Many small businesses, from lawyers to hair salons, thought of online marketing as a necessary evil or a distraction if they thought of social media as marketing at all. Now, during Covid-19, social media, email and website marketing may be the only way businesses can stay in touch with customers. And staying in touch is critical during social distancing.
If social media and online marketing for business are new concepts to you, there are plenty of resources available to help you make the most of your online presence. From setting up your business’s Facebook page to creating content to share, I’ll be providing advice and resources on how to transition your business to an online presence, keep in touch with your customers, and navigate the sensitivities around developing content during a crisis.
Marketing Checklist during Social Distancing
Here’s my checklist to steps you should take immediately:
Update Your Contact Information & Hours
If you have a website or Facebook business page (you should), update your office hours and contact information to let people know how to reach you. People can’t afford to waste time driving to your location only to find out you’ve adjusted your hours or are closed. Keep in mind that just because your business’s physical doors may be closed, there are still many ways to help your customers. Update your online information now.
Update Your Contact and Email Lists
Ask customers for their updated email addresses and contact information so you can keep them informed. You can set a form up on your website to collect their information or even ask them to direct message you on social media with their current contact information. Your website creator or hosting platform likely already has contact form templates to choose from, and it should only take a few minutes to build a form from scratch. Remember to ask for a name, email, and phone number. And be aware of privacy policies and opt-out requirements.
Offer Online Ordering, Curbside Delivery and Shipping
If your business sells products, offer online ordering and curbside delivery on your website and social media pages. This process works great for hair salons, but not so much for lawyers.
Develop Online Content That Will Help Your Customers
Consider answering the most common questions you’re asked. You can post a list of FAQs online, schedule and host a webinar, and/or record and post a video answering common questions.
For example, if you’re an attorney who specializes in employment law, you can offer a wealth of guidance during this challenging time. Employers need to know how they can and can’t handle such things as reductions in hours or benefits, work-from-home policies, sick time, and disciplinary actions. Corporate attorneys can provide information on contract clauses that might help, given this worldwide business interruption. Everyone could use a little enlightening on the new Coronavirus bill.
Businesses of all types can create useful content. If you own a hair salon, develop hair and makeup tutorials. Offer tips on how to maintain your color at home, use accessories and styling to hide roots, or give your family emergency trims at home. Run photo contests for before and after at-home transformations, and offer to fix those haircuts when social distancing requirements are lifted.
Shops and stores, depending on their specialties, can showcase seasonal products or show how shopping in your own home can help refresh spaces and your wardrobe. Show how products can be used in multiple ways with minor adjustments.
Develop Content, Not Just Ads
Businesses of all sizes around the world are having to rethink their advertising and social media surrounding the pandemic. This Adweek article addresses many of those considerations.
In short, don’t make the mistake of automatically jumping to social media advertising. Social media advertising can be cost-effective and a great way to target customers. As a marketer and social media fan, I’m seeing social media ads on a scale I’ve never seen prior to the pandemic. Before you consider placing ads on social media, think about simply staying in touch and providing valuable content. Show you care. It’s the businesses with heart that will survive this crisis best.
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