Combating COVID-19: Retaining Revenue Online

If you’re lucky enough to be able to work from home without disruption to your business, then the government guidelines for social distancing might have a minimal impact on your operations. For other businesses greater challenges might be ahead.

But regardless of your situation during the Coronavirus pandemic, you have the power to help yourself and others with your brand.

Although the COVID-19 lockdown means sales will take a hit for many of us, this is actually a good opportunity to take advantage of the digital market. We’ve prepared a cheat sheet of essentials and tips for maintaining your business online.

What do people actually want?

The answer to this is totally unique to your business and can only be found through market research on current trends. The way that people think about what they want and need is changing and so your approach may have to be adjusted too. 

Create a customer profile

Think about how your customer’s perspective has changed over the last few weeks, what are they doing more (or less) of? What is important to them at the moment?

The way in which you communicate your product/service might change depending on how your customer will find it most useful at this current time. Getting inside the mind of your client right now will help you to promote your offering in the most relevant way. 

Get out your phone and start browsing social media

Staying up to date with current trends regarding the news, competitors, and online social culture is another crucial aspect of developing your marketing strategy.

Right now people turn to social media for up to date information more than any other channel. We don’t doubt that you’ve been doing this religiously over the last few weeks too, so start applying what you see to your business. What sorts of questions are people asking? What are they doing to pass the time? Is there a gap in the market you can fill?

In-depth market research sorcery…

Of course, checking up on Twitter can only go so far. In-depth research into keyword analysis, competitor authority and patterns of online behaviour all give you the extra cutting edge. 

If you’re interested in knowing how your industry is changing right now, and what your customers will be looking for in coming months, we can look into our magic ball!

Become a lifeline to clients and customers

If you haven’t already it’s time to show you customers that you are active. You are engaged. You are here for them. 

Social media: your new arsenal

Remember what we said earlier about social media being the first place people go for information?

Make sure that your business is there to provide it to them. Ensure that any queries directed to you are answered quickly. Offer advice on discussions related to your business. Reposting relevant news shows users that you are a good source of information. 

Let us see your face

Keeping in touch with your clients and team is crucial to maintaining the great relationships you’ve nurtured. Skype, Zoom and Microsoft Teams all have video chat functionality for multiple users at once. 

Seeing your face in real time will let others know that you are fully engaged and haven’t disappeared just because you’ve shut your doors. It gives people, whether that be your team, your clients, or a customer with a question; the feeling that you are fully supporting them. 

Don’t neglect your fan base

As the world grinds to a halt to stem the spread of COVID-19, supply and demand are already being affected. 

It’s time to ramp up engagement with your existing customers and clients, and show them just how important they are to you. Keep them up to date and in the loop. Add value to your offering with solutions to relevant problems they may be coming up against. 

This can be as simple as sending out well written, targeted email campaigns to let your customers know how your business hours or contact information might be changing, and keep them up to date with offers and news. If you think a tailored email campaign could help your customers (or potential customers!) feeling valued, talk to us about creating emails that reach the right people and get ROI fast.

Harness the power of eCommerce

Depending on the type of business you operate, this might be something you already do. Otherwise it could be a bit more difficult to transfer to sales online. 

The most crucial aspect to selling through your website is integration with an eCommerce platform. If you want your customers to buy online, then the process must be as smooth and straightforward as possible. 

An eCommerce platform like Shopify, Woocommerce or Magento is necessary for straightforward customer conversion. Payment gateway integrations such as Paypal to Worldpay ensure people can pay easily and securely. 

Use discounts to your advantage

If you can, now if a good time to use discounts to encourage long-term purchases, or secure business in the future. Things like longer-term memberships at discounted rates could be an attractive deal. Or look beyond the icy reach of Coronavirus and promote a discounted offer for when the virus has passed. 

Soon online sellers will be up against even more competition, get the upper hand by providing a discount on shipping. 

Promote gift cards

Gift cards provide you with an immediate injection of cash. With the human race has responded to the challenges of COVID-19 with community spirit, and many people are looking for ways to support small and local businesses. Promoting your gift card is a great way to help them help you.

We’re here to help!

We know it’s hard to keep your chin up at the moment. That’s why we want to help. We’re offering any new clients two months of social media marketing or an email marketing template for free, and development work at a reduced rate while we all get our bearings during Coronavirus lockdown. 

Get in touch with us today or contact your account manager for more information on what we can do to support you through this time. Together we will get through this and come out bigger, better and stronger!