The business world has been in shock of the Coronavirus outbreak which ultimately affected our lifestyles, our plans, and, naturally, our businesses. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many businesses are adapting to new strategies to create and maintain clients.
With the current restrictions in place, such as social distancing, businesses across the country, whether or not stay-at-home orders are in place, will need a new strategy for operating their business during this pandemic and also set themselves up for success in the future.
Social Media
Time spent on social media drastically increased for the past few weeks. To practice social distancing and community quarantine guidelines, a lot of businesses have turned to the internet to generate interest and sales. Screen time is increasing all-time high this year since more professionals are working from home.
According to the Global Web Index 37% of millennials and 23% of Gen X are confirmed to be using social media since the coronavirus outbreak.
Vodafone reported a 50% rise in internet use across Europe
More digital marketing campaigns are now set by adapting existing content to deliver results which is much easier since most of the target audience is more receptive to online activities nowadays.
Video Conferencing
Unsurprisingly, COVID-19 is driving a video event boom around the world as the pandemic made a lot of people and businesses to start working from home.
Recent data shows that there’s a 71% spike in webinars, event live streams and video conferencing throughout organizations and businesses looking to attract sales and keep customers in the pandemic situation.
Data from Redback Connect’s March digital events revealed that each event attracted an average of 184 attendees – compared with just 148 in February. Each attendee participated for an average of 1 hour and 3 minutes at each event, compared with an average of 50 minutes in February.
A recent survey this March 2020 shows that 127 organizations that run webinars found that using conferencing tools lowers the cost per lead of more than 80%. Data also shows that webinars are mostly effective for 47% of organizations. This makes 59% of organizations to spend more on their webinar programs in 2020.
Whether they are webinars or video conferences, they are delivering the desired return on investment for organizations, particularly in this current situation.
B2b Sales Programs
Businesses should now collaborate with their clients to identify their audience personas and map messages to create a more targeted digital strategy. To create a compelling and engaging campaign, they need to develop assets that work and build on each other by taking the leads through a process of consideration and evaluation.
Most of the obvious choices to drive website visitors are Google ads and PPC campaigns. However, it’s best to consider all available platforms to reach audiences at different stages on the sales funnel.
Because of their granular action, LinkedIn now became an incredibly powerful site and tool to generate highly qualified leads and disseminate thought leadership content. Moreover, Cost per Lead on LinkedIn can be 28% lower than on Google AdWords, which makes it a very interesting channel to create an immersive lead generation program.
New Ways in Delivering Products and Services
Many dine-in restaurants and bars are offering online ordering and curbside pickup. But other brick-and-mortar businesses need something more personal.
When your business model involves people coming in to browse or interact with you, you need to figure out how to make that happen virtually. La De Da! gift shop in suburban Chicago is all about offering personalized recommendations for gifts. People don’t come in knowing what they want—they browse, and they rely on the owner, Jill Carlisle, to point them in the right direction.
Necker’s Toyland, a toy store in Simsbury, Connecticut, that’s been in business since 1948, also had to get creative. They’re offering a FaceTime browsing option, virtually walking kids around the store, so they can pick out something that’ll keep them busy during the quarantine. Then they’re offering curbside pickup or delivery to nearby towns.
Service-oriented businesses are doing something similar. McAlister Training in San Luis Obispo, California, like many fitness studios, has taken its classes virtual. They’ve also taken the opportunity to expand their market, offering classes for kids who are at home with some energy to burn. And the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, is offering online tours of the historic—and strange—landmark.
By offering your services online, you retain existing customers during social distancing, while also potentially opening your market to people outside of your geographic area.
Partner With Other Businesses
Some struggling businesses, like Metro Bis restaurant in suburban Connecticut, are partnering with other, less-affected businesses. Metro Bis has been selling prepared meals at a local grocery store to make up for the lack of business in-house. This partnership gives them a way to safely serve their customers.
At the same time, some struggling businesses are teaming up with each other. City Home, a home decor and design business out of Portland, Oregon, has partnered with a local florist to offer an incentive to customers.
Three City Home customers will receive a surprise bouquet from local florist Old Town Florist with their delivery. For City Home, the promotion serves as an incentive to purchase.
CONCLUSION
Because people are spending more time online during social distancing, now is a great time to offer this kind of content: it’s a marketing channel for you and a benefit to your fans and potential customers.
This is an unprecedented time for small businesses, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Try some of the strategies above to thrive in this pandemic situation.
