COVID-19 has shifted the way in which we live our lives and conduct business. With stay-at-home orders, telecommuting and social-distancing being the new reality for all but a relative few, the ways in which we can reach and covert customers has shifted as well. Here are some ideas to help you maintain a strong market presence in our new, “stay at home” world.
- Make Sure Your Website Clearly Addresses What Is Going On & What You Are Doing About It
COVID-19 is an unpleasant reality, but that doesn’t mean we should simply act as if it doesn’t exist. Instead, your business should acknowledge this new reality and highlight any changes you are making to accommodate customers – such as new hours of operation, additional cleaning protocols, patron limits in a given facility, etc. By doing this, you are not only reassuring customers that you remain open and ready to help, but that you are taking the steps needed to ensure everyone’s safety.Furthermore, as customers are now more apprehensive to shop, you need to take steps to help make it more convenient for customers to do business with you. For instance, we have encouraged many of our automotive clients to provide streamlined online shopping and financing, at home test drives, home delivery of new vehicles, and service pick-up and drop-off. As such, auto customers can now enjoy the full automotive showroom experience without ever having the leave their homes.
- Proactively Engage With Email And Social Media
With less customers able to come to you, you need to “go to them.” As more people are spending time online – particularly on social media – the digital realm provides a fertile environment for reaching current customers and attracting new ones. Maintaining a regular pipeline between you and your audience works well to remind and reassure people that you remain open and ready to serve. It also provides a highly visible forum for promoting sales and specials, and a great way to highlight how you are going “above and beyond” to service customers at this time.By reinforcing “top of mind” presence – even during a slowdown such as this – you are able to capture a larger share of the business that remains while placing yourself in a more enviable leadership position once life returns to normal.
- Inform, Engage and Entertain with Online Video
The stay-at-home culture also has been a boon for online video viewership. Not only is video content easier to grasp than many other forms of media, but it provides a valuable entertainment element that is vital to attracting and maintaining your customers’ attention. Crafting topical video messages that keep customer both informed and entertained can go a long way in helping you break through the clutter and bond with your customers.
By maintaining a consistent engagement with customers throughout and beyond the pandemic, it is still possible to generate business and maintain a healthy, ongoing (virtual) relationship with your customers. Furthermore, your business will be in a better position to experience additional growth once the current restrictions and fears subside.