Let’s Take a Step Forward- Strategies to Re-Open Closed Businesses

(P.C.- Inc. Magazine)

With economies opening up now and lockdowns being eased out, businesses have re-started their operations, albeit at a slow speed but things have started to look up for sure and now is the time for you to focus on carefully re-focusing on your digital marketing strategy, as the market and consumer sentiments, both have changed and newer ways have to be looked up to gain the momentum and capture the lost ground.

An effective action plan focused on enhancing your digital marketing efforts is the need of the hour, there is an enhanced focus on digital marketing because the way the world operates post-COVID has undergone a drastic change, with people now spending most of their time online, this was validated by a study conducted by Forbes, as people are spending more time indoors, due to obvious reasons, and this is where you can target them, in the most effective manner.

Let’s see five strategies to boost your business once it reopens:

1. Analyzing and re-working upon your existing digital marketing strategy- Definitely, with the change in the consumer pattern and behavior, post-pandemic, the consumer outreach methods have to be changed too. The best way to get ahead is to analyze your existing strategy and re-work any changes if needed. You should assess the existing channels and their efficacy, as well as what their future yields will be. You should carve out a marketing plan, which shall steer your plans throughout the consumer journey and provide checks at regular intervals.

The best way to assess which channel is most effective is by assessing the traffic rate generated on a particular channel/source, use of analytics to determine performance targets, determining the highest ROI on the particular channel, etc. Setting clear and defined goals, in sync with your business plans, shall help you in determining a well-thought marketing strategy.

2. Focus on customer loyalty- Who doesn’t like being rewarded for their loyalty? Everyone feels nice if they are appreciated for sticking and preferring your business over others, despite rising competition and surviving times like these. After COVID-19, bringing in new customers has become tough, so here you can focus on the pre-existing ones, for instance, if they had subscribed for any E-membership, then you can offer them refunds or offer enhanced ancillary services, just to win over their trust. Times are tough not only for you, but for nearly everyone out there, and a gesture of concern shown by you will win you genuine appreciation. By undertaking customer loyalty initiatives, you will witness an enhanced surge in your brand awareness, enhanced organic traffic, the return of older customers, positive word-of-mouth publicity, better social media engagement, etc.

3. Focus on promotional deals and offers- People always look out for decent incentives, promotions, and discounts, especially in times like these, where monetary aspects of people, in general, are hard hit; therefore, offering discounts and other promotional incentives won’t only be a great win for the customers but also generate positive nose for your business.

 You can offer exclusive promotions, discounts, or deals and publicize them on your website and your social media channels. These tricks will help in retaining your older customers and might also get newer customers for your business, businesses like Gyms, Spas, Restaurants, Hotels, and/or Tour operators can offer such proposals, as they are the ones who have been deeply impacted due to the pandemic.

4. Focus on Google Ads (PPC)­- With Google having the highest visibility amongst people across the globe, it is essentially the most impactful traffic generator for any business, if promoted effectively. Unlike traditional media channels like T.V., radio, etc. which help raise brand awareness; Google ads drive action and generate an adequate response for your advertisement. If you use proper target keywords and an optimized SEO strategy is in place, then your ad shall be visible to the target audience. The best way to get the best results from your Google ad strategy is to have a Google ads funnel strategy in place, not only shall this be economical but also shall generate the best results for you in a short span of time.

5. Attract customers with Social Media Ads – It is always a better decision to spread your marketing strategy across different platforms, use of Google ads is one such, but using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. can drive up your content to a wider and varied audience, enhance your brand awareness and increase ROI. With Facebook having billions of users of varied demographics, race, etc. you can market your products and services, accordingly. The best part about Facebook Ads is that they are economically viable, thus, they won’t pinch your pockets hard, and especially nowadays when businesses are reeling under the financial crunch.

You can drive up your business by ensuring better search results, that too organically, if you develop sync with your other social media ads and Google ads, this way, search on any engine can drive up traffic on simultaneous other channels, not only is this a wise investment decision, because it is cost-saving but it also targets your potential audience on various channels.

With uncertainty and skepticism peaking high for everyone, this is quite natural and understandable, but being afraid of taking the next progressive steps won’t bode well for your business in the future, because an opportunity missed by you can be your competitors’ gain. The focus here should be to be back on your feet as soon as possible and at the same time, being considerate of the demands of your consumers.

It is therefore wise to undertake a calculated and well-thought marketing strategy, one which is aligned with your business goals yet doesn’t waste your precious resources.