How Digital Marketing Can Help Small Businesses During A Pandemic

There’s a new pandemic in town, and it’s called digital marketing. If you’re a small business owner and have been wondering why your website traffic has dropped this week, the answer is simple: It’s not just you. 

The flu season is in full swing and people are doing what they can to stay healthy. But if you’re looking for ways to turn that puffy-eyed demographic into profit, then listen up! We’ve got the top three ways digital marketing can help small businesses during a pandemic whether it be an actual pandemic or just bad weather conditions.

10 Post Pandemic Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
Takeaways
1. Digital marketing is essential for small businesses during a pandemic, offering critical support and opportunities for growth.
2. Leveraging digital marketing tactics can help small businesses adapt to changing consumer behavior and stay relevant in the market.
3. Effective online strategies such as SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, and email marketing can boost a business’s online presence.
4. Digital marketing is a powerful tool for generating leads and sales by targeting specific audience segments and delivering personalized messaging.
5. Building brand loyalty and trust through consistent communication and transparent engagement is crucial for small businesses in uncertain times.

Table of Contents

1. Consider Making Your Website More Interactive

When you’re in the midst of an outbreak, you may not have time to answer all of your customer’s questions. So, consider using a chatbot to help out instead. Chatbots are computer programs designed to simulate human conversation by answering questions and gathering feedback from customers.

A chatbot can be used for many things: answering basic questions about your products and services, gathering feedback about what kind of new product features would be useful (and why), and even helping customers find their way around the website. 

If you want to keep things simple but still provide users with an extra level of service during a pandemic, consider adding a chatbot feature to your website as soon as possible!

Embracing digital marketing can be a game-changer for small businesses, especially during challenging times. Our guide on how digital marketing can be used to extend the traditional marketing and promotional mixes reveals innovative ways to augment your marketing efforts and reach a wider audience.

2. Add A Chatbot To Your Messenger

Your customers might not feel comfortable calling you in the middle of a pandemic, so they’ll turn to digital marketing channels instead. You can use this opportunity to make your business more accessible by adding a chatbot to your Messenger, which will allow them to get answers or complete simple tasks without having to call or email.

It’s easy to set up and customize a chatbot, and it can be used on multiple devices and platforms such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Skype. You can even develop an app with specific functions for each product line or department within the company if that makes sense for your organization.

3. Create A Blog And Post Regularly

You don’t have to be a big brand or have a large budget to use blogging as part of your digital marketing efforts. There are many benefits of blogging for small businesses, including:

Blogging can help you reach a larger audience. You may already be familiar with the concept of content marketing, but you should also know that it encompasses different types of content beyond just articles and white papers. 

A blog is one such type of content that can be used strategically to attract and engage new customers while building trust with existing customers at the same time.

Blogging helps in generating leads by providing value-added information about your products/services and how they relate to what people need when facing pandemic situations (e.g., When I was sick last year) or even during normal times (e.g., How To Stay Healthy While Traveling). 

This way, when prospects visit your website after reading one of your posts, they will already feel like they know you because they’ve already been exposed through previous interactions with you on social media platforms or other websites where they discovered links back here!

Market penetration is essential for businesses facing uncertainties like a pandemic. Learn how digital marketing can be used in market penetration to identify untapped opportunities and fortify your market presence even in challenging times.

4. Create And Share High Quality Content

One of the most important things that small businesses can do to position themselves as experts in their field is to create and share high quality content. When you’re creating content, think about your target audience and what they want from you. Are they looking for entertainment? Information? 

Even if there’s not a pandemic on our doorstep, people are still searching for information about pandemics and how to prepare for them. So try to use keywords relevant to both pandemic awareness (like “pandemic flu”) and general health concerns (like “flu symptoms”).

Of course, once you’ve created great content, it’s also important to share it with other people! When sharing your high-quality content through social media channels like Twitter or Facebook, 

Make sure that you’re using hashtags related specifically towards pandemic awareness this will help increase the visibility of your posts in search engines (not only during an actual outbreak but also when someone’s looking up information online).

The best way I’ve found so far at measuring how much traffic my website gets is by using Google Analytics-but there are plenty of other ways too including Alexa Traffic Rank which measures page views per month versus all sites globally; 

Compete-which tracks both US traffic growth over time; Quantcast ​which measures demographics across different platforms including mobile phones etcetera​.”

5. Keep Track Of Google Trends To See What People Are Looking For

Google Trends is a tool that lets you see how often a particular search term is used compared to other terms. You can see what search terms are popular in different regions, or in different languages. 

The most interesting part of Google Trends is that it lets you see how frequently people search for a particular term over time. This can give you an idea of whether your business needs to make changes or adjust its strategy based on what customers want at the moment.

For small businesses seeking growth, digital marketing offers unparalleled opportunities. Discover the numerous ways digital marketing helps small business owners thrive, attract new customers, and establish a strong online presence.

6. Advertise Online With Google Ads

Google Ads are a great way to reach your target audience. They’re easy to set up, manage and track; they’re affordable, too.

They offer an easy way for small businesses to advertise online without having to invest in an agency or hire a full-time team. Google Ads allows you scale quickly as well so that if there is a sudden spike in demand for your product/service you can easily accommodate it with the help of Google Ads.

7. Boost Your Social Media Engagement

Social media is a great way to engage with your audience and build a community around your brand. Create content that helps your followers feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves, even if it’s just an online community. That way, when you need support during a pandemic, they’ll be there for you too!

You can also use social media to get feedback from customers or potential customers about their experiences with your products or services. This information can help shape future product development decisions and save lives in the future (more on this later).

Use social media to promote sales of current products or services. You may want to offer special discounts during pandemics so people will come try out what you have available before there are very few options left on the market due to supply chain issues caused by the pandemic itself.

You can also use social media platforms like Facebook Ads Manager or Google AdWords to drive traffic straight back into your website where there are plenty of resources available for them!

8. Create And Post Videos Regularly On Youtube And Other Social Media Platforms

If you want to get your business in front of as many people as possible, uploading videos regularly on YouTube and other social media platforms is a great way to do it. You should create videos that are relevant to your audience, and post them on your website and social media channels so that as many people see them as possible.

Here’s how you can use video marketing during a pandemic:

  • Explain Your Products And Services In A Way That Makes Them Easy To Understand
  • Introduce Yourself Or Another Member Of Your Team Through A Video (You can also use this opportunity to show off your office space or give an inside look at what goes on behind closed doors)

If you aim to grow your business, digital marketing can be a powerful ally. Find out how digital marketing helps to grow your business by exploring new markets, engaging with customers, and leveraging digital tools effectively.

9. Create Email Campaigns If You Have An Active Email List

Email marketing is a great way to reach your customers when they’re most interested in what you have to say. If you already have an email list, use it! Email marketing doesn’t mean just sending out one-off sales pitches, either it can be used as a way to promote other aspects of your business and products, as well. 

For instance, if you’re promoting an upcoming sale or promotion on your website, then send out an email letting people know about the deal. 

Or if you have a blog that’s relevant to the pandemic but isn’t necessarily about pandemics (or maybe even isn’t related at all), consider using weekly newsletters to keep people up-to-date on how things are going or share articles from other sources. 

You can even include links back down onto these pages so that readers can easily find more information about topics like this one!

10. Create A Mobile App For Your Business

Creating a mobile app for your business can help you stay in touch with your customers, who are likely to be on the go and needing information. Your app will be available to them wherever they are, making it easier for them to find what they need when they need it.

First, make sure that you’re using the right platform for your business needs. You might also want to think about how often you plan on updating the app if there is going to be a lot of content being added, then an HTML5 or hybrid app may be better suited than native iOS or Android (or vice versa).

The next thing that you need when creating an app is high-quality images that showcase what makes your brand unique and memorable for potential users. 

Just like with other digital marketing techniques, it is important not only what message gets across but also how it gets conveyed so as not overburden consumers with too much information at once while still providing enough value proposition in just one click away from downloading their favorite song/movie/etc., etc.

11. Create Online Communities By Creating Facebook Groups Or Slack Channels

Creating online communities is a great way to build trust with your audience and help them feel like they are part of something bigger.

There are many ways to do this. For example, you can create a Facebook group that specifically caters to your target audience, and have them sign up for it so you can communicate directly with them. 

You could also create a Slack channel or similar forum where people can connect with others who share similar interests or experiences.

12. Leverage Influencer Marketing To Drive Sales And Conversions

Influencer marketing is a great way to get your brand in front of your target audience, promote new products and services, and increase engagement. Influencer marketing is also a cost-effective way to drive sales and conversions during a pandemic.

Influencers are individuals who have a large following on social media or YouTube channels. They can help brands build trust with their target audiences by providing recommendations for potential customers.

By leveraging influencers who are relevant to the industry or niche that you are targeting, you can amplify your digital marketing strategy with content that has been tested in the wild before being published on your own channels (like blogs).

13. Go Live On Different Social Networks To Develop Trust With Your Target Audience

Live streaming is a powerful way to connect with your audience. Live streaming allows you to share information about your brand and create trust with your audience. You can also use live streams for marketing, sales and customer service. If you’re interested in using live streams for your business, here are some tips:

If you’re just getting started with social media marketing, start by using platforms that are easy for you or your team members to use. This could be something like Facebook Live or Periscope because they don’t require any equipment other than a smartphone or tablet computer. 

However, if you have more experience as an influencer, it might be worth investing in hardware like a webcam so that viewers can see every detail of what’s happening behind the scenes during their favorite brands’ broadcasts.

Create an engaging event page where all livestreams will take place so people know where to follow along at any given moment during each session.

Use hashtags strategically so they can be found easily by potential customers who aren’t already following along on Twitter but may still want access later on down the line; this prevents them from missing out on important information related directly back into promoting themselves within search results coming up soon after going live online!

Witness the remarkable transformation of marketing with the advent of digital technologies. Our article on how digital marketing has transformed marketing offers insights into the paradigm shift that has reshaped the way businesses connect with their audience.

14. Offer Free Trials, Consultations, Subscriptions, Or Any Other Type Of Free Product Or Service To Your Customers Or Audience

It’s not just about what you say, but also how you say it.

Offer Free Trials: Free trials are a great way to get people to try your product or service. You can offer either a limited time or unlimited use for a period of time. The key is having a clear call to action and end date for the trial offer. 

Make sure that your customers understand all the fine print related to their free trial, so they don’t feel like they’re being tricked into buying something they don’t want later on down the road (*cough cough* … virus protection software…).

Subscriptions Or Membership Programs: This is another great way to get repeat business from existing customers! 

If you already have an active customer base who loves your products/services and enjoys getting recommendations from friends then why not ask them if they’d consider becoming subscribers? 

Offer them discounted prices on their first purchase so that when their subscription ends at which point they’ll receive emails reminding them of what’s available again soon (which may include seasonal specials) and be reminded why they loved being part of this community in the first place!

15. Provide Easy Ways For People To Get Help From You Using Technology Like Video Calls Or Phone Calls

When it comes to pandemic preparedness, customers want to be able to reach you easily and ask questions easily. Video calls and phone calls are great ways of doing this.

In addition, you should think about the logistics of your business in terms of how you would deal with a pandemic if one were to strike your area. For example: If power goes out, can you still take orders? 

If phones go dead (as they often do during major storms), how will people be able to reach you? Is there an easy way for customers who are ill or injured but still have access to technology (a tablet or laptop) to order something from your store?

16. Redesign Your Logo Or Concept With A Health & Wellness Theme In Mind

Here’s another way that digital marketing and small businesses can benefit from pandemic planning: you can use the opportunity to design your logo or website with a health & wellness theme.

This is a smart move because more people are seeking ways to improve their health, which means it’s a good time to get involved in the health and wellness industry (and make some money).

Furthermore, redesigning your logo or website with this kind of theme will help put you at the forefront of your customer’s minds when they’re thinking about how they can maintain their own health during an epidemic.

Conclusion

I hope you found this post helpful. As I mentioned in the beginning, the best way to stay up-to-date on digital marketing trends is by following industry leaders and reading articles from experts in their fields. If there’s anything else that you think should be added to this list, please let us know in the comments below!

Further Reading

Toronto School of Management Blog – Explore how digital marketing is assisting businesses during the pandemic and discover effective strategies to navigate these challenging times. Read more.

The Week – Business & Tech – Learn how small businesses can leverage digital marketing to overcome pandemic-related challenges and thrive in the new normal. Read more.

ComboApp – Marketing Services – Find out how digital marketing can provide critical support to businesses during times of crisis and uncertainty. Discover valuable insights and practical approaches. Read more.

FAQs

What are the key benefits of digital marketing for small businesses during a pandemic?

Digital marketing offers several advantages for small businesses during a pandemic, including increased online visibility, better customer engagement, and cost-effective marketing strategies.

How can digital marketing help businesses adapt to changing consumer behavior during a crisis?

Digital marketing enables businesses to monitor and respond to shifting consumer behaviors in real-time, allowing them to adjust their marketing strategies and stay relevant in the market.

What are some effective digital marketing tactics for businesses to boost their online presence during challenging times?

Businesses can leverage search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, content marketing, and email marketing to enhance their online presence and reach a wider audience.

Can digital marketing assist small businesses in generating leads and sales during a pandemic?

Yes, digital marketing can help small businesses generate leads and sales by targeting specific audience segments, delivering personalized messaging, and nurturing potential customers through various online channels.

How does digital marketing contribute to building brand loyalty and trust amid uncertainties?

Through consistent communication, valuable content, and transparent engagement, digital marketing fosters trust with customers, which leads to stronger brand loyalty, even during times of uncertainty.