and some being forced to shut their doors completely. But while many business owners feel they are at a standstill, choosing to halt their usual marketing and advertising strategies, it's more important than ever for businesses to focus their strategy on adapting to the new challenges being thrown their way. What does that mean for marketing? Don't go dark.
As the coronavirus, or COVID-19, has continued to spread and more people are quarantined in their homes, Facebook traffic has seen an increase of over 50 percent over the last several weeks. Facebook, along with many other social media channels, is playing a key role in maintaining connectivity during these uncertain times. Subsequently, advertisers will be able to reach even wider audiences as more and more people turn to Facebook to keep them in touch with friends and family.
Getting people to your website is one thing, keeping them there is another story. With the average website visitor remaining onsite for 15 seconds, you have a very short window of time to capture their attention and direct them on a path to conversion. To get a better understanding of your visitor engagement, and to help identify areas for improvement, utilize tools like Google Analytics. Your bounce rate will indicate whether your users are finding what they need out of your website and your average session duration will tell you what pages guests find most engaging.
As the saying goes, sometimes the heaviest thing in the office is the phone. I, like many other agency owners, am always looking for ways to find more business. The one thing we had never done consistently, or well, was prospect over the phone. The thought of calling a complete stranger and interrupting their day to tell them about our services was dreadful. This is when I decided to apply to HubSpot’s 8-week Sales Lion Bootcamp, with Dan Tyre. I knew there had to be a better way of going about this.
Advertising is simple and really hard. There are a lot of businesses, both big and small, wasting a lot of money on advertising. Bad advertising results can almost always be pointed back to poor planning and execution.
Whether you’re working with an agency or running your advertising efforts in-house, the following framework puts some structure around a proven approach to planning and launching a successful advertising campaign.