The needs of your target market are constantly changing, so it's important to monitor trends and adapt your business strategy accordingly. One way to reach your customers in this irregular time is to adapt your marketing plan to their needs. We spoke with small business owners and marketing experts to determine the top 10 ways to adapt your marketing strategy during the pandemic.
What is a marketing plan?
A marketing plan is a comprehensive strategy for communicating with your audience and influencing them to buy your products or services. While marketing plans can range from basic to comprehensive, they should include important information about your brand and how you want your customers to see you.
"A comprehensive strategic plan maps where the company is in the marketplace today and where it wants to be," Heather Schuck, founder of TheSchuck.Agency, told Business.com. "Although the specifics can vary by industry, they typically aim to address the seven Ps: product, price, promotion, place, packaging, positioning and people."
When promoting your products and services, it's important to stick to your marketing plan to be consistent with your brand identity. However, a marketing plan is a living document that should be modified to best suit the current needs of your customers. For example, the coronavirus crisis, economic recession and public unrest have caused major changes in consumer behavior and your company needs to adapt its marketing strategy to meet the current needs of consumers.
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The economy and the market are constantly changing, forcing your customers to go through different buying stages. How you focus your marketing efforts to meet these needs can make or break your business. Instead of continuing with "business as usual" that your customers may find indifferent, or continuing to bombard and win over your customers with amazing information, there are some great marketing strategies you can use.
In today's turbulent economy, we spoke with small business owners and marketing experts to help determine the top 10 ways to change your marketing strategy and reach your audience.
1. Emphasize the true importance of your product or service.
The importance of your product or service may change as consumer needs change. It's important to emphasize how important your brand is to your consumers and how it will impact their lives. This may mean shifting your focus from one product to another or emphasizing your current offerings in a unique way to meet the needs of your audience.
"On the message side, between the pandemic and the potential recession, leaders and brands have an opportunity to connect more with passionate consumers and focus on the true value of their product or service," said Paige Arnoff-Fenn, founder and CEO of Expertise. . And the moguls.
2. Meeting the needs of current customers.
"Focus more on meeting the needs of consumers and helping them deal with the reality of the pandemic," says Linda Popal, marketing consultant and owner of Strategic Communications. “I've seen some app and SaaS providers offer free subscriptions for a while, [and] some media outlets have removed their firewalls to access virus-related reports and so on.
Providing valuable tools and sharp promotions can build brand awareness and loyalty. Think of ways for your customers to shop by promoting online services, offering street pickup or live chat and support.
3. Boost your digital marketing efforts.
Since your customers are online, it's important that you are too. Focus on digital marketing efforts such as paid advertising, search engine optimization (SEO) and email marketing. Keep your website up to date and focus on establishing yourself as a thought leader through blogs, videos, social media and other digital content. If you have the marketing budget to spare, consider hiring a marketing professional or social media influencer to increase your online visibility.
4. Change your email marketing campaign.
Companies should focus on customizing their email marketing campaigns to address the unique challenges their customers face. Instead of sending the standard email content you've always sent, vary the tone, content, and frequency based on what your customers expect. Stay on brand, but know how your email can add value to your audience.
"For example, just because a daycare center is closed doesn't mean parents aren't still looking for help caring for their children," Schuck said. “Don't miss that email sharing your updated schedule for the third time. Provide value, such as tips on practicing the alphabet while cooking dinner. This type of value-added communication will attract your customers to you, not drive them away.
A large part of your audience is on social media, so take advantage of it and join the conversation. Focus your marketing efforts on the social media channels that drive the most engagement from your customers (such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram). Create relevant posts that add value, educate and entertain, rather than trying to make sales.
"Take, comment on audience posts and adjust future posts based on current sentiments and opinions," Schuck said. "When our world is in chaos, automatically generating content to post 30 days in advance might not be the best choice. No matter how clean the post, it can make you look sad and heartless."
6. Communicating critical information.
Keep an open line of communication with your audience and you will receive transparency and honesty. Every state and industry has its own rules and regulations, so let your customers know how it affects you. This can be especially useful for updating your hours on your website and Google business listings.
"Even if you have to leave, don't stop talking to your audience," Pophal said. "They need to know you're still around and want to know when, when and how you'll reopen. Especially with small businesses, your customers can think of you personally, so make sure you share messages and updates regularly."
7. Engage your audience.
Schuck says it's an opportunity to show real leadership by exploring your goals, setting deadlines, and inviting your audience to be a part of the conversation. Invite your target market to help guide the direction of your business because they have valuable information about what they need and how you can help them.
"For a company to create a rabid fan base, there has to be a level of audience acceptance," Schuck said. "When you show that your customers are listening, you build trust and strengthen customer loyalty."
8. Show compassion and empathy.
Showing empathy to your customers is important, especially during this incident. When your customers are dealing with financial, emotional and mental stress, deliver empathetic content that shows you really care about them.
"Words are part of the healing process and we see which leaders and brands do a better job every day with messages that touch not only the mind, but also the heart and soul," said Arnoff-Fenn. "There has never been a more important time to provide an authentic and compassionate relationship with transparency, truth and time."
Help your community in any way you can, be it by donating, volunteering or supporting other businesses. If possible, adapt your business strategy to better serve the community. A donation can help you increase community support, goodwill and awareness of your brand. By encouraging your employees to join the conversation, you can facilitate corporate social responsibility activities and build a company culture that your entire team believes in and is positive about.
10. Track your sales pipeline.
Just because your marketing strategy worked three months ago doesn't mean it will work now. As the market changes, it's important to closely monitor your sales pipeline and analyze the data. Doing a competitive analysis helps you see what others are doing in your niche to determine what's working and what's not.
"I think we all get a little carried away, and it's easy to fall into the trap of complacency," Schuck said. "But there are opportunities in adversity. Taking this extra step to reevaluate your moves could mean the difference between gaining or losing 25% more market share."
What to avoid in your marketing plan
There are a few things to avoid when rethinking your marketing plan. For example, you don't want to send the same old marketing campaigns as if nothing happened, but you also don't want to overwhelm your audience with boring marketing and political material. Consumers are tired and can see PR exchanges and seasonal emails.
It is important to accept the current situation, but do not talk about these things more than necessary. Instead of overwhelming your audience with general information, deliver educational or entertaining marketing messages that add value and enhance your customer experience.
You want to avoid being pushed to sell or overpromote your products or services. Make sure every interaction you have with your customers has purpose and value, whether it's on your website, email or social media. As social and economic conditions change, your marketing strategy will adapt accordingly.
