How To Improve And Adapt Your Marketing And Sales Strategy In A COVID-19 World

A global pandemic. An uncertain future. Are you a business owner struggling to cope up with the current economic conditions? You're not alone.

We all have to accept the fact that businesses won’t be back to “business as usual” anytime soon, and the changes that were once viewed as a temporary adjustment -- such as working from home, focusing on e-commerce, etc. -- are now being seen as the new normal, and as such, should be better adapted to a business’s organization strategy.

Per an Entrepreneur article, black swan events like pandemics tend to change the trajectories of economies and businesses, although whether that trajectory will be good or bad is up to how you handle the current situation.

To help you navigate these waters, here are some tips that should help your company adapt both your marketing and sales strategy during these uncertain and stormy times:

1.Emphasize your product or service’s true relevance

As the atmosphere around the market changes, so will your customers’ needs, making it all the more essential for you to truly emphasize how your services/products are still relevant and beneficial in their lives.

This can come in many forms, whether in relevant messaging, shifting from one product to another, or finding unique ways to better fulfill your market’s needs. Remember that customers are anxious now, and being a brand that is beneficial and can connect with them will make a world of difference. Utilize digital marketing channels for these efforts.

2. Go back to basics

This means meeting your consumers’ current needs by simply serving them in the truest sense of word. Rather than blatantly promoting what you have on offer, help your customers deal with the realities of the pandemic, and offer both helpful tools and thoughtful promotions. Examples include offering free subscriptions, taking down firewalls, offering curbside pickup, or providing live chat and support.

The key here is to let your consumers know that you care for their needs as actual people that are dealing with an uncertain atmosphere, rather than another brand that’s just there to sell more things. Additionally, good practices like this can also help build brand awareness and loyalty.

And if you’re going to advertise, make sure that you only advertise, and you don’t irritate. Be strategic in your marketing communications, and make sure your brand provides assurance, not annoyance.

3. Give your website and online portals some love

If there’s been any positive growth to speak of this year, it’s that more people are now online, and the expenses made on e-commerce have grown exponentially to numbers that are previously unheard of.

As such, it’s important to help your online presence be known, and make sure that your customer’s online journey is well taken care of. A surefire way of doing this is by giving your website/online store some love, and making sure that it runs as smoothly as possible, whether in terms of navigating from one page to the next, switching from product to product, or checking out for payment.

Thankfully, tools like Square Online are available to help you create the best online store for your services. Whether it’s to reach more customers online, deliveries and pickups, or receiving any form of payment, or even marketing, Square Online’s tools will help you not only put up an ecommerce store, but make one that stands out and puts the customer first.

You can get started by clicking here to learn about all the features that Square Online offers.

4. Pay attention to your shipping

People aren’t going to malls now, even if they’re still open. And even if things are adapting for the “new normal,” research only shows that online shopping will only increase in the coming months.

As such, it’s important that you bring your services and products to them, and that means using an excellent shipping service that will take care of the goods. And while there are many options available today, services like Shipping Easy are as good a godsend as any.

Working as a shipping software solution for growing e-merchants, the company helps you save money by providing access to discounted USPS and UPS shipping rates and print labels, automated shipping and workflows, integrating seamlessly with any online platform you use to sell, and an overall faster and simpler shipping process.

Learn all about their other features here, as well as their pricing here. They also offer a free trial through here.

5. Incorporate your audience, and communicate critical information

In short, keep an open line between you and them. You want brand transparency and loyalty from the companies you support, so make sure you do the same for your audience, and this is guaranteed to be well-received. For example, since each state has its own set of guidelines and regulations, it can be incredibly helpful to keep your customers informed about how you are being impacted, or your hours of operation, or even as simple as updating your Google listings.

This also opens a good opportunity for true leadership by adjusting your timelines, reevaluating the company goals, and opening the conversation to your customers. You can even ask them for tips and guides, as a lot of them are likely to have valuable insight.

Open your ears to your audience, and they will listen to you as well. This builds trust and loyalty, which is irreplaceable in the long run, pandemic or not.