By Oyindamola Rowaiye
It is no longer news that Covid-19 is a threat to the world’s economy. As a result, organizations, institutions and even small businesses have been forced to shut down pending when the pandemic flattens out. For some small businesses, this has negatively impacted their mode of operation, making them face uncertain times.
If you own a small business, here are a few marketing strategies to help keep your business up and running during this pandemic:
Think Collaborations
With the kind of products or services that you offer, you certainly compete with many competitors to win audiences. Even if you have a large customer base, chances are that your competitors are bent on winning them over to their sides. So, this means that you have to play your cards well. So, think collaborations.
Collaboration helps you create relationships between a business that has a common interest and audience similar to yours. For instance, a makeup artist partnering with an eyelashes brand. Both services share a similar industry, but are not direct competitors.
Ultimately, this helps both businesses stand stronger with more audiences, increased followers and future sales.
Explore Viral Marketing
While the world is under crisis, it may surprise you to know that the ‘social media world’ has decided to ward off panic through several social challenges like the ‘Bop Daddy’, pioneered by Falz.
Jumping on a band wagon doesn’t seem so much of a bad idea, especially now that it has become a viral trend. What this means is that your social business page isn’t isolating as you are, but up and active with several content.
Remember the world is now online, any good content is a golden ticket to remain relevant, whether there are business transactions or not.
Employ Cause Marketing
If you’re big on giving, this is the time to leverage on cause marketing. Recently, social media has become a giveaway platform. The pandemic has certainly taken a toll on many people’s finances, hence the reason why giveaways are being done.
Here, cause marketing is simply using your business to give back to the community, whether in partnership with a non-profit or not. For instance, maybe you sell an online fitness program on nutrition to fitness enthusiasts, you could partner with a charity organization to reinforce exercising this season and donate your proceeds to them.
Alternatively, you could tell your followers to practice some physical exercise challenge, share online and tag their friends to participate. Whoever is able to do as much physical drilling wins a giveaway.
This strategy drives awareness about your brand, increases sales and, at the same time, puts your business in a good light.
Engage With Your Customer
If you think that this is the time your business social page needs a break, you’re wrong! There’s no such thing as a break during this period. While you’re indoor and unable to associate with people, leverage on the opportunity to engage with your customers or your followers.
Ask questions, tell them about you beyond your business, get to know about them – what they do, and how they are fairing during this lockdown.
Indirectly, personal engagements gives you an idea of your buyers persona if you didn’t know them before.
Offer Free Consultation
Many businesses seem to be doing this now, due to the gap in the market. If you are positioned as an expert in your field, now is the time to hold free online consultation which can vary from business to business.
Let’s imagine you own a natural skincare brand providing great products to people with skin problems, a free consultation sees you bringing many clients on board as you advice them on how to care for their skin pending the lockdown.
If the number of people sending you a private message is overwhelming, create a video that’ll answer many questions about skin problems and offer temporary solutions. By the time the lockdown is over, you will be surprised by the number of leads you have generated in a short time frame.
Remember that there might be a gap in the market now, but there’s a market in the gap.
