2020 has presented companies with a unique crisis. How does one market during a pandemic, when people are locked down, afraid to go out, and state and local governments have imposed restrictions on movement? The short answer is that they adapt or die.
To maintain healthy sales figures, businesses must find new ways to market their products and services to ensure that they reach their target audiences. 2020’s challenges have forced them to think outside the box and try new approaches.
Here are some of this year’s best marketing tips and prevailing trends:
Local SEO
Due to the movement restrictions imposed on people by the coronavirus pandemic, companies began to rely heavily on securing business within set geographical areas. Any business wanting to do this will understand the necessity of local SEO (search engine optimization).
Using Google My Business, an enterprise can establish its local presence across the Google search engine, which is the most frequently used worldwide. The idea is for your business to pop up when a user searches for something and includes the name of their area or the phrase ‘near me’ as part of their search criteria.
Google My Business is free and gives you the option to include maps, directions, and a direct link to your telephone number and website. Only the first three results are displayed on Google’s SERP (search engine results page) in this format. The user must click on More Places to get information about other businesses. Therefore, the goal is to come in the top three.
Podcasting
The marketing head at buy research paper throws some light on this. According to him, podcasts have an extended reach that social media and other marketing methods might not yet have tapped into. More people than ever have started listening to podcasts while stuck at home. They are perfect for working out, doing household chores, and listening to during ‘me time’. To join the podcasting phenomenon, a company has two choices.
The first is to advertise on popular podcasts, getting well-established broadcasters to endorse your products and services. They include a short talk about you in their podcast and give listeners a unique code to get a discount or special offer from you. Once a user enters that code, a percentage of the sale goes to the podcaster. They will also include a link to your site in their show notes.
The second is to start a podcast. However, this is a massive undertaking and requires much research and time. Bear in mind that there might not be a great audience of podcast listeners for a show dedicated to your company.
Your approach could come from a different angle, where you sponsor a podcast by someone else in exchange for free advertising. Alternatively, find out about hosting an episode of an established podcast where you can market your company.
Multimedia
It is a well-known fact that people respond differently to website content. Some prefer text, while others are attracted by infographics, photographs, images, and video.
The prevailing trends show that video is a highly effective tool. However, it still needs to be relevant and engaging. Given that filming and editing are now possible using a cellphone, you can come up with ideas and record them without spending too much money.
Play on people’s need for moments of lightheartedness to break the monotony of their ‘new normal’ during these challenging times. Therefore, videos that show the humorous side to a day at the office can be a welcome break for visitors to your website.
Consider how-to videos about your products or relevant services as these add a personal touch to your content. If you cannot launch and market products the way you used to, why not livestream events for customers to watch? Advertise such events well in advance using email marketing newsletters sent to customers from your database or publishing the event on social media.
Make data-driven decisions
With many companies facing new financial constraints owing to shrinking sales, every cent spent on marketing should aim to yield a maximum result. Therefore, study statistics within your organization and in the outside world.
Externally, examine what marketing strategies are regarded as the most effective and determine their cost to company to ensure that you spend your marketing budget shrewdly. Internally, look at what methods have worked in the past and either reutilize or build on them to repeat your success.
Conclusion
It is too easy to get caught up in what other enterprises are doing and spend money trying to replicate their results, where something completely different could benefit your business. Engage a skilled digital marketing expert to explore your options. Use a freelancer or remote workers to save money as you only pay for their work hours or output, depending on your contract. Their knowledge in the field can assist you in coming up with unique approaches that will make your business stand out from others.
Author Bio:
John Peterson is a journalist working with London magazine “Shop&Buy” since 4 years. His other work assignment is as a freelance academic writer for Australian assignment help where he writes thesis, dissertations, essays and term papers for students. He is a professional mini-tennis player and is currently writing a novel on student entrepreneurs and funding issues. You can follow him via Facebook.