Starting a business during a crisis? Here are five marketing considerations

It is said that within every crisis there are opportunities and no doubt, there are entrepreneurs who are at this moment, busy identifying, analyzing and taking advantage of the many opportunities that the crisis of the coronavirus (COVID-19) presents.  On the other side of the spectrum though, consumers are laser focused on the issues surrounding corona, many of them adopting a wait and see approach to buying and developing new consumer relationships.  Where the two meet however, is heavily dependent on how the entrepreneur positions the business with potential customers during this period.

While there will be many elements to consider when starting the business, it is paramount that the marketing campaign takes into consideration the current climate for its ideal customer.

The following are five marketing considerations as you carve the marketing campaign for your new business venture:

1.     Have a clear communication strategy – The question of ‘why should I buy it’ must be clearly answered to in your communication strategy.  The Harvard Business Review in its article ‘How to Market in a Downturn’ places consumers into four categories based on their economic status during a downturn; the slam-on-the-break, the pained-but-patient, the comfortably well-off and the live-for-today.  These categories range from those who are hardest hit by the pandemic to those who experience no change in their situation.  Your communication strategy must use clear language that is succinct, to describe the new offering, what it will do, who it is for, the cost and its benefits.  No fluff nor jargon necessary.

2.     Define your ideal customer avatar – With any new product offering, a small business owner must be able to demographically say exactly who their target customer is; i.e. your customer avatar.  By defining your avatar you are able to determine where your customer gets their messages about new products, what vocabulary and tone your marketing should take and what solutions you should be providing for them.  Elements used to define your avatar should include; age range, gender, location, economic status and income level, profession or industry, religious affiliation or lack thereof, employment status, hobbies and special interests and relationship status.

3.     Incorporate Digital – There is a digital explosion that has happened during the coronavirus that is indescribable.  Problem is; the digital space is crowded.  Nevertheless, it is the place to be.  For a new business or a new product seeking relevance in the marketplace at this time, a digital strategy is imperative.  It is also imperative to include mobile in your marketing strategy.  Remember gadgets and devices are always either in the consumer’s hand or close by.  Once you know your avatar, they will get your message notification.

4.     Have a plan for short, medium & long-term marketing – Because we are operating in crisis mode, it is important to have a defined marketing plan.  It is recommended that you design your marketing campaign with short, medium and long-term goals.  Short term marketing goals are usually one to three months and must be scalable and adaptable.  As previously mentioned in digital is trending.  It is less expensive than traditional media and very scalable.  PR may also be considered in your short-term plan.  It provides you with an opportunity to speak directly to your avatar using media such as radio/TV interviews, press releases and blog entries on your website.  Medium-term goals should be based on how the conditions progress; adjust as necessary to succeed.  For now, hold off on the long-term marketing goals; let’s see how the current conditions pan out.

5.     Deliver what you promise – There is nothing worse than over-promising and under-delivering or not delivering at all.   As a small business owner, your personal brand and credibility is tied to your business and as such it is important that your word i.e. promise becomes your bond.  Failure to deliver what you promise will leave you with a bunch of unhappy customers and your reputation may also be irreparably damaged thereby affecting your ability to operate any kind of business.  Make your word, your bond.

Five tech tools small businesses can use to connect with clients NOW!

Event Marketing provides a great way for small businesses to connect with their clients, introduce new products and services and attract new business to their sales efforts.  However, with the coronavirus pandemic affecting daily life as we know it, social distancing and stay-at-home-orders have limited human interaction, at least for the foreseeable future.

This shouldn’t mean however that business/client interaction should die.  In fact, now is the time for small businesses in particular to identify new touch points to reassure their clients that the business continues and showcase any new solutions that they can provide for existing as well as new clients.

Tech tools undoubtably provide many solutions for small businesses to connect with their clients.  The following are five tech tools that small businesses are encouraged to use right now to maintain a connection with their clients:

Customer 'touch points' are even more important now for small businesses.

Image source: qual360.com 

1.       Video Conferencing apps – Video Conferencing apps, though not new, were hurled into the spotlight a few weeks ago when the world suddenly didn’t work as it should.  These apps can be used to host events, meetings, training sessions, or even small team meetings.  Many of these apps offer free usership up to a point.  Zoom for example, offers a 40-minute meeting limit and up to 100 persons free to a meeting.  Other options for face-to-face interaction include Skype for Business, Google Hangout and Cisco Webex.   Gmail also now offers google meet directly from your inbox.

2.       Social Media scheduling tools – Although life has slowed down somewhat, for small entrepreneurs who are involved with every aspect of the business, this could still be a busy period as they work to ensure business continuity.  Updating social media platforms can prove to be a time-consuming activity.  Utilizing social media scheduling tools such as Hootsuite, can help small business owners to appear more active on social media than they really are.  Dedicating one or two hours out of the week to schedule the week’s post frees up the entrepreneur to focus on other critical areas such as distribution and manufacturing that can provide to be a challenge right now.

3.       Google Analytics – Especially if you are a small business with a website, Google Analytics is a useful tool to track who’s visiting your website.  Google Analytics provides a better understanding of who your audience is, where the customers are and the type of content they respond to.  This will help to determine where your marketing budget is spent.  And the greatest thing about Google Analytics is that it is completely free!

4.       Start a Blog – Blogging is a great way to provide useful information to your clients without shamelessly plugging your own business offerings (even though you should).  A blog can either be a stand-alone web page or part of a website.  The important thing is that it should be updated often and be written in such a way that it engages your clients.   

5.       Email Marketing – Email marketing may not sound ‘techy’ enough but it is a critical tech tool for connecting with clients.  Your blog, vlog and other promotional information that shared via social media can be sent directly to your email contacts using email marketing tools such as MailChimp and ConstantContact.  Most of the email marketing tools also gives statistics and analytics that show how well the email is doing. 

Of course, there are many other tech tools and methodologies that can make a difference in your business’s marketing right now, however these five are a great start to get you on your way.

 

Five practical marketing moves to make NOW for your small business

There is no doubt that these are trying times for small businesses, especially those that do not fit into the ‘essential’ category.   These businesses may be struggling to make a sale or simply keep the doors open.  

Some business experts have posited that it may be better for some small businesses to close now, cut their losses and reopen at a later date. 

But there are those small businesses that can pivot or use different business tactics to remain above the fray during this period.  For these businesses, the following are five practical marketing moves to make now, to ensure business sustainability during and post COVID-19.

Get online … Now! – Over the past few weeks, the importance of an online presence for businesses in general has come home to many especially our small business operators who for the most part, had no online presence, or presence that is limited and unstructured.  A strong online presence allows you to build your brand while attracting customers.  Importantly it makes the business readily accessible and presents your products to your customers in a co-ordinated way.   A website is the most significant online tool that a business can possess.  The website gives the business a free hand in organizing all the relevant information about itself and its products in a cohesive way.  The website allows for client feedback, e-commerce activities, delivery of strong marketing messages and the promotion of goodwill among customers, prospects and other stakeholders.  The business’s website coupled with a strong social media presence will provide multiple platforms for sharing information, while the social media platforms will help to drive traffic to the business’s website.

Image courtesy of blackeconomicdevelopment.com 

Use Content Marketing – In this time of misinformation and misleading information, truthful, useful and good content is king. Use your acumen to create useful and engaging content for publication on your website or business blog, and particularly in industry specific publications as well as mainstream media. Useful content will position you as an expert in your field, thereby increasing your visibility as an individual and your business as a ‘go-to’ for expert advice and support and high quality goods and services. Good content will drive more customers to and establish you as a credible source of information as well as to draw attention to a product or service that your business provides.

Engage in relationship building activities – There is a popular saying ‘No man is an island’ and never has a truer statement been made. In these times of scarce and limited resources, relationship building is even more important. Establish relationship with complementary businesses for whom you can provide a service and they can reciprocate. Look for activities that will increase your businesses visibility and attract new and relevant customers. Provide useful customer incentives which can build goodwill. Volunteer or participate in a ‘give back’ programme that will provide some upskilling or learning opportunities for your stakeholders. Things like a free webinar or other online activity can provide useful information and entertainment during this tense period.

Review your marketing plan – So it’s likely that you would have had certain marketing tools already in place such as business cards, press/TV/radio adverts, banners, promotional programmes etc., The truth is though, when the world begins to operate in its new normal, some of the tools will no longer be relevant. Upgrade and review your current marketing material. Most of your marketing in the new normal will happen online and on mobile. And while we are on the subject of mobile ensure that your online platforms conform to mobile specifications. Your business card may no longer need to be printed, online business cards may be our new normal. As the cost of traditional advertising may be high, it is a good time to review your spend and take some of the marketing online. The explosion of online in the past few weeks is just amazing… capitalize on it! 

Improve your personal brand – Did you know that your personal brand affects your business brand? Personal branding has become somewhat of a catch phrase in marketing in the more recent past. With the increase in social influencers and influencer marketing, improvement of your personal brand can positively affect your business’s bottom line. An improvement in your personal brand builds your credibility as an expert as people trust people more than brands. Having a likeable and relatable personality will enable a better connection between the brand and the customer. So, use this time to improve yourself … gain more knowledge in your chosen field, gain or improve skills such as public speaking, negotiation and networking skills. Build your confidence and come through shining like the star that you really are!