We asked some local creative and marketing professionals to tell us what their top pieces of marketing advice would be for businesses trying to reach their customers during this time. Check out their great ideas and suggestions below!
Lindsey Pattillo, RCP Companies
Be Visual. Make a start-to-finish video on how to support your business. From picking up the phone or ordering online to getting to the customer’s hands. (try to keep this video under 2:00 minutes or less, bonus points if it’s under 1:00 minute!)
Keep it simple. Don’t overwhelm yourself, your employees, and your customers with too many obstacles to support your business. Communicate what you are offering and say it over and over again.
Stay positive. Show boomerangs of your team sanitizing, hand write thank you notes, anything that will show you and your team are staying strong and having fun while doing it. You can share your struggles too and how you’re working through them!
(BONUS) If you have new menu items or food items, make sure to take photos of food using natural light. This will help with image quality which in turn helps with sales.
(BONUS pt. 2) Record/post as much as you can on Instagram, and make sure its directly connected with your facebook stories and news feed. This way you only have to post once to upload to BOTH Instagram and Facebook.
Nick Lasater, Rocket City Digital
Be sure to share visuals of what you are doing to keep your customers and employees safe on your social media. Families and individuals want see the cleanliness and the measures you are taking to not spread COVID-19. Even though you may have been the cleanest establishment in the area before all this began, it still brings a peace of mind to your customers to be able to see it in action.
Kayla Adams, Elitaire Boutique
1. Be Consistent - Show up every day on social media in some way. Do at least one post a day in your feed that is either interactive, inspirational or informative. I find it is easiest to plan your posts out on a week by week basis so you don't forget to post.
2. Be Visible - Feature products or store photos every day on stories, since these tend to generate the most views. Don't just do one story. That's not enough. Actually tell a story with this free marketing Instagram is giving you. Communication is key! The only way to communicate with your audience is if you are showing up for them. Now more than ever we need to be showing up for them and making their lives easier.
3. Promote - Facebook ads are at an all time high in views. Promote what you are doing with an ad that runs on both Facebook and Instagram. This way you can inform customers who may not be following you on what you are offering to them. Don't sell to them in this ad, but let them know how you can help them during this time.
4. Solve A Problem - Every business exists because that business is either solving a problem or meeting a need. Find out what your customers need right now and solve that problem for them. Then post about it again and again and again.
Get creative. Now is the time to exercise those creative muscles. Offer new meal deals for families looking to support local while saving a little cash, or customers who may want to try something they've never had before. Keep things fresh to attract new people and bring back those loyal customers as well. Have your delivery drivers wear something silly. Make a video of this "new normal" we're all in and how your crew has changed and adjusted.
Collaborate. The more the merrier extends to marketing strategies as well. Partner up with other businesses or local influential members of the community to help promote each other. Consider teaming up with a non-profit to do some good while gaining a new audience. Banding together in troubling times can be just as good for your business as it is for your spirit.
Prepare. Eventually this will be over and the world will continue on. Use this time to prepare for the future. Revamp your website, declutter your space, refile those records. Dream up new recipes or designs. Work on your branding. Learn a skill that will help your business long term.
Lauren Gowins, The Bold Agency
1. Ramp Up Your Digital - If your business hasn’t focused your marketing strategy on digital in the past, you will need to going forward. Digital media consumption has increased significantly as people are forced to stay at home. As a business owner, you will need to ramp up your social media interactions and capacity for online transactions. Think about how you can make it easier for customers to shop with you. Simplify every step to the best of your ability. Do you have a user-friendly E-Commerce website? Are you using Instagram’s shopping feature? What about a Facebook live shopping experience? Look at how you can provide the best online experience to your customers.
2. Visuals Are Key – Visual communication is powerful. In 2013 an Iowa State University study found that when they added rotating visuals of salad to a digital display in the cafeteria, salad consumption among kids increased as much as 90 percent. Vivid and appealing imagery has a strong effect on our hunger response. Just look at all the #foodporn tags on Instagram. If you are a restaurant or beverage business, be sure to add appealing visuals of the menu options you are offering. Visuals are also key in communicating what changes your business has made since the shutdown. Post in your cover photo(s) that your business is providing to-go or curbside pick up.
3. Be Considerate Of Context - What you decided to post a few weeks ago won’t necessarily be appropriate today. As a business owner, you need to constantly assess every possible touchpoint for your brand across all channels, from social media to emails, etc. Check your pre-scheduled posts to make sure they match the tone of the current environment and avoid visuals that show group imagery, handshakes, etc. Overly ‘salesy’ posts are not appropriate during this time so stick to educational posts that show how you are supporting your customers and employees. Understand that empathy in this time is critical.