By now, the spread of COVID-19 has impacted all businesses. Although there are a lot of unknowns about when things will return to a new normal, it’s still important to make a plan for the future. It’s especially vital to have a marketing strategy in place before things return to the new normal so that you can easily and effectively share information with the general public. Here at 97 Switch, we’ve put together a list of action items to help your business get started on planning your impending marketing efforts.
Plan email campaigns
To prepare for the end of the stay-at-home order, you’ll want to start drafting content for forthcoming emails, including any messages with information about the end of the stay-at-home order and how your business will be adjusting to it. The info you should communicate with people about your business over email should be beneficial and informative. Include facts like the reopening of store locations or how your business is helping keep people healthy and safe. Emails can also contain information about what customers can expect from your business after the stay-at-home order has ended.
Make website updates
Another place that you’ll want to make sure has up-to-date information is your website. Check the accuracy of your business hours and information about the products and services that you offer. Businesses and organizations might also want to add a message about operations, such as any health and safety measures being taken. When people look for updates about your business, they will often check your website to answer their questions. The more specific you can be about the changes, the less phone support you’ll need to provide.
Examine social media calendar
During this time, many businesses have chosen to either pause their social media posts or change their content strategy. Now, you’ll need to reexamine your social media calendar and make sure that the posts you have planned contain appropriate messaging that may be more sensitive to people impacted by the stay-at-home-order. You may also want to create posts with information about updated hours, as well as respond to any messages. Your social media accounts provide easy ways for people to access updated news about your business, in addition to giving you a convenient way to communicate with the public.
Adjust digital ads
Due to the stay-at-home order, your business may have paused or edited your digital ads, since most ads are ineffective while we are locked down. When life resumes, you’ll want to reevaluate your ads. First, assess the situation by looking at your past daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly ad results. Then, you'll want to start testing how people will react to ads in the new environment while also considering the past results as a baseline. Ads can share a strong message with an audience, so make sure your company’s ads are appropriate for the prevailing state of affairs.
Edit online listings
When someone looks up a company on a search engine, they see important information, like business hours, on the search engine results page. Most businesses show their hours of operation on their online listings so that people can see what time the business is open. It’s important that the info displayed on your business’s online listings is revised when the stay-at-home order ends. When you edit your online listings, consider adding any relevant updates, such as new store hours. Your online listings can also provide a great place for your business to add a description of what you are doing to accommodate the change for the new normal.
After the stay-at-home order ends
After the stay-at-home order has ended, your company should, at some point, be able to return to a more normal routine. Make sure to plan ahead and update your marketing plan before things change dramatically. As we have outlined, we recommend working through all the various parts of your marketing strategy so that you'll be ready to function when the stay at home order ends.
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