Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses amid a Pandemic

One of the many disadvantages of being in a pandemic is its negative effects on business and trade. Every pandemic that the world has ever seen has caused plenty of setbacks for businesses. COVID-19 is no different.  

Businesses from all industries were affected by it. For example, construction projections and essential house inspections had to be halted or postponed because of the danger of the virus being brought in. Virtually nothing was left untouched. That’s why they say COVID-19 is one of the world’s greatest equalizers today.  

It has changed the way we do business and sped up the world’s transition to go fully digital. Companies had to learn — and still are learning — to adapt and make the most out of the situation to keep themselves above water.  

Many of them had to figure out ways to develop new marketing strategies according to their present financial capabilities. Not all of them, after all, are multinational companies that have big budgets. A bigger chunk of a community’s economy depends on how the small businesses are doing. More than a single establishment’s survival, we’re talking about a community’s survival here.  

As we go deeper into this pandemic, several small businesses are somehow slowly but surely getting their footing back in the game, thanks to the simple yet brilliant marketing strategies they employed. Here are some of them:  

Stay Competitive and Conscious 

When it comes to competition, do your best to find out what they are doing and what works for them. You can learn a great deal about your target market and industry by keeping an eye on them. Take what you can and adapt it into your organization. Once you figure out how to make it work for you, maintain competitive rates so you can garner more business and close more deals. 

SEO Strategies 

Given that the pandemic is nowhere near its end, at least for now, not many people are willing to make any long-term commitments business-wise. It’s okay, though. Consider a long-term SEO strategy to help your business become sustainable for the long term. The typical SEO campaign runs long enough to generate leads and new customers as we head into a post-pandemic world.  

Inbound Marketing 

During these trying times, people are more prone to be focused only on things that resonate with them. Inbound marketing allows you to connect with your target market more deeply with meaningful content and valuable experiences tailored for them and their concerns. 

Blogging 

Blogging is found at the very top of inbound marketing’s funnel of relevant content creation. It allows you to engage with your audience in a manner that captivates them by providing the answers and solutions to their questions and problems. Blogging has allowed businesses to communicate their brand’s mission and purpose without being too in your face about the products or services they offer. 

Email Marketing 

Email marketing is a more conventional marketing approach that has been employed by companies even before the pandemic took place. With folks paying more attention to what goes into their inbox, the open and click-through rates are a lot higher this time. Perhaps we can chalk it to the increasing need for more human interaction that’s causing this. Taking this into consideration will help you give more thought to your email marketing campaign.  

Content Marketing 

One of the things that somehow thrived in a pandemic is content marketing. Since everyone is online, most businesses and advertisers turned to content marketers to increase website traffic, lead generation, and conversion during COVID-19. Even as businesses were physically shut down, content marketing continued to ramp up and bring in the money. 

This is because one, it’s cheaper than traditional marketing and promotion. Two, it is much more sustainable, and therefore, long-term. And three, almost everyone is already online, so exposing your products through content that is published on several platforms gives you a wider reach.  

Keyword Search 

More and more people have more time in their hands for learning and research, especially for relevant topics such as vaccines and coronavirus. A good SEO strategy can help get you more traffic to your website. The more traffic you get, the bigger the chances of higher conversion rates. 

Free Trials 

Depending on your products or services, you might want to consider giving out free trials to potential customers or offering discounted rates for existing customers. Free trials allow you to track down leads that are eventually willing to pay for what you’re offering. 

With the right marketing strategies, any business — especially small ones — will not only survive but thrive despite the pandemic. Of course, your products and services will have to be top-notch, too, to create customer loyalty. But that’s another discussion for a different day.