If we have to explain today’s world situation in one word, we would say the word is “PAUSED”. Do you agree? Most likely, you are nodding a’ Big Yes’ right now. When the coronavirus spread, we hardly knew it would become the turning point of our lives where we will be suffering – physically, emotionally, & financially. Now, the countries are on lockdown, the medical services are exhausting and finances, oh let’s not talk about this. It is becoming a nightmare for Small & Medium Business Enterprises. They are on the verge of devastation due to extended lockdown. As the months are passing by, the tension and COVID-19 graph are rising with no signs to stop any sooner.
COVID-19 Lockdown is a tough time for SMBs
The coronavirus has hit the small & medium business enterprises in extreme ways. It does not matter which sector these SMBs belong to; the impact in the business is enormous. Not just the closed shops, even stores with permission to remain open are not earning profits. There is a massive shift in the buying behavior of consumers. People are not buying things beyond necessity. So, it doesn’t mean that open shops are sailing through the storm, and closed enterprises are in loss. Whether it’s a B2C or B2B, the whole demand-supply chain is disturbed. The commodities have not reached the point of inflation, but they are not far enough too.
Relax, there is a silver lining!
It is not a good time for businesses, but when things look black, there’s always a silver lining. Well, we can’t agree with this statement anymore. We are living in a digital age. Everyone is locked inside their home yet very well connected to the global world. If you are an entrepreneur working hard in quarantine to keep your business on the go, you must have figured out about digital marketing. It is turning as a blessing for your business during this pandemic. From SMBs to big brands, digital marketing is thriving in the industry right now.
Many progressive companies knew the potential of the digital world for years. They are investing their time, money & efforts into digital marketing. The horizon of businesses leverages significantly with a combination of an offline and online presence. Well, if you think it is too late to start, maybe you should rethink it.
7 Ways to bounce back to business via Digital Marketing
1) Web Designing
The first smart step to digital marketing starts with a great website. Tie with a digital marketing company that has a good hold over web designing, UX, and UI. For an appealing website, you will need a combination of UX and UI. The UX will take care of user analysis, designing ideation, user testing, interaction design, and more. On the other hand, UI will be responsible for making smart interface design, visual design, compatible with multiple devices, and more. Well, you don’t need to work on understanding all these. Share your ideas with the team for an astonishing & user-friendly website, just the way you want!
Let’s understand web designing better. Suppose you are searching for a service online, let’s say – a gifting website. You see a website with a regular layout, fewer options, and poor search navigation. What will you do? You will press the back button as soon as possible, right? Next, you visit a website with a colorful layout, good deals, secure search options. You will compare these two websites. Most likely, you will trust the 2nd website and place an order soon. See this is the power of excellent website design. A website is your business’s digital face. There is significant importance of website design in a business deal. An eye-appealing design, informative, and user-friendly website can portray your image as a creative & trustworthy organization. It would be best if you think from the perspective of a user. Hence, never compromise on a website’s look, feel, and easy to use interface. It matters a lot for your business growth.
2) SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Well, there is no point in a website that cannot bring you more business. SEO is used by companies to get more visibility and clients. We believe that SEO is a business asset that genuinely pays off. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is an essential component of digital marketing. Honestly, SEO is the way to rank on the first position of search engine result pages (SERPs).
Suppose you search for a service on Google, let’s say a ‘spare part vendor near me’. You will get a business listing by Google and many other websites that match your search. Most likely you will choose any one or two from the list you see on the top. This is why website ranking is crucial for marketers. The high ranking websites often enjoy the cherry on the cake. No wonder why SEO is an asset that pays off better with time & constant digital marketing efforts.
This pandemic lockdown is an opportunity for SMBs to explore the ways SEO can help their business. Look for a combination of smart SEO strategies. Even if a digital agency is doing your SEO, your insight can be valuable as you know your market the best. Check your competitors’ strategies; You must check how they are ranking high within a few days, reach out for off-page SEO. If you already have a website, go for on-page optimization. Since it is a lockdown time, people may not buy your products/services, but you can grab their attention by strengthening your Local SEO. Go for it to reap the benefits post lockdown.
3) Social Media
It is more likely that you reached this blog through a social media link. If yes, we don’t need to explain to you anymore why you need social media marketing. It is one of the best methods of bringing relevant traffic to your website. Social media marketing is about reaching your audience if they can’t reach you. By SMM, you can easily connect to prospective customers. The best part, social media marketing, does not feel like marketing in most cases. Hence, convincing your clients becomes easy. All you need is an engaging content or irresistible offers to get the desired traffic and increase your sales. They are more receptive to your message when hanging out on social media. Go ahead and start working on your business’ official social media pages. Do include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn in your social media marketing strategy.
Remember, social media works as a direct channel of sales for many SMBs. Meanwhile, your website is getting ready, look for social media promotion opportunities. You can share your contact details for product deliveries. You probably can crack a pre-ordered deal or at least build brand awareness. It is a very narrow lane that has multiple vendors. So, step in with a bit of research. Also, this is not a very recommended sales hack as people tend to trust you less without a website. Still, try your luck to sail through this lockdown storm!
4) Content Marketing
Content is everywhere. Are you reading a blog? It’s content, listening to a podcast? It’s content, scrolling feeds on social media? It’s content. This is the reason content is called the king of SEO. The most exciting fact is, it will always remain a king. A good content marketing strategy is the basis to engage the audience, drive sales, build a brand image, and more. Suppose you are searching for a stand-up comedy show on YouTube. We mostly do. While searching, you find a hilarious comedian. Since you enjoyed his last stand up act, you might check out his more videos. Most likely, you will subscribe to his channel after 2-3 videos. He is your favorite comedian now. After a few days, you hear about his upcoming live show in the nearby hotel. You would mostly grab your chance to giggle at his jokes LIVE and book your tickets online.
This is the power of content. A good piece of content will get you more visitors to a website, build brand credibility, and eventually elevate your sales. You need to focus on the content of your brand. It should be aligned with your marketing goals. Since it’s a lockdown, your content can gain maximum eyeballs. Content can influence buying behavior ultimately. So, make smart moves and create content that gets your brand more – attention, interest, desire & action. Work on generating engaging content to build brand awareness. The seed of good content will give you fruits post lockdown. Start working on it right now!
5) PPC Marketing (Pay Per Click Ads)
PPC or Pay Per Click is one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise your brand online. Most of the SMBs are afraid of the vast ad budgets for marketing. It is a hurdle in their success for sure. For such SMBs, the Pay per click ads is the best option. You need to pay for an ad only when someone clicks your ad. It cuts all the unnecessary costs that typical ads incur. Another advantage, you can run the promotional ad for as many days, months, years you want.
You can also stop the under-performing ads. There is no limitation or restriction on your ads. It empowers entrepreneurs to promote their brand as per their budget and feasibility. Although the ad expenses are under your control, you need to work on smart ad campaigns. The ad message should match with your real offering. Otherwise, PPC marketing may not help you much in the sales targets.
Let’s understand this better. Suppose a fashion boutique wants to elevate its summer collection sales. They can offer appealing discounts/free delivery/goodies along with it. What’s more important here is their reduced spending on ads. in different ways. Make your offered deal a real deal with the saved money. The lockdown phase is crucial for all SMBs. Getting work done at minimum expenditure is the motto. And, PPC is the best way to get your promotions done under budget. Not just Sales, it can be used to bring more traffic to the website, increase your brand awareness, and more. Discuss this with your Digital marketing company. Explore the ways PPC marketing can work for you!
6) Email Marketing
No matter how many channels marketers use to connect the target audience, Email Marketing is always in their priority list. Ever wondered why? It has the ability to influence customers in the most personalized way. Brands need such marketing strategies to gain people’s attention. The more they feel valued, the more loyal they become. This happens over time. You can use email marketing to build brand recognition, strengthen bonds with customers, increase traffic to the website, and more. The personalized approach of emails has proved beneficial for brands over the years.
Nowadays, we all are in quarantine. This is the time most of people are upgrading their skills with online courses. You can understand Email Marketing better with this experiment. Go to any online course of your choice and share your email details. Within 24 hours you are most likely to receive promotional emails with very engaging content and deals. The most exciting part, you may end up enrolling for one by paying fees. This is why email marketing is said to have the potential to gain quality clients. How about trying it for your business post lockdown?
7) Marketing Analytics
Do you know one of the most significant benefits of working on digital marketing? It is easily measurable and shows real-time progress. All your digital efforts are trackable. Use Marketing Analytics tools such as Moz, Hubspot, Leadfeeder, etc. to manage, measure, and analyze your digital marketing progress. The available statistics helps marketers to check what’s working for them. The alteration in ad strategies, content tactics, return on investment optimization becomes easy with analytics. Understand which digital marketing plan is working for your brand the most. Channel your time, money, and efforts to bring more business through the best strategy. You can eliminate using tactics that show less or zero progress. For some Social media marketing can work, but for others, maybe a strong SEO will gain more traffic. Mostly B2B SMBs use SEO techniques more than Social media marketing. Their primary goal is to be visible where your client is searching for you. Don’t play blindfolded; use marketing analytics tools to reap the benefits of digital presence.
It’s never too late to start Digital Marketing!
Yes, this is the beauty of digital marketing. You are never too late to start. Every new digital trend is your chance to boost business. Starting your business’ digital marketing is the basic need of these lockdown days. Your office is closed, but it should not hinder your business’ processing. It’s your time to get set to go digital. Connect with your clients, prospect customers in a new way. Explore your opportunities in this lockdown. Okay, understanding how digital marketing can help your business is tremendous, but applying those strategies could be a head-scratching process for you. If you are not confident about doing digital marketing on your own, relax! Many professional agencies can help you. One pro tip- Always try to give your digital marketing contract to agencies in your location.
Although you may prefer to choose a digital marketing agency, knowing what will work post coronavirus lockdown is vital for you. A successful come back to normal business cycle & profits is what SMB entrepreneurs need to focus on. Well, lockdown is pouring lots of difficulties in the roadway to business’ success. A day-long lockdown makes a loss of billions in the economy. Just imagine the damage these unprecedented times are causing to SMBs & nations as a whole. Digital marketing is not only emerging as a great way to save your business; instead, it is the best you can do for business right now. Use this time to make mindful digital marketing strategies. Think about what can be done once you get back to the action. Frame post lockdown digital strategies using these components of digital marketing.
What you do today will be useful soon. Explore your business avenues. If you feel the need for a digital marketing agency, we at Aarna Systems, are here for you. We are the best digital marketing company in Pune. Our digital marketing services include web development, app development, SEO, Paid marketing, & more. You don’t need to worry about anything. Simply let us know your digital requirements. Our experts will get started with the best digital marketing for you. After all, we know your business can bloom post lockdown; all you need is teammates like us!
