The coronavirus pandemic has shaken businesses to the core within an alarmingly short space of time. This temporary, newfound reality means that almost one-third of the world’s population is currently in lockdown, dramatically altering people’s daily routines, behavior patterns, and ultimately their consumer needs.
For many small and medium businesses to have the best possible chance of surviving and even thriving under these testing conditions, this requires change and adaptation.
COVID-19 has changed everything. And, let’s be real for a moment… we are ALL still figuring this out — we are in untested waters, and things are somewhat uncertain.
It won’t be easy, but it is critical we try to consider the big picture. In particular, think about how your business can help people through this crisis. As a result, you will help your business get through this crisis.— Adam Connell
We understand just how overwhelming this could be right now. To guide you through this difficult time, we have put together a survival guide that covers not only marketing advice, but also support regarding financing options, as well as managing team and commercial operations.
We have included great tips given during last week’s #SEMrushchat on this topic by our community. We also reached out to several leading marketing influencers for insights, Kevin Indig, Amy Bishop, and Adam Connell.
How to Pivot Your Marketing Strategy During Coronavirus
EMPATHY IS IMPORTANT
Empathy is key during this difficult time, and this should be reflected in the content you create, meaning you should avoid the hard-sale of your services at all costs.
Recognize that nearly everyone’s day-to-day has shifted in a major way. People are trying to acclimate to a new normal, all while feeling anxious about the pandemic, their work, the wellbeing of their friends and family – and potentially their job security and their income.
Consumers and businesses are vulnerable, so it is important that advertisers take that into account in messaging.— Amy Bishop, owner and digital marketing consultant at Cultivative, LLC.
To ensure your content is appropriate during the crisis, we recommend that you:
- Prioritize highlighting the things that will matter most to your customers, such as contactless delivery and safety precautions being taken at your business.
- Make sure that scheduled editorial or social media content is not insensitive. For example, a promotional piece that says ‘dresses to die for’ in the title is inappropriate.
- Check that scheduled launches are still relevant, given the pandemic.
- Remove impertinent call-to-actions. For example, this could be a CTA that encourages customers to ‘visit today’ when your store is now online only. Provide replacements, if possible.
SEO STRATEGIES
Continuing to invest time in SEO during this crisis is worth it, as it can help you identify new ways that your brand can add value and fulfill consumer needs. Here are some tips from our three experts:
Kevin Indig
- Perform keyword research for concerns customers have in your industry or around your product and create content around it.
- Closely monitor what keywords or categories on your site increase in impressions/search volume and double down on them.
Amy Bishop
“Look at keywords and queries containing ‘near me’ that perform really well. Determine if there is a way that you can still fulfill that need, online or via pickup/shipping/dropoff. Determine if there are new needs that have arisen that your company can fulfill. Then adjust your keyword strategy to capture that search volume.”
Adam Connell
“Develop your online presence – More people are spending time online than ever before, but many brands are pulling back on advertising due to the uncertainty COVID-19 presents. Use this time to create helpful content and build an audience you can market to when the time is right.” – Read more