When 2020 started, people were not prepared for the rollercoaster of a year that it would prove to be. When countries started with their lockdown regulations, some people made light of it in the beginning and then things got serious. Businesses started to feel the pressure as their regular flow of customers were not allowed to do their regular shopping.
The ones who survived were the ones that improved their communication with their customers and utilized tools such as an SMS marketing campaign. Here are five ways in which you can also improve your message marketing during a lockdown.
Start using the available technology
During a lockdown, you cannot depend on the usual methods of messaging and communicating with our clients. You need to get inside the homes of your clients and make sure that they can get the message on any platform that they use.
SMS marketing campaigns are a great way to get a regular message out in bulk. These messages need to be scheduled and sent at regular intervals. You want to create an expectancy in your clients and to do this, there needs to be continuity in when you send your messages and what you write in them.
Experts on best essay writing service reviews mention that although SMS marketing works great for the client base that you have already built up, you need to rake in some new customers as well. By using Google my Business, it is easy to post more detail about your business. New information can be posted every week to keep things fresh. What is great about the tool is that you can monitor how many times people peruse your website and find info through this platform.
Delve into the lives of your customers
There is no doubt that other companies will also up the ante when it comes to marketing during a lockdown. This is why you need to get to know your customers and provide tailored messages. You are going to need to pool your resources and gather as much info on your customers as possible and build a profile of each one.
To do this manually is an impossible task, but website analytics and online automation are here to save the day. As customers use your website, these online tools start to build a profile about their likes, dislikes and everything in between.
If this method sounds a bit too technical and you do not feel that you have the necessary skill to pull it off, then there is also the humble survey that has stood the test of time.
When the profiles are complete, use the info to tailor messages and emails to your clients. Do not fall into the trap of only feeding them special offers and exclusive deals. Spend some time and give them some tips for free as well.
Spruce up your website
During a regular year, one can easily get caught up with the daily toils and start to neglect the anchor of your business, the website. The perfect time to whip it back into shape is during a lockdown. If the website was built well, then there should be a bunch of analytical data that you can use to guide the upgrade process. If the website did not have any analytics tools built-in, then it would be a good idea to build it into the site.
You do not need to thumb suck anything that needs to change. This means that you will need to do some research on user experience and design.
When people visit the site, it should be easy to browse through the content and navigate. It should also be pleasing to the eye and follow current trends. To make sure that you are on the right track, have a look at what the opposition is doing and make improvements from there.
Promotions and reminders
To keep your business afloat during a lockdown, you will have to be inventive with the promotions and offers that you put out there. It should be one of the features of the messages that get sent to clients. Here, continuity is key.
If you advertise and send messages on multiple platforms, everything needs to look the same. When adverts are uniform, it also helps with brand awareness. This is extremely important, seeing that many companies will be competing on the same platforms as yourself.
During a lockdown, a lot of time is spent on creating adverts and content for your messages, so it would be beneficial to automate your adverts to be sent out regularly. Once a schedule is set up, you can concentrate on other aspects of the business.
Social media dilemma
During a lockdown, your business is bound to operate differently. Everything from trading hours to new or altered services needs to be checked for continuity. It is not a question of whether you should use social media or not.
Rather, the question should be as to how many social media platforms you want to utilize. The temptation might be there to post on a few platforms, but this will also mean that the maintenance on these platforms becomes more.
Although it is doable, establishing what you can handle is going to determine which platforms you use. The target market will also give an indication of which platforms they prefer. During a lockdown, it would be a good idea to change the graphics a bit. This indicates that your company is on top of the lockdown and have everything under control.
Posts need to come quickly and periodically so that potential clients can see that your business is still going strong. The stronger your online presence, the better your chances are of landing new clients.
Conclusion
The key to surviving in lockdown is visibility and constant communication. Although you do not want to annoy your customers by drowning them in excessive messages, letting them know you are going strong is important. A well-planned messaging strategy will ensure that the business remains visible and that clients have instant access to your services or products, despite being restricted in their movement.
