Today's question is one I get asked every single day for the last couple weeks and it's: "Should I still be doing marketing right now with all this coronavirus stuff going on?"
In times like these, you might be tempted to pull back or maybe even stop your marketing entirely and just kind of wait it out. But in actuality right now is the time
you need to be doing more marketing, not less.
Look, when times are good you should be marketing but when times are bad you must be marketing. So what does that look like?
Here are my three big do's and don'ts for marketing your business through this crisis.
Do: Talk to Your Existing Customers
So what's the first thing that you absolutely must do to get through this crisis? It's talk to your existing customers. Look these are the lifeline for your business and
it's really how you're gonna preserve revenue.
You need to tell them:
- What's going on?
- How you can serve them right now?
- Are you even open?
- How are you affected by all this?
- And how can they reach you?
DO: Tell People How You Can Help
The second marketing that you really should do is you need to tell customers
and prospects how you can help. Think about all the problems they're facing right now and how can you help them get through the situation?
So you might be wondering: is it okay to sell or upsell to your current clients? Absolutely it is, but the message is slightly different.
If you can genuinely help them, let them know. Look, people are still buying right now. It's not that the economy's completely shut down, they're just buying in different ways.
Here are some examples: We've seen a local art studio put together some take-home kits so that kids can keep busy while they're at home. We've seen professional services like lawyers offer consultations virtually, instead of in-person. One of the things we're doing is we're offering 50% off any of our marketing services like search engine marketing or Google Ads or Facebook so that we can help you through these tough times.
Do: Find New Ways to Add Value
And my third must do is you need to find new ways that you can add value, beyond what you currently do.
There's so much fear and uncertainty out there right now. How can you be that voice of stability and empathy?
Content & Education
A couple ways to do this is we can do more content and education-based marketing. Look, people are desperate for information about how to live and work
in this new situation and maybe you can provide blogs, or videos, or frequently
asked questions. I've even seen companies that are doing a lot of webinars or just
flat-out free advice.
Creativity & Inspiration
You can also be a great inspiration. You know, people feel a little hopeless and desperate, and how can you do something that really brightens their day?
Maybe you have some kind of encouraging story or uplifting motivational content
that you're having. We've seen gyms that are offering online fitness classes, since obviously you're not going to the gym right now, and museums that are doing virtual tours.
DON'T: Ignore New Potential Customers
Now the three things on my Don't Do list:
Look, don't ignore any leads that are coming in. People are still out there buying.
Quite honestly, sometimes you're getting more leads right now because people have more free time on their hands, so make sure you take good care of these hot leads coming in the door right now.
DON'T: IGnore the Current Climate
My next Don't is: don't ignore the current climate. We can't just do business as usual, and our marketing message needs to change a little bit.
Make sure that you're running ads that the message is really sensitive to what's going on right now and what your customers' current needs really are.
Don't: Freeze!
And finally, don't freeze!
Look, don't be that deer caught in the headlights. You can't just stop and wait on this one.
And remember: don't let great be the enemy of good. We know that you have to adapt and change quickly and our marketing messages are gonna change a little bit. So don't worry about getting things perfect - just keep the ball moving forward with your marketing.
Keep Moving Forward
So what are your next steps in marketing?
First, give me a call anytime. I'm happy to talk to you and walk you through what some potential changes to your marketing message might be, or what new tactics
should you be looking at. I'll answer any questions you have.
Also, we have a Small Business Corona Support Group that we're offering.
Also, if you want to start doing more marketing I do have a special going on right now. It's 50% off from here through the end of July for any new marketing service that you might get from us. It could be SEO or Google Ads or Facebook marketing.
We know that money's tight right now and if we can help out by giving you a discount we're happy to do it.
Stay safe out there!
